Hi, I am Dr. Brittany Carswell (or Dr. C). I am a licensed psychologist trained in working with many types of different mental health and personal growth issues but my expertise and main areas of interest are in treating anxiety disorders, relationship issues, stress management and overall wellness. In addition to individual therapy, I also specialize couples therapy. I am passionate about the importance of having healthy relationships as foundational and core to well-being.
I emphasize helping individuals adjust and adapt to the inevitable life changes and transitions that are part of the human experience. My treatment approach is tailored to each individual’s specific needs with an overall goal of helping you attain balance and an improved and healthier level of functioning through the development of insight, self-awareness, coping skills and stress management strategies. By creating a safe and supportive environment for this learning to occur, it allows individuals to increase their overall life satisfaction and quality of life while improving their ability to deal with everyday stressors. I use a combination of cognitive behavioral (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness based approaches. I teach concrete strategies to help empower you to improve your happiness and overall well-being.
Many clients who see me are going through normal yet stressful events of life and are finding themselves struggling with anxiety, managing stress and unhealthy relationship dynamics. These various issues are often so interconnected with a complex interplay between them. I work to help you identify the foundational and core underlying issues driving the problems, as well as the reasons you may be having trouble making the changes that you want. We then work together on a treatment plan to put in place strategies and skills to help you achieve your goals while also balancing the importance of health and wellness as core to a foundation of good physical and mental health.
ANXIETY SPECIALIZATION
I specialize in working with a wide spectrum of anxiety and anxiety disorders ranging from mild worry to Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias and OCD. Anxiety has become such a pervasive part of our many of our day to day lives and culture that is hard to figure out what is “problem” anxiety anymore? What is a disorder and what is normal life anxiety? When does normal life anxiety start to shift into something more serious or severe over time? These are questions that many people come in wondering and asking and realizing that they have likely been suffering from some form of detrimental anxiety for a very long time. Early intervention (and even prevention) with anxiety and other mental health issues is key in treatment outcomes. I take a psycho-educational and active approach to helping you to learn and understand how anxiety works, what the triggers are and how to address and cope through various anxiety management, coping and relaxation skills. Whether it is more generalized anxiety, worry or severe panic attacks, we will work together on plan to help you learn how to manage, even master your anxiety and stress. Additionally, often various other issues such as perfectionism and control play a large role in understanding and treating anxiety.
RELATIONSHIP ISSUES SPECIALIZATION
Relationships and love are core to our foundation as human beings. Whether it is issues with a spouse, partner, someone your dating or a friend or family member, the resulting impairment it can cause in our well-being is significant. I take a very active and facilitative approach in helping you to identify and work through relationship issues and often longstanding relational patterns and understand better your own role in the issues. We work to figure out what is within (and not within) your control to change and then on specific strategies for working towards changing those patterns. We work on various communication tools and strategies for improving your ability to express your feelings and communicate and on setting boundaries when appropriate. Sometimes, depending on the issue or situation we may bring in that other individual to a session if we think it might be helpful. Other times, if appropriate we determine if the issues are more appropriate to be addressed through couples therapy.
WELLNESS & STRESS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIZATION
Wellness is a term generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. This idea of working towards a sense of life balance and overall well-being best encompasses what I try to help each client work towards. As part of an overall wellness approach, I also emphasize overall health and well-being in my approach to treatment. Clients who need to make changes in health and wellness habits are well served by the expertise I have acquired through my extensive experience in university and hospital settings. Additionally, I work with clients who are considering making changes to improve their health and wellness but are experiencing difficulties and/or ambivalence about getting started.
OTHER ADULT PSYCHOTHERAPY SPECIALITIES
- Depression & Bipolar Disorder
- Life Transitions and adjustment Disorders
- Relapse Prevention
- PTSD and trauma
- Health Behavior Change (weight management, sleep)
- Couples therapy
