Psychotherapy Associates
of North Reading
Services

Click here for Information on our court approved parent classes
Click here for Information on our current group offerings

Services offered by Psychotherapy Associates of North Reading:

We offer a wide range of counseling services. This includes individual, group, couples and family counseling for children, adolescents and adults. We are a generalist practice, and are equipped to handle most problems. Our referral coordinator can help match you up with the therapist or special program best suited to meet your needs.

Below are descriptions of some of the specialties and services we offer. If you don't find what you are looking for here, please call our referral coordinator to see if we can be of help. If we don't offer the service ourselves, we may be able to help you find a provider that does.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Do you experience difficulty breathing, a pounding heart, dizziness, hot or cold flashes, nausea, feelings of unreality, claminess & sweating, numbness or tingling, fears of dying or going crazy? Have you gone to a doctor for these problems and been told that there is nothing physically wrong with you? Do you dislike driving on the highway, waiting in lines, going far from home, staying home alone, going to stores or malls, going to theatres or stadiums? If so, chances are you are experiencing panic attacks. We have a specialized cognitive behavioral program for the treatment of panic attacks and anxiety. This program works, without the use of medication, to assist you in ridding yourself of panic attacks. Panic and anxiety have three major components. These are physical symptoms, thoughts & feelings, and behaviors. Through a program of data collection and history taking, we explore how each of these three companonents play a part in your particular case. We take into account what you have tried, what worked, and what didn't. We then use a series of exercises and educational programs to modify each of these components until you are no longer limited by your anxiety and panic. Extensive research has shown that conginitive/behavioral programs such as this one are highly effective in treating panic and anxiety. If you are motivated enough to stick with it and work at the exercises each day, there is an excellent chance that you can reduce or eliminate panic attacks and debilitating anxiety from your life.

Child and Adolescent Behavior Problems

Do you find that your child or teen just won't listen to what you say? Are there endless fights and arguments until it seems like it's hard to find pleasant times in the relationship? Are you sometimes concerned about your own reactions and anger in these situations? Does your younger child consistently nag, whine and have temper tantrums? Does your teen-age child openly defy you, or lie to you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might benefit from our treatment program for Child and Adolescent Behavior Problems. We work with you to help you learn effective limit-setting techniques and to successfully manage your child or teenager's behavior. We offer counseling services for children and adolescents, as well as for parents who need assistance with their children's behavior. Some of the specific problems we can help with include ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), coping with divorce, school-related problems, aggressive behavior, coping with traumatic events, childhood anxiety, toileting problems, and many others. Sometimes the problem behaviors of children reflect problems in the parents' relationship or differences in parenting styles. If this is the case, we also offer couples counseling and assistance in limit setting and behavior planning.

Marital/Couples Therapy

We have considerable experience as marriage/couples counselors. We have worked extensivley with a wide range of couples, and can offer assistance with many types of problems that effect couples. These can include communication issues, conflicts over parenting styles or limit setting, conflict over financial issues and budgeting, sexual issues and sexual dysfunction, managing anger, rebuilding a relationship after an affair, etc. We also work with non-traditional couples or any two people who wish to improve their relationship.

Stress Management

We use a wide variety of cognitive, behavioral and psychodynamic techniques to assist adults, adolescents and children who are coping with various life stressors. These can include divorce, financial problems, work or school problems, somatic complaints, relationship issues, etc. We help you look at all aspects of the stress, including the way it effects your body, your thoughts and feelings, the environmental factors as well as the internal factors. We also look at how your own past history is effecting your management of current life stressors. We teach you a range of relaxation and stress reduction techniques, and help you learn life-long skills for managing stress in all areas of your life. In working with children who are experiencing anxiety or stress, we will often help them build a toolbox of coping skills to reduce and manage anxiety and stress.

Group Therapy

We offer a range of groups to meet the needs of our clients. We have often found that group therapy is the treatment of choice for a wide range of issues. The support, insight, and feedback group members give each other is invaluable in addressing a wide range of problems. Groups can often be particularly helpful in working on relationship issues and recovering from past trauma. To see our current group offerings, click here. Our group offerings constantly change, so check with our referral coordinator if you are looking for a specific group and don't see it mentioned here.

Co-Parenting in Difficult Times

Positive Co-parenting-in Difficult Times is a five hour educational seminar that takes place over two consecutive evenings, from 6:30 to 9:00 both nights. The fee for this program is eighty dollars per participant. The program has been approved by the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court in Boston MA., and meets the requirements for divorcing couples with minor children. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance that they may file with the court. In order to meet the court requirements, parents are required to attend different seminars from each other. Courses are held approximately every 2 to 4 weeks, and take place in North Reading (at the Little School), in Haverhill (at Northern Essex Community College), and in Medford (at Medford High School). This course is a comprehensive seminar which is designed to educate parents about children's emotional needs and the effects of divorce on children. It consists of education of the adult's emotional stages in the process of divorce. It outlines the phases of child development and how the child will be affected by divorce at each stage of development. The course specifies the special needs and issues that children of divorce have, and provides positive suggestions and techniques designed to help parents lessen the negative impact of divorce on their children. Positive Co-Parenting in Difficult Times teaches parents how to anticipate problem behavior in both the co-parent and the child and respond in helpful ways. We teach conflict resolution skills and dispute resolution methods. The legal and economic responsibilities of divorcing parents towards their children are briefly outlined as well. We offer many, many positive and practical suggestions for co-parenting. The course also provides information about community resources that are available to the family and children. We offer a multimodal program where reading, lecture, discussion and role-playing all enhance participants grasp of the material.

Dates and Locations of Upcoming Parent Classes

Dates and Locations of Upcoming Parent Classes
Dates	Location
Wed & Thurs, October 15 & 16	Little School, N.Reading
Wed & Thurs, November 12 & 13	Medford High School, Medford
Mon & Tues, December 1 & 2	N. Essex Com. Col., Haverhill
Wed & Thurs, December 10 & 11	Little School, N.Reading
Wed & Thurs, January 14 & 15	Medford High School, Medford
Tues & Wed, Febuary 3 & 4	Little School, N.Reading
Wed & Thurs, March 11 & 12	Medford High School, Medford
Wed & Thurs, April 1 & 2	Little School, N. Reading
Wed & Thurs, May 13 & 14	Medford High School, Medford
Wed & Thurs, June 3 & 4	Little School, N. Reading
Wed & Thurs, July 8 & 9	Little School, N. Reading
Wed & Thurs, August 5 & 6	Little School, N. Reading

All classes take place on two consecutive nights from 6:30 to 9:00 both nights. In order to meet the court requirements, you must be present for the full 2 1/2 hours each night. If you arrive late you will need to reschedule. You must attend a separate class from your spouse, and your space in the class is reserved once we receive the $80.00 payment. Please note that child care is not provided, and children are not permitted to attend the classes. The North Reading classes are at the E. Ethel Little School in North Reading and the Medford classes are at Medford High School. For directions to either the Little School or Medford High School click here. To register for a class or for more information, call (978)664-2566 and press option 3. If you would prefer to register by mail, click here.

If none of these dates and times are convenient for you, you can get a list of other classes located throughout the state at The Divorce Center, Inc.

Current Group Offerings

Planned Groups

All of our previous groups have ended at this time. We are in the planning stages for several new groups. Please contact our referral coordinator at extension 2 if you are looking for a particular group.

Psychotherapy Associatesof North Reading Services

Click here for Information on our court approved parent classes Click here for Information on our current group offerings