Doug Brooks, Ph.D. Randy Graue, M.S. Th.D.
Psychologist Psychologist
Behavior Management Associates
2503 Jackson - Joplin, MO 64804
300 Jefferson - Anderson, MO
Phone: 417-782-1910 - 800-264-1016
dabrooks@joplin.com
Our Staff
Doug Brooks,
Ph.D.
Randy Graue,
M.S. Th.D.
Psychologist
Psychologist
Scott Gordon, M.S.
Aimee Golden, Ed.S.
Kathy Guebara,
M.S., MPA
Psychologist
Counselor
Counselor
Doris McMahon, M.S.N
Corinne Young Psy.D.
Jerry Walker, Ed.S.
Psychiatric Nurse Practioner
Psychologist
Counselor
Behavior Management Associates, P.C.
Since 1981, Behavior Management Associates has provided Southwest
Missouri, Southeast Kansas and Northwest Oklahoma with high quality diversified professional mental health services,
including:
Individual
and Family Therapy
Marriage Counseling
Play Therapy
Hypnotherapy
Psychological & Educational Evaluations
Biofeedback
Medication Services
Specialized services are available at BMA Marital & Family Relations
for:
Stress Management
Attention Deficit - Hyperactivity Disorder
Child & Adolescent Behavior Problems
Eating Disorders
Survivors of Trauma & Abuse
Dissociative Disorders
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Panic Disorders
Depression & Anxiety Disorders
Industrial / Organizational Consultation
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy provides a confidential one-on-one contact between an individual and a therapist to address a variety of clinical problems ranging from mild adjustment disorders to more treatment intensive disorders requiring a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Common problems that are frequently treated with individual therapy include disorders of childhood and adolescence, anxiety disorders, stress related physiological disorders, depression, and disorders associated with exposure to traumatic situations. Typical Anxiety Disorders include Simple Phobias such as fear of snakes, Social Phobia which involves feelings of anxiety in social situations, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in which rituals are used to reduce anxious feelings, Panic Disorder or the overwhelming feeling of fear for no apparent reason, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder which is characterized by being worried and anxious much or most of the time. Depression typically consists of feeling very sad, discouraged or disheartened too intensely and too often. People who are depressed may withdraw from other people or cry for little or no apparent reason. Depression is often accompanied by the irrational belief that what a person does is not good enough or that people will not like them. Victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse or other trauma such as exposure to life threatening situations often develop a variety of symptoms including most of the above. These disorders are also seen in children and adolescents. Other disorders in this age group which can benefit from Individual Therapy include Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and behavior problems. The symptoms of ADHD include the inability of a child to concentrate and often includes excessive physical activity. A child or adolescent may have behavior problems if they disobey, talk back, have temper outbursts or fight with their siblings at an excessive rate. A wide variety of treatment techniques are available in Individual Therapy. Typical techniques include Medication Management, Psychodynamic Therapy, Behavior Modification, Brief Therapy and Hypnosis. Individual Therapy as well as other therapies is appropriate when a person has feelings or behaviors which cause them discomfort or problems in their daily living activities.
Family Therapy
In family therapy, the family is seen as a unit to provide intervention strategies to promote positive changes within the family system and the various relationships that co-exist.
Family therapy focuses on changes within a family, and recognizes that changes in one member of the family may be better accomplished by using the power of the family as a whole. Instead of meeting with one individual, all or most family members are included in the therapy process. Family therapy is often the treatment of choice when children or adolescents are having problems. However, family therapy is also utilized when an adult family member has significant psychological problems which impact other family members. For example, a family who has a member suffering from depression, chronic pain or substance abuse problems might benefit from family therapy to address the impact of that family member's problem on family relationships and how the family members can most effectively help the suffering family member.Marriage Counseling
Marriage Counseling is utilized when individuals in a couple relationship want to improve the quality of their relationship. Pre-marital counseling can also provide a positive start for individuals beginning to share their life together. Marital therapy focuses on using the couples strengths and improving problem solving skills to address areas that might result in an improved relationship. Improving methods of communication often makes a significant difference in the quality of a couple's relationship. If one of the individuals in a relationship has a problem such as substance abuse or difficulty in experiencing intimacy, those problems are identified and addressed.
Psychological Evaluations
Psychological evaluations are available to assist in determining personality functioning and intellectual functioning. Personality evaluations are often used in association with therapy to assist in making a diagnosis or identifying issues which need to be addressed. Intellectual evaluations are typically used to assess intelligence and achievement or difficulties associated with intellectual functioning such as ADHD and Learning Disability.
Eating Disorders Outpatient Treatment
Eating Disorders such as Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder include profound emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. They often associated with serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme weight loss and self-starvation. Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include an inability to maintain a healthy weight, an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, a feeling of being “fat” even when excessively thin, frequent dieting, and an interruption of the normal cycle of menstrual periods. Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by periods of binge eating and purging. Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa include inappropriate behaviors to compensate for binge eating episodes such as vomiting, the use of laxatives or diuretics, excessive exercise, periods of uncontrollable binge eating, frequent dieting, and a preoccupation with body shape and weight. Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating and significant distress about the binge eating without the regular use of compensatory behaviors. Other eating disorders can include some combination of the signs and symptoms of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder. While these behaviors may not be clinically considered a full syndrome eating disorder, they can still be physically threatening and emotionally draining. Eating Disorders affect adolescents, adults, men, and women. All eating disorders require professional help.
Play Therapy
Play Therapy is an approach to counseling that allows children to express their thoughts and feelings through the use of toys and art materials. Children often have difficulty talking about what is bothering them. This difficulty is not because they do not want to discuss their thoughts and feelings, but because they have not yet developed the vocabulary or the thinking skills that they need to express themselves verbally. In a play session, children can use their play to show the counselor what they are thinking and feeling. The counselor can use the play to communicate with children about what is happening in their lives and to help them explore alternative attitudes and behaviors. Play therapy is beneficial for children ages 3+ who are dealing with a variety of issues including, but not limited to: Grief and Loss, Behavioral Problems, Anxiety, Divorce, Physical or Sexual Abuse, Aggression, Social Skills, Trauma, Specific Fears, ADHD, and Depression. Play therapy can be done in an individual, group or family setting. A book that can help parents and children to learn more about play therapy and what happens in the play session is: A Child's First Book about Play Therapy by Marc A. Nemiroff and Jane Annunziata. Published by the American Psychological Association, APA order Department, P.O. Box 2710, Hyattville, MD 20784. For additional information on Play Therapy click here: http://www.a4pt.org
Industrial Consultation
BMA provides consulting services for industries for personnel
selection, improving the workplace to maximize productivity, to minimize on-site
accidents/errors and to improve personnel management practices within the workplace.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is effective in the treatment of stress related disorders such as headache, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure etc. Biofeedback is a very effective way to learn to relax and alter the effects of stress. In biofeedback the body's natural signals of stress, for example, hand temperature, are converted into a signal that can be seen or heard by the person learning to relax. These very sensitive signals can then be used to help the person learn to control their own body's responses to stress. Activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System is a natural response to a stressful or dangerous situation. This response, sometimes referred to as the "Flight or Fight" response was a very functional mechanism which helped us survive before we began living in a civilized society. When this system is activated, powerful internal physiological systems result in physical changes, such as increased heart rate, that increased our chances of running away from a dangerous situation or defeating an attacker. However, repeated activation of this system of responses caused by stressful situations in today's society can be damaging to the body and result in some of the disorders listed above. For more information about Biofeedback click here. http://www.aapb.org
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is available at BMA to treat a variety of problems. Hypnosis is a powerful tool in which a focused state of consciousness is used to bring about change to improve functioning. Hypnotic ability is a combination of biological and psychological characteristics that are normally distributed in the population with some being highly hypnotizable, some having low hypnotic talent and most being in the middle. Therefore, hypnosis is an effective tool for change for most people. Hypnosis is effective in the treatment of stress related disorders, resolving the effects of trauma, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem, diet control problems, smoking abatement, pain and much more. For additional information on hypnosis and its applications click here. http://www.asch.net/
Medication Services
Research has shown that for many individual problems a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment. For some disorders medication is the primary treatment. Recent advances in pharmacological rescearch have produced medications which are much more effective in treating disorders such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, etc, while reducing the side effects often associated with previous medications.
Angie
Trish
Office
Manager
Receptionist
Trish or Angie will be happy to schedule an appointment and answer questions about fees and insurance. Our professional staff will be happy to address questions about our services. Please call or you may contact us by E-mail at dabrooks@joplin.com