Kate Wargo moved to Asheville in fall 2021 with hopes for a fresh start. Teaching elementary school during the COVID-19 pandemic had left her exhausted, anxious and depressed. “It was the first time I felt dehumanized,” she says of the previous two years teaching fourth grade in Pennsylvania.
As many as 1-in-5 women experience mood changes or anxiety after experiencing trauma while giving birth, with roughly 9% being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Postpartum Support International.
Mindful dating “means taking a break from the casual ‘swipe right or left culture’ and … thinking about what you truly want in a partner and reflecting on patterns and habits that may be keeping you from finding that person.”
For the uninsured and underinsured, local mental health nonprofits are filling the gap, but they struggle with funding.
“People are just calling left and right,” says James Colvin, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Asheville. “Last week I must’ve had seven or eight calls. I hate turning anyone away but I had to do that.” Relationships have always had to navigate disputes, both large and small. But in his 30 years of […]
Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, rural health and Medicaid reporter with North Carolina Health News, says that therapy can be an effective tool for managing mental health and recommends a way for the therapy-curious to listen in to real life therapeutic sessions.
There are thousands of books containing business advice on topics like brand development, marketing, startup funding and networking. But less frequently addressed are the psychological and emotional impacts of being a business owner. That’s where Jane Carter, who holds dual professions as a therapist and a business coach, comes in. She guides her clients through […]
“I struggled in my own journey to find affordable therapy, so it is my passion now to offer services as we do at All Souls at a rate that people can afford.”
Briefly, it seemed like the coronavirus pandemic had turned a corner. “People were starting to feel a little bit optimistic this summer,” says Ariel Shumaker, an Asheville therapist in private practice, about COVID-19. “And now, it’s not feeling optimistic.” Fatigue, sadness, anxiety, rage, fear, exhaustion — these are the emotions area behavioral health professionals report […]
Losing a loved one is one of the few truly universal life experiences. Despite its universality, however, grieving can feel totally unpredictable — and totally isolating. Some bereaved people might already have mental health care providers or be able to rely on community resources like a school counseling office. But for many others, finding help […]
Clinical social worker Carol Young Wood has shifted most of her therapy sessions online; however, she still meets with a handful of clients in-person. The impacts of COVID-19 dominate most of the conversations.
ASHEVILLE, NC
Horticulture therapy helps people of all ages learn life skills as well as recover from mental and physical challenges. Hendersonville’s Bullington Gardens are home to the BOOST gardening program, which helps special needs students cultivate skills and develop self-confidence.
From laughter yoga to therapy with a dash of good cheer, a number of Asheville-area helping professionals serve up healing with a side of humor.
The therapeutic power of music has been evident for centuries. But now music therapy is catching on in modern society and the use of music is proving to be particularly helpful in patients with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Asheville is known for many things, including adventure and nature, arts and music, food and beer, and rest and recreation. It’s been called “Tree City” and “Beer City”as well as named “best of” on many lists. But what about calling Asheville “City of Counselors”? Or how about “Therapy Town”? For those of us who are counselors here […]
When used together, yoga and physical therapy can speed up healing for limited/impaired populations.
You are getting sleepy … very sleepy. This Hollywood hypnosis cliché — complete with a swaying pocketwatch dangling in front of a paralyzed rube — couldn’t be further from the truth. Asheville-area practitioners say facilitating well-being through hypnosis is a very real way to deal with emotional and even physical pain. Michelle Payton, founder of […]
As a private psychotherapist, Paul Fugelsang understands the struggle between saying “yes” to middle-class clients who can’t afford his services and “no” to people in need. To meet those challenges, Fugelsang recently launched a national nonprofit, the Open Path Psychotherapy Collective. Its mission is to make it easier for people to find the counseling they need at a price they can afford, and to reward and encourage counselors to say “yes” to a group Fugelsang says is “falling through the cracks.” (Photo of Paul Fugelsang by Max Cooper)
UNCA instructor Connie Schrader (right) leads student Michele Pierce (left) through a series of tests at the school’s Biofeedback and Stress Lab, which is used to help treat a variety of conditions such as sleep problems, Attention Deficit Disorder and depression.
