Integrated Counseling Solutions NWA

06/13/2025

ATTENTION recent Walmart Layoffs

Transition and change are hard! Because I accept Walmart's insurance and counseling benefit, I've been working with Walmart associates for years. I'm learning how jarring these recent layoffs have been. To ease the burden, I'm offering a special cash rate just for recent layoffs of Walmart and/or their spouse/partner - 3 counseling sessions at $60 each. Text me at 479-278-4323 if interested and we'll get started right away.

06/07/2025

Struggling with OCD? You're Not Alone — And You Don't Have to Face It Alone.

If you’re in Northwest Arkansas and living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you know how exhausting the cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsions can be.

Very few therapists in this area specialize in evidence-based OCD treatment. At Integrated Counseling Solutions, we do. And the right therapy actually works!

We offer compassionate, expert care using gold-standard approaches like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — the most effective therapy for OCD.

✔️ You don’t need to suffer in silence.
✔️ You don’t need to feel misunderstood.
✔️ You don’t need to explain OCD to your therapist — we already speak your language.

Located in Bentonville or online| 💻 In-person & telehealth available

Now accepting new clients

👉 Message us or visit ics-nwa.com to schedule a free consultation.

Send a message to learn more

01/05/2022

Behaviors we can't seem to stop are often fueled by a fear of uncertainty. Whether it is drinking at a tailgating party, taking smoke breaks during work, or stopping for a Dr Pepper every time we pass our favorite gas station, we keep doing it - and will keep doing it - until we decide upfront that we are going to actively accept the feelings we aren't sure we can handle if we don't do it. We already know it might be worth it. That's not the battle we need to fight. Otherwise, we wouldn't be thinking about a change. Even if we know it's going to be worth it, our fear of not knowing if we can handle the emotional fall out will rise as King and keep us from embracing choices our very life depends on! So stop trying to convince yourself it will be worth it - you probably already know it will be - and zero in on the real problem. Anticipate what you will feel by not doing what you usually do, connect with social and spiritual support, and walk into the darkness trusting that new strength will only be found as you exercise wholehearted faith. You may find a way you never believed was there.

11/04/2021

https://calendar.uams.edu/view/event/date/20211119/event_id/1092580

06/11/2021

Will you be a friend to people living with dementia? LOVE THIS VIDEO

Dementia Friends USA is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia. Developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the Un...

01/13/2021

Anger come on quickly, and you're not sure what to do about it?

Consider a few ideas that may shed some light on what is happening inside of you. I think that it is important to become aware of what is actually happening inside your mind/body when you become angry because otherwise you can do nothing about it. So here are a few principles to think about to become more aware:

1) your emotional experience is not just a brain thing...you experience emotion within a body. Anxiety, for example, is not just a thought; anxiety is the tensing up of muscle groups, the speeding up and pumping harder of your heart, the flow of blood to your extremities, changes in your breathing pattern, etc... When we are not aware of this then we miss an opportunity to reduce our anxiety by simply calming our body down. There are lots of ways we can learn to calm our body down (e.g. some ideas to google: progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic or "belly breathing", meditation/mindfulness, body scan, guided imagery, aerobic exercise. etc...). But before we can actually take the step of calming the body down we have to be aware of what is happening in our body. So start by taking 3-5 min as soon as you find yourself getting worked up to find a quiet place and just direct your attention to your body and simply notice what is happening. Go through your body from head to toe if it helps.

2) The emotional response we described above does not happen in a silo. It is triggered by the same brain that is also thinking about and interpreting the situations that we are in. And the part of the brain that regulates these emotional responses is listening to the thoughts and words and images that are running through other parts of the brain - and responding to them! So, by getting honest and clear with yourself about what these thoughts and words and images are, you are empowering yourself with decisions about those thoughts that you otherwise could not make if you were not aware of them. I am not implying anything about whether those thoughts are true or not, I'm just suggesting that the emotional reaction you have is connected to them.

3) Once aware of these thoughts, you can ask honest questions of yourself that help you evaluate them, understand them, accept them, reject them, rephrase them, or shift perspectives altogether. Some questions that can be helpful include:

What is the evidence for/against this thought?
Am I basing this thought on fact or feelings and assumptions?
Is this thought too black and white when it is actually more complicated?
How would someone else who is close to this person interpret the situation?
What is the best possible scenario/explanation here?
What is the worst possible scenario/explanation?
What is the most likely scenario/explanation?
How strongly do I actually believe this thought?
If I continue with this thought, what will that logically lead to?

09/29/2020

When we spend all our energy chasing what we do not really need we give up our capacity to enjoy what is right in front of us. What is right in front of you? Express this by sharing here a comment or photo of what that is for you right now.