A Lil' Bit'O Love

The people who really care about you don't mind if you make mistakes.

It's what you do next that matters.

Why Choose Premarital Counseling?

Why choose premarital counseling?

Marriage can be a wonderful and challenging life experience. It makes sense that before embarking on any major life experience, we get some proper training; i.e. becoming a doctor, lawyer, plumber, IT specialist, accountant, teacher.. you get the idea. So, why does it not make sense to receive proper training on how to be a mother, father, husband and wife?

We do receive some training very early on in our lives- we learn by watching OUR parents and caretakers and amazingly, we learn the ins and outs of these roles by the time we enter kindergarden! And as we grow, any major life experiences or traumas may change the way we act, think about, or see the world and our role in it. But what we learn as children is consistently reinforced by the life we live and people and environments we live around. As adolescents, young adults, and finally adults we experiment with these teachings when we embark on our own relationships. Sometimes, painfully, we find that the skills we learned as children are NOT the best at helping us maintain healthy, long-lasting connections.

Wouldn't it be great to learn how to change our unhealthy ways

BEFORE we suffer through breakup and divorce?

Let me also mention the current US divorce statistics:

The current US trends show that approximately 50% of all marriages end in divorce. The probability of a first marriage ending in separation or divorce within 5 years is 20 percent, but the probability of a premarital cohabitation breaking up within 5 years is 49 percent. After 10 years, the probability of a first marriage ending is 33 percent, compared with 62 percent for cohabitations. And the percentage goes up with 2nd and 3rd marriages, and so forth.

For a society that regards marriage and monogamy as highly desirable,

these statistics are pretty disappointing.

My personal wish is for each individual to be as autonomous as possible before entering a long term relationship. Since that doesn't happen often enough due to the wonder of falling in love and the sometimes damaging legacy we live as children of parents of parents who have learned bad habits; interventions like individual counseling, premarital counseling, and marital counseling can be life-savers.

Unconditional Love

You are wonder-ful just as you are.

You are fully capable of creating happiness.

May all of the people and things that surround you

add to your happiness.

All you need in your life to have all you want in your life,

is You.

Be A Happiness Expert!

Are you an Unhappiness Expert?

• Do you continue to do things that you know don't work for you?
• Do you procrastinate at tasks that would make your life easier?
• Are you in denial about some issues that you know have solutions?
• Do you feel guilty after you do something that you said you would never do again?
• Do you lack good personal boundaries? (being able to say yes and no when you want to)
• Do you think your current state of unhappiness is all you can ever acheive?
• Do you feel inferior to those around you who seem to be Happiness Experts?

If you said yes to any of these, and many variations thus, you may be an Unhappiness Expert.

If you want to:

• Do things that consistently better your life!
• Take charge of your life and simplify it!
• Face your problems with courage and determination!
• Feel great about your newfound willpower and committment to your total wellbeing!
• Say yes to things and feel great and say no to others and increase self-respect!
• Know that whatever you want is well within your reach!
• Stand shoulder to shoulder with the other Happiness Experts of the world!

All of this can be yours! I Can Help.

Kids Self-Esteem Groups Starting Soon!

Self Esteem for Children

With the pressures that we, as adults, experience in this day and age to feel accepted...imagine what it must be like for our children!

In a society where outward appearance dictates inner worth more than ever before, the most vulnerable will surely pay the biggest price...Sacrificing their self esteem.

Luckily, we are witnessing a shift. A very healthy, albeit tiny, wave of evolution has come to help people of all ages feel confident about themselves, their capabilities, and their lives.

I plan to lend a helping hand.

New Website Address

To all of my current and prospective patients:

Within the next 24 hours, you will able to go to WWW.KARENISRAEL.COM and be linked straight to this blog! All of the content will remain the same and will be accessible from this simpler web address.

Thank you for your conitnued belief in me and my passion!
Sincerely,
Karen Ray Israel, M.Ed., LPC, BCPC

How to get from Problem to SOLUTION!

It is my belief that every problem has a solution.

Hate your job?? QUIT!

Don't like your hair?? GET IT CUT!

Not happy with your weight?? EAT LESS AND EXERCISE!

Mad at your spouse?? TELL THEM!

Need more help cleaning house?? ASK FOR IT!

Sounds simple, eh?

Believe me when I say... I know it's not.

And the reason why it's not this simple is becasue of our struggle to change. And as I've written in a previous article: it's not the actual change we fear, but what we are leaving behind. Our resistance to this loss is what can sometimes slow down our process- or even cripple it.

I can help you recognize, understand, and move past your resistance

so that any problem you face will have a solution!

How Can You Recover From An Affair?

This is a very tough question. One whose solution is as complex as the emotional impact on both partners.

Disclosing the truth of an infidelity to your partner can be a very difficult and painful experience- for both. The cheater may feel overwhelming guilt, sadness, and confusion while the cheated may feel insurmountable anger, betrayal, and hurt.

If you are in a marriage or relationship that is of value to you and you are willing to do what it takes to make amends and repair the damage done, I believe there is hope.

Healing a relationship broken by infidelity involves the cheater taking responsibility and accountability for the affair and both partners opening up about the issues in their marriage before and after the affair. A highly emotional and often painful process is often necessary to rebuild trust.

I can teach you the communication skills that are vital to reconciliation.

If you want to repair your relationship, please contact me.

I can help.

Thank You

As a caring professional and dedicated businesswoman, I strive to serve my patients with the utmost care, compassion, professionalism, and clinical knowledge. This is a promise I make each and every session.

I truly appreciate my patients' willingness to treat me and my practice with the same respect. By showing up for scheduled appointments and cooperating with my cancellation and rescheduling policies, my patients prove their dedication to their own growth and improvement as well as respecting my business as my livelihood.

I'd like to thank you all for turning my passion into a success!

Sincerely,

Karen Ray Israel, M.Ed., LPC, BCPC

A LITTLE MOTIVATION... CLICK PLAY!

When Should You Seek Therapy?

Many of you reading this blog may ask yourself: when is the right time for therapy? And this is a good question with an easy answer.

Seek therapy when your way no longer works.

Have the courage to change.

This is certainly no judgement of you, but rather a realistic look at your coping and problem solving skills and whether or not they serve your purpose. You learn, over the course of time and through experiences, how to deal with certain situations should they arise again. But as you mature and change, and your problems mature and change, so must your solutions. Unfortunately, sometimes you just don't know how or where to find the new solution.

Cue Therapist!

Remember- there is courage and strength in asking for help and taking responsibility for your mistakes. There is opportunity and fortune in correcting them.

P.S. As I wrote in a previous post about when to seek Marriage Counseling, the same applies here:

DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE!

I'm Moving Into a New Office!

Hello!

I'm proud and excited to inform you that I am moving into a new office!

The new location is at Frankford and Preston Rd.; a mere 2 miles from the Plano Parkway location. I will be seeing all clients at that location starting March 3, 2008.

My new address is:
17760 Preston Rd.
Dallas, Texas 75252

My building is in the right-hand corner of the second circle in Georgetown Office Park, located just south-east of the intersection of Preston Rd. and Frankford.

For simple entry from southbound Preston Rd., there is a left turn-in lane, just south of the Taco Bueno, that leads into the office park. There are 2 entrances from northbound Preston Rd. into the office park.
My office is on the first floor and you may make yourself comfortable in the reception entrance until I greet you to start our session.

Click this link for exact directions.

Thank you for choosing me as your therapist and I look forward to our continued work together!

Karen Ray Israel, M.Ed., LPC, BCPC
Psychotherapist
Board Certified Professional Counselor
972-567-5000

Choose Happiness

We are now in the month of Pisces, also known as the month of Joy. Happiness is upon us. Do you feel it?

If you have been on the road of self- improvement for any amount of time, you know that happiness isn't something that just appears or disappears. It's something you have to create.

Happiness can actually be one of the most reactive emotions because we tend to spend our lives waiting for things to happen that will make us happy: I'll be happy when I get promoted, when I have a boyfriend, when I lose the weight. This is such a flawed belief system.

Waiting for any external force to awaken our joy and happiness is precisely what keeps us lacking in joy and happiness. Happiness is a choice we make and must continue to make repeatedly.

But what do you do when the conditions of your life aren't exactly joyful? Experts recommend faking it till you make it. In other words, if you can't find the strength within, awaken it from without.

Let's remember that it's our five senses that prevent us from seeing the Light in every situation or, in other words, from being happy 100% of the time. Studies have shown that if someone describes a scene to you and you imagine it, whether or not you see it with your eyes, the same areas of your brain are stimulated. The brain doesn't care whether it happens in reality or not.

Similarly, when you smile, it doesn't matter if something is making you smile or if you're just smiling for no good reason - the result is the same. When the muscles in your face contract, endorphins are released into your blood stream, giving you that good feeling. Whether or not the smile is caused by the sight of your lover or because you're holding a pen in your mouth like a bone (try it out for yourself), the body perceives that you are smiling, and it does its part.

Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you put yourself in the mood, the quicker you'll be in the mood. This week is about making the decision that you are not going to allow problems to interfere with your happiness. After all, this is the month of happiness and joy.

So, make it happen!

*Excerpts taken from Weekly Kabbalah Tune-up from Yehuda Berg

Trauma Recovery Sessions

Have you endured serious traumas in your past

which have changed or altered you in the present?

Would you like to process through these experiences

and finally learn how to leave them in the past?

Would you like to live a happy life based on

YOUR rules and wishes versus the injuries

your perpetrators left you with?

If your answer is YES to any of these questions

or if you've even wondered what it might be like to

break free of your painful past, then This Program Is For You.

I am launching bi-weekly Trauma Recovery Sessions for adult individuals wanting to recover from:
Sexual Abuse
Physical Abuse
Emotional/Verbal/Mental Abuse
PTSD/War Trauma

My focus is to help you face the harmful physical and emotional memories and impacts of your trauma with POWER.
Your goal is to emerge a happier and more well-adjusted person free to live your life as you choose.

Sessions will be held every Monday and Thursday, will last 50 minutes each. Please contact me at 972-567-5000 for fee information and to schedule your appointments.

Managed Care: A Personal Balancing Act

I find that managed care has only created a way for us as consumers, as well as our deserving practitioners, to feel exploited. I'm sure many of you may agree with me.

I have encountered many clients in great need of counseling who feel they must take the managed care route to pay for their therapy. I fully support this, especially when people pay a virtual second mortgage quarterly to be covered for a myriad of possible medical emergencies that may arise. Provided that the insurance companies do what they are supposed to do (file properly and justly and compensate the practitioner and/or patient as well when out-of-network benefits are utilized), everyone ends up happy, patients are well taken care of, and practitioners feel pride for a job well-done and well-appreciated for their expertise.

From personal experience and hearsay from colleagues as well as clients, sadly, this does not always happen. Many of the insurance companies, who seem to have acquired wells full of our money, beat around the proverbial bush, stall their payments, come up with reasons not to approve a patient who truly needs help, and sometimes never pay the practitioner at all.

This leaves patients without appropriate care, upset, and out of money. This also leaves practitioners devoid of their important clientele, bitter, and out of money.

My solution for this is to find a balance with my patients. I am not on any insurance company panels for the reasons I listed above. The heartache and turmoil it causes for all involved is, I believe, easily handled. I offer 2 very feasible options.

I am an out-of network provider. This means that if you have out-of-network benefits, then you can be reimbursed for a portion of my fees. I offer a detailed receipt including all codes and diagnoses potentially needed to approve your treatment. You may send in a copy of the receipt to the insurance company and receive their prompt reimbursement. I have seen this a very successful and more profitable way, for the patient, to deal with managed care.

One other thing I offer is a sliding scale fee schedule for patients with specific financial needs. Sliding scale fee schedule means that the fee is negotiated so as to get the patient the help they need, cut out the middle man, and help all parties feel appreciated and respected.

Just ask me. I'll get you the help you need.

Get Started!

Send me an email and ask the questions

you really want answers to!

I'll tell you exactly how you and I can

work together to fix your problem!

Email me at: karen.israel@gmail.com

New Year Discount!

To all my prospective clients:

For the month of January, I will be offering the initial diagnostic session at weekly session prices - a 20% discount!*

Get started with your New Year's Resolution to

Become Your Best Self!

*Please let me know you've seen this ad to get the discount.

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year

and the opportunity to make it the best year yet!

-KRI