Services

Couples | Relationship Education | Psychotherapy | EMDR | Alpha Stim

Private sessions are available with Tina Johnson for a variety of relationship and mental health concerns. Sessions are often recommended as a beginning point for couple relationship work. Mental health services include relationship education, clinical assessments and psychotherapy for children, families, individuals and couples.

Clients who live in Fargo or in this area are welcome to call to set up private sessions as individuals or couples. These sessions usually involve identifying relevant issues to be discussed, intervals between sessions and amount of work to be done. The person’s goals are the primary determining factor of the direction of the work.

Clients who live outside Fargo may set up appointments in three, six, or nine session blocks to make the most of coming in from out of town. It is common for people who are in need of immediate or intensive help to travel to Fargo for such appointments. These appointments are better scheduled as much in advance as possible to secure the amount of time requested.

Private sessions with Tina Johnson are generally characterized by:

Sessions are highly interactive with regard to the introduction of new ways of viewing the individual/couple/family’s situations, new skills and new use of tools to disrupt ineffective patterns. Sessions are solution and action oriented, setting up the possibility of new patterns which are more effective and pleasurable.

Tina Johnson specializes in relationship education, clinical assessments, depression/anxiety and other psychiatric concerns, child and family therapy and problems related to physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

Private sessions with Tina Johnson are usually 50-60 minutes in length. Evaluations are 60-90 minutes. Fee for services are $135 per hour, although this may vary depending upon insurance providers or EAP contracts.

Tina Johnson is an approved provider for many insurance companies including: NDBCBS, MNBCBS, Select EAP programs, MN MA and Medicare.

Referrals to qualified professionals who provide services on a sliding fee are available upon request.

Services

Couples - Life's pressures both in and out of the home create stress, distance, and overwhelming problems. Open, constructive communication is vital but couples often lack problem solving and conflict resolution skills - unresolved issues don't disappear - they only get worse. Therapy can assess and teach skills to help you work things out now and in the future.

Relationship Education - A common sense, research based approach to teaching individuals and couples effective communication skills. These skills, just like math and science, need to be learned. They don't just materialize. Children can also learn these skills when they see their parents' relationship practice and can teach them exactly how it's done. The Daily Temperature Reading is just one of these tools that may be used around the family table as well as between the couple in a more intimate setting.

Psychotherapy - Adult Issues commonly addressed in therapy include stress reactions, depression/anxiety and relationship issues.

Stress Reactions - Symptoms are variable and may include mood changes, fatigue, concentration and sleep problems. Stressors are usually related to changes in one's life such as death of a loved one, divorce, career and job issues, physical/medical problems etc.

Grief - Helping you move beyond the pain. Loss is an unavoidable part of life. With loss comes grieving. Each person grieves differently but most move through stages:

Depression/Anxiety - Depression affects millions of Americans. The National Institute of Mental Health reports nearly 20 million Americans suffer from chronic nervousness, panic attacks or phobias. This may include fear of heights, public speaking anxiety, nervousness in social situations, agoraphobia or test anxiety, to name just a few. Symptoms of Depression include sadness, discouragement, inferiority, decreased motivation or changes in eating/sleeping patterns. Suicidal thoughts that are fleeting or recurrent need attention. If you have thoughts that life is not worth living or think that others would be better off without you, please seek professional help immediately, as this is a serious symptom of depression which can be successfully treated. Psychiatric emergency help is available at the following locations:

Psychiatric Follow-ups - Many people are prescribed antidepressants or some form of psychotropic medication. Research clearly indicates that psychotherapy is important in managing and preventing future depressive/anxiety symptoms. Medical practitioners may not always emphasize the role of talk therapy but it is a logical and rewarding step to most who make the effort.

Child and Family Therapy - Most of us - some researchers say as many as 95% of us - have grown up in unhealthy families. Our culture is packed full of stressors. Our grandparents and parents did not always have the knowledge and skills to pass on. Many of our relatives needed to focus on surviving. Now, most people would like to see their children not only survive but to thrive. Children are often the barometers of the family. Each child reacts to stress in their own ways. Some children are more resilient than others given similar circumstances. Some children need extra help. Therapy can be a great benefit to these children.

Consider Erica: She is a 10 year old girl who complains of feeling nervous. Her parents report irritability and mood swings. She still has trouble with bed wetting, which has impacted her social relationships and self esteem.

And Joel: He is a 12 year old boy who recently moved from another city. His mood has become more sullen. He doesn't seem interested in school and is reluctant to join in any activities. Teachers have contacted his parents and called attention to these behaviors.

In both of these situations therapy has helped the children manage and cope with their situations more effectively. They learned skills to change their thoughts and reactions to stress. In one case medication was useful to help treat the symptoms. Family sessions helped other members understand what was going on and learn positive strategies to deal with problems instead of enabling or reacting negatively.

Problems come up at home, at school, on the playground or in the neighborhood. Problems can be transformed into opportunities for success.

Addictions - Many people struggle with addictions - whether it be substance, food, gambling, alcohol, sexual or other addictions. These addictions can eventually create great pain for the addicted individual and for those who love and care for him/her. A clinical assessment is often very helpful in sorting out what care and treatment would be the best and appropriate for the all concerned.

"Making that first phone call for help takes courage. This effort to improve your well being will bring great rewards in your personal and professional life."

EMDR  - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a powerful method of psychotherapy.  To date, EMFR has helped an estimated two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological distress.

How does EMDR work?
No one knows how any form of psychotherapy works neurobiologically or in the brain  However, we do know that when a person is very upset, their brain cannot process information as it does ordinarily.  One moment becomes "frozen in time" and remembering a trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven't changed.  Such memories have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people. 

EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information.  Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind.  you still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting.  Many types of therapy have similar goals. However, EMR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.  Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.

What kind of problems can EMDR treat?
Scientific research has established EMDR as effective for post traumatic stress.  However, clinicians also have reported success using EMDR  in treatment of the following conditions:

• personality disorders
• panic attacks
• complicated grief
• dissociative disorders
• disturbing memories
• phobias
• pain disorders
• eating disorders
• performance anxiety
• stress reduction
• addictions
• sexual and/or physical abuse
• body dysmorphic disorders
• low self esteem

Alpha Stim

Certified and Trained in the use of Alpha Stim therapy to help treat insomnia, depression and anxiety.