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• Professional Friendly Staff • Convenient Office Hours • State-of-the-Art Technology Website: www.drnicolepadovan.com Emai l: doc@drnicolepadovan.com Financing Available 105 E. Union Ave. (Rt. 28) • Bound Brook 732-469-4424 Complete Dental Care in a Gentle, Caring Environment. Come into our office to experience it. Dr. Nicole Padovan FAMILY, COSMETIC & IMPLANT DENTISTRY E4D DENTIST ® SYSTEM Latest Technology Creates Natural-Looking Crowns, Veneers, and Fillings in a Single Dental Visit , EMERGENCIES WELCOME HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU NEED A PSYCHOLOGIST? Douglas Haymaker, Ph.D Stephanie Haymaker, Ph.D When you have concerns about your emotional well-being or that of a family member, you want to find the best care possible. It may be time to consult a psychologist. Psychologists are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of mental health issues. They have exten- sive training in providing psychotherapy and often perform psychological testing as well. Psychotherapy with adults often involves focus on one or more of these areas: • Interpersonal stresses • Developmental challenges • Existential concerns • Symptom relief Interpersonal problems can include diffi- culties communicating with a spouse, friends or an employer. These problems may stem from past relationships, or assumptions about oneself or others. Relationship issues can impact successful work performance, career growth and satisfaction, and happiness within the family. Couples or family therapy can also help make homelife more peaceful and rewarding. Developmental challenges may include difficulties with a stage of life such as a divorce or a new marriage, the birth of a child, loss of a job, the death of a loved one, “the empty nest,” or retirement. Each of these changes can be stressful. Even “good stress” can be difficult to manage. Research shows that lottery winners, two years later, have a higher than average rate of divorce, medical problems and life dissatisfaction – and winning the lottery is generally consid- ered a good thing! Existential concerns may include feelings about one’s purpose in life, or accepting the loss of a loved one. These are the “Big Questions” – life and meaningful- ness, looking back over one’s experiences at the end of life, or looking ahead to think about what you want your life to be. Existential issues are often the ones that come to mind in the middle of the night, when things are quiet and the still voice inside begins to speak. Any of these issues can lead to symp- toms of anxiety, depression, anger issues or substance abuse. Therapy helps to identify the stresses, to develop a plan for coping with the problems, and to find new ways of being. This is how change can occur. Children and adolescents have stresses, too. The tasks of childhood are many, and there are a number of ways in which difficulties may emerge. Children must negotiate their way in their family, accepting authority and learning patience with siblings. They must find and keep friends, and master academics and athletics. Children have to learn self- control, including thinking before acting, and putting feelings into words rather than acting them out. Parents have the responsibility to help them negotiate these tasks, and successes don’t always come quickly or smoothly. Children are exquisitely sensitive to stresses in their environments, including stresses between parents. In cases of divorce or the death of a parent, children must adjust to the fact that their basic system of support, their family, is chang- ing and a new creation is taking its place. Helping children understand how to express feelings appropriately is a fre- quent goal of therapy. In addition, psy- chotherapy can help parents learn to manage their children’s behavior, and, eventually, help the child to manage his or her own behavior. Adolescence is often a conflictual time. The teen is attempting to establish his/ her independence, and bodily changes are happening on a daily basis. It is a see- saw of changing desires, behaviors and motivations. It is also a time of experi- mentation: sometimes with school per- formance, sometimes with sex or drugs or new friendships. Helping the teen to establish a consistent relationship with the family during such trying times is a great challenge. A trained and experienced psychologist can help people at any stage of their development, and assist them in ensur- ing a strong foundation for their future. Dr. Stephanie Haymaker is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience. She is presently a partner at Haymaker and Haymaker Psychological Services, a private practice setting where your confidentiality is assured, in Bridgewater NJ. For eight years she was a clinical supervisor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. The co- author of Principled Commitment, a guide for marital enrichment, she also specializes in the areas of marital therapy, women’s issues, and therapy with children and adolescents . www.theconnectionsnj.com