Psychological Services for Pain, Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Trauma

Pain is a complex issue that is both a sensation and emotion, a physical as well as a mental malady that can be affected by many factors, including childhood events, environmental, social, economic, mental, and physical traumas, as well as actual injuries to or diseases of the body. Chronic pain can affect our ability to participate in certain activities, work, how well we sleep, and our relationships with others. It can also contribute to unhelpful feelings and behaviors that may worsen our pain and our quality of life. OSC offers psychological counseling as part of a comprehensive interventional pain management program to provide emotional support and to address the need for additional life skills and cognitive coping resources which can provide additional pain and emotional relief. Our Psychologist, Dr. Andrew Martin, PsyD, can provide the therapeutic counseling needed to help patients learn new ways of thinking and behaving to dramatically change their relationship with pain.

Anxiety and/or Depression often appear with chronic pain, but each may develop alone or in combination without painful symptoms. Anxiety and depression may arise after a traumatic life event, such as the death of a child, a divorce, the loss of job, a move to another state, starting a new position with a new company, etc. Sometimes, these conditions may materialize, seemingly without reason. Though the symptoms of each of these conditions may be different, they can be difficult to overcome without professional assistance and therapy. There are effective, time-limited treatments for each of these conditions offered by our clinical psychologist, Dr. Andrew Martin, PsyD. You do not have to suffer with never-ending depression, suicide ideation or anxiety. There is help available.

Stress and/or Trauma – We all experience stress in our daily lives, like driving in rush hour traffic, dealing with others socially, paying our financial obligations, meeting work deadlines, etc. In the rare occasion that we face a life-or-death situation, our body floods with special chemicals and hormones that prepare us to run for our lives or fight to the death – the “fight or flight” response. Sometimes, our brain mistakes everyday stress for danger and keeps us in this heightened state of awareness and vigilance – ready to react at the slightest perceived threat. Over time, this overactive stress response becomes detrimental to our bodies and can seriously affect our health.

You don’t have to be a combat soldier or a first responder to experience trauma. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed mental or physical abuse, violence, injury, natural disaster or a crime can experience trauma symptoms. Trauma can happen during one event or situation (acute trauma) or can happen over a long period of time (chronic trauma) as in bullying, family abuse or from a war. Trauma symptoms can range from mild to severe and can be life-altering and disabling, as with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). OSC’s Clinical Psychologist, Andrew Martin, PsyD, is an expert in the treatment of Trauma and Stress and specialized in this area for the United States Navy and Marine Corps for 20 years. He can effectively diagnose and treat patients who suffer from stress and trauma disorders with time-limited, evidence-based cognitive therapy.