Heart & Mind is a group mental health therapy practice in Richmond, VA, founded to bring true long-lasting healing to the core foundational needs of children, adults, parents and families impacted by adoption, early trauma, neglect and attachment challenges. Heart & Mind empowers connections through mental health counseling, brain training, neuro-informed services and education. Our staff has extensive training and experience in adoption counseling, developmental trauma, play therapy, and EMDR.
Heart & Mind has a variety of therapy services including:
Adoption
Adoption can be a challenging journey for all traveling that path. If you are touched by adoption and you or your child is struggling with big emotions, having difficulty in relationships, experiencing anger, sadness or feeling lost and alone we can help. Common areas of struggle children have after adoption are defiance, stealing, meltdowns, aggression, withdrawal, difficulty accepting or giving affection, nightmares or other sleep difficulties.
We help families prepare for adoption, adjusting to the new roles and relationships when a child enters a family, parents struggling with how to parent effectively and adult adoptees who may not even understand how their current feelings of being different, or connecting with others relates to adoption. We offer adoptive parent coaching, training, individual and family therapy. Project C.H.A.T. (Connections Heal Attachment Trauma) is aimed at addressing the complex needs of families most impacted by attachment trauma.
Trauma
Some experiences or relationships can be so devastating and disruptive that we get stuck in survival mode and don’t have an internal sense of safety any longer. One may have difficulty sleeping, irritable, experience panic or am fearful and distrusting of others often making relationships difficult. We may constantly be reminded of the incident and sent into fight or flight – and if that doesn’t work – freeze (hopeless, shutdown, unmotivated). Some obvious traumas like abuse, assault, car accidents are more recognized than common incidents like medical trauma or an extended absence of a caregiver. Our current struggles aren’t often associated with these events so we don’t get to the root of the issue. We have training in trauma and use different modalities like EMDR, play therapy, sand tray and other models of therapy helpful in getting the body and mind unstuck from survival mode.
Adult
Struggling with recent losses or changes/transitions? Feeling overwhelmed and stuck? Difficulty in your current relationships? Feeling like a failure at life in general? Individual or couples counseling can be helpful to feel more empowered to manage life’s stressors and obtain more harmony and connection in relationships.
Family / Child / Adolescent
Is your child or teen struggling in school or at home? Are they acting out in school or refusing to listen and do work? Are they withdrawing from friends and normal activities? Have they experienced major changes or losses in their life? As a parent are you feeling like you’ve tried everything you know and nothing is working? We believe strongly in the power of connection and help families feel more connected, secure and trust in themselves and others to make life smoother and more successful in a way that works for each family. If connections are strengthened cooperation increases.
Group
Ever feel like you are the only one that has gone through something? Or the only one struggling with it – everyone else that has gone through that seems to be handling it fine – why am I different? Why can’t I handle this? Coming together with others that have shared a similar journey can be helpful to not only feel less alone but also tackle the difficulty together. A boulder weighs a lot less when carried by many hands.
To learn more about Heart & Mind, or to schedule an appointment, visit its website at https://www.heartmindrva.com/