Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic
Footsteps Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic was established in 2013 and Footsteps Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic in Altoona was established in 2019.
Footsteps Psychological Services PC operates several satellite clinics to provide school based mental health services in Cambria County. Services provided in the Footsteps Clinics include Psychiatric Evaluations, Medication Management and Individual Therapy.
Successful outcomes in treatment have helped children, adolescents and adults manage various mental health needs including Anxiety, Stress, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Autism, Depression, etc.
Services Provided
* Psychiatric Evaluations
* Medication Management
* Therapy
Expectations for Therapy
People choose to seek help from a therapist for a variety of reasons. Specific life events may lead someone to pursue therapy, such as a death in the family, a loss of a job, or the ending of a relationship. Sometimes people enter therapy to help them cope and find relief from depression, anxiety, PTSD, Bipolar, ADHD or other mental health symptoms. Sometimes people just need “someone to talk to, to listen.”
The goals of therapy will be different for each individual person based on their own specific needs and reasons for seeking treatment. The individual client will collaborate with the therapist in forming a treatment plan with goals unique to their needs or diagnosis. Similarly, the therapeutic process and timeline will be different depending on the individual’s needs and goals.
Regardless of the reasons for entering treatment, in therapy you can expect to discuss your current life events, past life-events, and report on current symptoms as well as insights gained after previous therapy sessions. It needs to be understood that engaging in the therapy process may prove difficult and even challenging. It may be hard, uncomfortable, or frightening to discuss your emotions or explore painful memories. This is a normal and expected part of the therapy process. At times in therapy you may actually feel worse before you start to feel better as a result of delving into different areas of concerns within your life.
That being said, it is crucial to be honest and open with your therapist about what you are experiencing in session and to actively participate in discussions with the therapist. Additionally, you will be asked to put in the work outside of session in practicing skills and completing therapeutic interventions or “homework assignments.” This may be through journaling on specific topics suggested by the therapist, exploring a new hobby, engaging in self-monitoring of thoughts, feelings, and symptoms, or generally taking action steps towards achieving your unique goals.
WHAT IS ART THERAPY
The American Art Therapy Association (2017) defines Art Therapy as “an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. Art Therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art Therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.”
About Art Therapy – American Art Therapy Association
By engaging in the art-making and Art Therapy process, the intention is to assist clients in self-analyzing their own feelings and thoughts through their artwork. Art can reveal an individual’s emotions that were previously outside of their awareness. Art can show the individuals thoughts, behaviors, or emotions in a clearer light or new perspective, lending insight into life and emotional stressors. It has been suggested and shown through research studies that Art Therapy facilitates and improves mental and emotional health, however, there is no guarantee that every individual will experience this.
As with traditional counseling methods, Art Therapy requires no special training or artistic skill on the part of the client participant. Also, like counseling, Art Therapy is a collaborative effort between therapist and client, making it suitable for all ages, children as well as adults.
