In honor of Transgender Awareness Month, I sat down with Cortney, one of the Gavia therapists, to ask about her role in bringing awareness and support to the LGBTQIA+ community. Hi Cortney, can you share a little about yourself and your role at Gavia? Hi, I am Cortney Bills (she/her), LMSW, Primary Mental Health Therapist, as well as LGBTQIA+ group…
Focuses: adolescent grief, healing through art-based activities
Description: This is an art-based support group for ages 12 to 17 who are coping with the death of a loved one. The purpose of this group is to provide a safe, supportive, and open environment for teens to address their struggles with grief and loss. This group provides a pressure-free space where those on their grief healing journey can process their thoughts and feelings whether that is through verbal communication or through the creative process.
Focuses: Art; identity; self-esteem; and expressing emotions
Description: This group uses art techniques to discover and express your authentic self. You will use many different kinds of art materials (collage, colored pencils, oil pastels, etc.) to create imagery that will help you reveal to others aspects of your personality and process a variety of emotional experiences. There will be activities/ideas provided to you to work on. You don’t have “to be good at drawing” to join. All are welcome! Art therapy is about creating whatever makes sense to you that helps you to express thoughts or ideas.
Focuses: Art; identity; self-esteem; and expressing emotions
Description: This group uses art techniques to discover and express your authentic self. You will use many different kinds of art materials (collage, colored pencils, oil pastels, etc.) to create imagery that will help you reveal to others aspects of your personality and process a variety of emotional experiences. There will be activities/ideas provided to you to work on. You don’t have “to be good at drawing” to join. All are welcome! Art therapy is about creating whatever makes sense to you that helps you to express thoughts or ideas.
Focuses: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal skills
Description:A group open to adults who are interested in learning more about intentionality and themselves. DBT group will introduce mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and healthy communication skills. This is a safe space for all. If you feel this group interests you, let us know.
Focuses: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal skills
Description: A group open to adults who are interested in learning more about intentionality and themselves. DBT group will introduce mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and healthy communication skills. This is a safe space for all. If you feel this group interests you, let us know.
Focuses: Mental health
Description: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group is intended for individuals who find it difficult to regulate their emotions or express them in a healthy way. This group is a closed and structured group, focusing on how to identify emotions, express them appropriately, and engage in radical acceptance regarding past/current life events. DBT is useful for anyone who is experiencing distress.
Focuses: Experiences, Support, Acceptance
Description: Clients who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community that are seeking support and a safe space to fully express themselves in a positive and non-judgmental environment. While belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community can be a source of strength, it can also bring challenges in some, or all aspects of one’s life. For those who identify as LGBTQIA+, it’s important to recognize how your experience of sexual orientation and/or gender identity relates to your mental health, as well as learning new and healthy ways to cope with these challenges. There will be an opportunity to share personal experiences in a healthy group setting. This group is intended to help individuals in learning to love and accept themselves for who they truly are, while also receiving support from their peers and facilitating therapist
Focuses: Self-expression, creativity, song writing
Description: Are you interested in learning how to write your own songs? Do you want to expand the ways in which you express yourself creatively? This group will lead you through the process of writing a song with the goal of self-expression. It will be a workshop style in which you create your own song with the assistance and support of the group as needed. No musical training or experience is required; you must have a love for music and an ear to make musical choices. Due to the nature of the group, the full 10-week commitment is mandatory. Clients must attend the first 3 groups, and clients who miss two groups will be removed from the group roster.
Focuses: emotion expression, support, coping strategies
Description: Have you been feeling stressed? Are you looking for a fun and creative way to express yourself? Join us on Mondays for fun creative arts and crafts activities, all while talking about mindfulness.
Focuses: emotion expression, support, coping strategies
Description: Have you been feeling stressed? Are you looking for a fun and creative way to express yourself? Join us on Mondays for fun creative arts and crafts activities, all while talking about mindfulness.
Focuses: Songs, themes
Description: In this group, we will listen to and analyze songs based around a theme for each week. We will explore common themes and support each other’s experiences and song choices. The group is for anyone looking to connect with others over music or find intentional uses of music to support their mental health.
Focuses: Mental health, Substance use, Education
Description: Group members learn how mental health and substance use are correlated. Members will learn the psychoeducation of the bio psychosocial model for both mental health and addiction, as well as immerse themselves with a group full of support, guidance, and feedback. Members will also learn about coping skills to help assist with symptoms.
Focuses: Education, coping skills, self esteem
Description: This group focuses on the education surrounding the treatment and application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Clients will learn the basics of CBT, and understand the principle of how thoughts influence feelings, feelings influence actions, and actions influence our results. Learning effective coping skills and how to apply them in daily life situations will also be practiced in sessions. Additionally, there will be a self-esteem portion added to the curriculum, as self- acceptance is a pertinent part of changing our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Focuses: Support, stages through grief and loss
Description: Have you experienced loss? Do you feel overwhelmed by your emotions? Do you feel misunderstood by others? Everyone grieves and heals in their own unique way. This group will provide you with a safe, compassionate space to process your grief with others who also understand loss.
Focuses: Self-expression, creativity, song writing
Description: Are you interested in learning how to write your own songs? Do you want to expand the ways in which you express yourself creatively? This group will lead you through the process of writing a song with the goal of self-expression. It will be a workshop style in which you create your own song with the assistance and support of the group as needed. No musical training or experience is required; you must have a love for music and an ear to make musical choices. Due to the nature of the group, the full 10-week commitment is mandatory. Clients must attend the first 3 groups, and clients who miss two groups will be removed from the group roster.
Focuses: Writing, resolution of pain
Description: This group will involve learning to make your own journal. In that journal, the client will write or create art. Each round will involve a new topic discussed and agreed upon by the members of the group. The facilitator will create prompts around these topics and time in session will be spent answering these topics via journaling. The group will discuss the topic at the end of each session.
Focuses: Young adulthood, transitions, social skills
Description: This group focuses on processing the experiences that young adults (aged 18-25) face every day. Being a young adult comes with a lot of stress, uncertainty, and pressure. In this group we allow for a safe space to process these thoughts and emotions. We will discuss coping skills, recent life happenings, expectations, and other topics that group members request. Not only does this group serve as a process group, but as a community where young adults can work on their social skills, connect with others, and navigate what it means being a young adult.
Focuses: Support, stages through grief and loss
Description: Have you experienced loss? Do you feel overwhelmed by your emotions? Do you feel misunderstood by others? Everyone grieves and heals in their own unique way. This group will provide you with a safe, compassionate space to process your grief with others who also understand loss. If you’re interested in more information, please call the Gavia office at 585.371.6464
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Mindfulness, coping strategies
Description: Do you experience intense emotions? Do you feel impulsive at times? Are there relationship struggles ruling your life? Feeling overwhelmed is common at this time of year. In this group, you will learn coping skills to get you through a crisis without making things worse. This group is a class-like setting and requires you to complete assigned weekly homework in preparation for the group. If you’re interested in more information, please call the Gavia office at 585.371.6464
*Closed groups mean that clients can only join on the first week – inquire for more information/to be put on the waitlist for this group.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Mindfulness, movement, yoga
Description: The goal of the group is to teach and practice mindfulness techniques through movement (yoga). We want people to learn that mindfulness supports emotional resilience, connectivity between prefrontal cortex and amygdala, improves emotion regulation, reduces stress, etc. We will focus on movement with the body and mind.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Education, coping skills, self esteem
Description: This group focuses on the education surrounding the treatment and application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Clients will learn the basics of CBT, and understand the principle of how thoughts influence feelings, feelings influence actions, and actions influence our results. Learning effective coping skills and how to apply them in daily life situations will also be practiced in sessions. Additionally, there will be a self-esteem portion added to the curriculum, as self-acceptance is a pertinent part of changing our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Depression, mindfulness
Description: Depressive symptoms and the behaviors which maintain them very often lead us away from the things we value and toward patterns of avoidance and operating on autopilot. Depression Management takes a different approach to help you learn how to operate more mindfully, with more compassion aligned with what you value rather than on autopilot. The group will utilize The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Depression highlighting acceptance commitment therapy, self-compassion and applied neuroscience strategies for reducing depressive symptoms.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Writing, resolution of pain
Description: This group will involve learning to make your own journal. In that journal, the client will write or create art. Each round will involve a new topic discussed and agreed upon by the members of the group. The facilitator will create prompts around these topics and time in session will be spent answering these topics via journaling. The group will discuss the topic at the end of each session.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Self expression, creativity, song writing
Description: Are you interested in learning how to write your own songs? Do you want to expand the ways in which you express yourself creatively? This group will lead you through the process of writing a song with the goal of self-expression. It will be a workshop style in which you create your own song with the assistance and support of the group as needed. No musical training or experience is required; you must have a love for music and an ear to make musical choices. Due to the nature of the group, the full 10-week commitment is mandatory. Clients must attend the first 3 groups, and clients who miss two groups will be removed from the group roster.
*Closed groups mean that clients can only join on the first week – inquire for more information/to be put on the waitlist for this group.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Empowerment, self-worth, understanding, shame
Description: This group will provide a safe, judgment free environment where women in all phases of their relationship will empower one another as they grow in their belief that they are deserving of a life without fear or emotional manipulation. Through a series of interactive exercises, the participants will identify all forms of abuse and learn to recognize the insidious patterns of the abusive personality so that they can begin to let go of shame and answer the question of “how did I end up here”. Safety planning will be incorporated as necessary into the discussion as we learn about the cycle of domestic violence. The group will explore the impact of codependency and utilize mindfulness to break free from the guilt of walking away. The primary objective of this group is for women to leave each meeting with a deeper understanding of what true love looks and feels like.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Depression, mindfulness
Description: Depressive symptoms and the behaviors which maintain them very often lead us away from the things we value and toward patterns of avoidance and operating on autopilot. Depression Management takes a different approach to help you learn how to operate more mindfully, with more compassion aligned with what you value rather than on autopilot. The group will utilize The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Depression highlighting acceptance commitment therapy, self-compassion and applied neuroscience strategies for reducing depressive symptoms.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: how motherhood/parenthood impacts mental health – birth stories, role transitions, perinatal mood disorders, mom guilt, birth trauma, co-parenting and changed dynamics with partners
Description: Motherhood is one of the most profound changes we experience in life, and brings with it a host of challenges as we navigate changed identity, roles, new stressors on relationships, hormonal and other shifts which effect mood, societal and cultural stressors and oftentimes trauma. Sometimes it may feel impossible to be a mother/to parent without shame and guilt and we feel isolated and alone, wondering why we can’t “measure up” to all the other moms. This group will provide an outlet for processing all the emotions that come with motherhood, social support and connection with others, as well as resources related to all of the topics above and more!
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Mental health, Substance use, Education
Description: Group members learn how mental health and substance use are correlated. Members will learn the psychoeducation of the bio psychosocial model for both mental health and addiction, as well as immerse themselves with a group full of support, guidance, and feedback. Members will also learn about coping skills to help assist with symptoms.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Songs, themes
Description: In this group, we will listen to and analyze songs based around a theme for each week. We will explore common themes and support each other’s experiences and song choices. The group is for younger adults looking to connect with others over music!
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Focuses: Experiences, Support, Acceptance
Description: Clients who identify as part of the LGBTQ community that are seeking support and a safe space to fully express themselves in a positive and non-judgemental environment. While belonging to the LGBTQ community can be a source of strength, it can also bring challenges in some, or all aspects of one’s life. For those who identify as LGBTQ, it’s important to recognize how your experience of sexual orientation and/or gender identity relates to your mental health, as well as learning new and healthy ways to cope with these challenges. There will be an opportunity to share personal experiences in a healthy group setting. This group is intended to help individuals in learning to love and accept themselves for who they truly are, while also receiving support from their peers and facilitating therapist.
Email us for more information or to sign up for any of these groups!
Gavia LifeCare Center will offer group therapy covering a variety of topics. Groups usually occur once a week for 1 hour in length. The length of the group will depend on the goals and expectations for members. Groups will be offered that best meet the needs of our clients focusing on topics such as depression management, emotion regulation skills, and coping with Anxiety. You and your primary therapist will decide the best option for your treatment.
Family involvement in your therapy may beneficial. The decision to have someone join your session will be up to you. Your therapist will assist you with developing the goal for these sessions. However you define a “family member”, you are always welcome to have an important person in your life become a part of your journey.
Appointments will be available before work, during the day, and after work. We want to be here for you when it is convenient.
The focus of your first appointment is determined by you. We want to understand how to best meet your needs and be responsive. Our goal is for you to leave the initial session feeling heard and having a plan to move forward.
Developing a trusting relationship with your primary therapist is critical to the therapeutic process. At Gavia LifeCare Center the therapist with whom you begin treatment remains your therapist throughout your course of treatment. Your therapist is a crucible to hold your pain, suffering, and hurt while you develop the strength to cope with these feelings. When the time is right, you take ownership for the entire range of human emotions with skill and confidence.
The treatment philosophy of Gavia LifeCare Center is to offer individualized, person-centered care with a wide variety of available services to include individual and family counseling, group psychotherapy, and psychiatric treatment. You and your therapist work collaboratively to continually assess the best course of treatment. The path may not always be direct, but you are not alone.
There are times when medications are considered in conjunction with counseling. If this becomes an option for you, or something you would like to explore, our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner is available to discuss the best options. With her guidance you can feel secure that the use of medication will be a well-thought out decision and a safe addition to your journey toward improved quality of life.
