Colleyville, TX, December 20, 2012 –(PR.com)– Tracy Crain, based out of Colleyville, Texas, understands that it can be healing to voice your troubles, worries and fears. Tracy Crain offers top-quality counseling and therapy at Tarrant County Counseling – her areas of expertise include addiction, sexual abuse, family and marriage counseling. Tracy’s website can be found at www.tarrantcountycounseling.com.

About Tracy Crain

Tracy Crain has been a marriage, family, addiction and abuse counselor since 1998. She has an office that is close to Fort Worth, located conveniently in Colleyville, Texas. She enjoys working with clients from adolescence onward in individual psychotherapy, as well as couples and family therapy.

Tracy utilizes cognitive and behavioral therapies in her approach, though she stresses that the core of her work is always client-centered. She believes that you always have the power to control the outcome in any situation, as long as the proper mental processes are followed. “Because mental strength and preparation are the keys to survival, other forms of therapy aren’t as effective when trying to create a more positive self-belief or healthier identity,” says Tracy.

Tracy emphasizes the fact that therapy and counseling is an important part of any healing process, and that you don’t need to have a mental disorder to benefit from it. “And yes… sharing with a therapist is very different than turning to friends or family,” says Tracy, “Your therapist is a professionally-trained listener who helps you get to the root of your problems, overcome emotional challenges and start making positive changes in your life.”

You can download a registration packet straight from the website, so you can be prepared for your meeting when you arrive. You can even read a missive that explains what you can expect in your coming visit for therapy. Feel free to visit the website for more information, at www.tarrantcountycounseling.com.

Colleyville, Texas, therapist says designer drug abuse is on the rise worldwide. Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and Professional Counselor Tracy Crain says her therapy treats not just the addict, but also the codependent.

Colleyville, TX March 19, 2013

Tracy Crain, of Tracy Crain Counseling and Therapy, said designer drug use is on the rise worldwide. Citing a January 2013 report issued by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Crain said, “Mephodrone, which is similar to cocaine and ecstasy, is now showing up as the current designer drug-of-choice in Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia.” Crain says that while the drug is most likely manufactured in China, it is also becoming much more available here in the United States via the internet.

“The short-term affects are similar to those of cocaine,” Crain said. Those include: restlessness, anxiety, heart irregularities, nausea, vomiting and paranoia. “Long term affects,” she said, “include addiction, depression, and possible long-term memory damage.”

Mephodrone is just one of many designer drugs showing up on the world market. Per the ICBN report, Japan has recently added 51 drugs to its controlled substance list, and Europe has added 15. The ICBN is a world-wide narcotic drug watchdog that advises the United Nations.

Regardless of the substance abused, Crain says the approach to change this condition includes treating the afflicted as well as the codependent—that person or persons in the addict’s life “who picks up the pieces and tries to keep everything (and everyone) together. That person who ultimately grows tired, hurt, resentful and worn out,” says Crain.

Crain is licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services as a Chemical Dependency Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor. Her therapeutic approach for the codependent is to work together to look at what safe boundaries are, how to establish initial boundaries and learn how to manage what you control for yourself.

As for her interaction with the person abusing the drug, Crain says her therapeutic approach “allows people to explore not only what they’re currently dealing with, but what they’ve been going through for years and what they need to change. Each person’s individual experiences create their own unique spin on life (their reality). Until those issues are faced and addressed, one’s poor coping skills continue to delay, hide or suppress any possibility of beginning to live a healthier life.”

Crain also added that opiate use in the form of pills or heroin as well as cocaine and alcohol continue to negatively impact the metroplex at an alarming rate amount adolescents and adults.

Tracy Crain can be contacted at her office at 4012 Gateway Drive, Suite 100, Colleyville, Texas, or by calling (817) 283-4300.

1.  Your anger is ultimately a perception that something is unjust or unfair.
2. Anger can come from your reaction to events in your world.  The events don’t necessarily create the anger; your thoughts and reactions are what create the anger.
3. Anger is an emotion, not a tactic.  While it can stimulate you to take action, it normally does not play a role in resolving problems.  In fact, left unchanged, it often becomes even more destructive.
4. At times, we can become angry over criticism that we allow to damage our self-esteem.  Remember:  no one can damage your self-esteem but yourself.  It’s how we internally view ourselves, and others’ good or bad behavior toward us should have no bearing on it.  We might be embarrassed because we know we were caught doing something wrong, but then, we should own that because deep down, we know we did something wrong.
5. Do not use anger as a barrier to keep others away from you.
6. Self-righteous anger can be the most hurtful.  Don’t be so self-indulgent as to think you have all the correct answers in the world’s list of problems.  Try to see events as others would see them so you can grow in tolerance and learn to celebrate our differences.
7. If you accept the fact that you control your anger, then you will realize that you control yourself.  Self-discipline is a necessary part of our growth pattern.
8. Anger, when left unchecked, can become an all-consuming monster, conjuring up beliefs that are far from the truth.  Correcting such distortions comes when we reduce our anger.
9. If you are a C student and aim to become an A student, yet fail to include behavioral changes to achieve that goal, you will frustrate yourself immensely.  Make sure your goals coincide with your action-plan to ensure success.
10. Revenge normally leads to more upset, and can even be illegal, depending on the circumstances.  It is NEVER a good idea.

For anger counseling in Fort Worth, Colleyville, Grapevine, Southlake or Keller please visit Tracy Crain Counseling.

1. If something unexpected occurs, remember to hold your tongue, at least initially, while you’re deciding how to respond.  Words, once spoken cannot be retrieved.  Sometimes silence is the best answer for now.

2. Your principles are important to you, just like other people’s principles are important to them.  Mature, responsible, reasonable adults know that it’s okay to agree to disagree.  Avoid sarcasm and foster respect for each other’s positions.

3. Our world is broader than just ourselves.  Make time to look around you, to put things in perspective, and to avoid paying physically for emotional upsets.  Look, think and listen.

4. Stand up and accept responsibility for your words and your actions, even if they’re negative.  Changing the subject or blaming others does not erase what you may or may not have said or done.  Sometimes, just saying, “Forgive me, I was angry,” may begin the healing process.

5. Realize your world includes others.  While it’s important to listen to your internal compass, be sure to take into consideration the comments, feelings and needs of others.

6. Taking risks can be healthy for personal growth but they can lead to upset or anger due to stress.  If this happens, don’t be afraid to distance yourself from the source until you have calmed down and put things in perspective.

7. Problem-solving is about the problem, not about the person.  Anger and drama over such matters just makes them worse.  Focus on solutions and team work while avoiding judgmental behavior.

8. Make time to let others into your world.  Take care of your health, but realize that those around you need to trust you, not fear you.  Nurture relationships to foster good will and respect.

9. If you discover you are at fault for something, acknowledge it.  Avoid using such tactics as aggression and defensiveness to cover your hurt feelings or damaged pride.  Honesty goes a long way in problem resolution.

10. People differ in age, gender, ethnicity, up-bringing and in so many other ways.  Recognize that problem solving has more than one answer, even if it’s different that what you might initially think it should be.  Keeping an open mind and a cool head can achieve effective results.

11. Be a gracious compromiser.  In fact, be a gracious loser, because we all know we can’t “win” every scenario in life.  Accept reality, face it and avoid playing games with yourself or others.  How we get through difficult situations becomes part of our character.

Denial is an internal coping mechanism that we humans employ most-often to protect ourselves from the truth.  We deny a loved-one has been killed in an accident; we deny that our friend has betrayed us.  The pain of these realizations is so great, we hide deep inside and tell ourselves, “Oh, no.  That’s can’t be so.”  We can even act like nothing is wrong because oftentimes, we employ denial subconsciously, with no knowledge that we’re doing it.  (Remember the steps of the grieving process?  Denial is the first one.)

However, denial has nothing to do with truth.  It has to do with how we accept the truth.

In chemical dependency, denial becomes more than a side-effect of addiction.  It becomes a component necessary for the addiction to thrive.  Consider termites.  Their environment requires them to always have dirt, moisture and darkness.  If one is missing, the organism dies.  Think of denial as darkness.

How many times have you or someone you know said, “So-and-so has a drinking/drug problem.  Why don’t they just quit?”  Denial is a large part of the reason they don’t.  It blinds them from their excessive behavior and from their inappropriate actions.  After all, they say, “Why should I quit when there’s nothing wrong with me?”  Even if told they will die if they don’t quit, it shouldn’t surprise you to see a reaction of, “Are you talking to me?” from the addict.  The addicted person has no insight into his/her decisions because of denying the truth even to themselves.

In addition to being a coping mechanism, denial is also a maneuver used by chemically-dependent people when interacting with others.  It can range from simple rejection of the truth (“I don’t have a problem”) to minimizing it (“Oh, maybe I drink a little too much sometimes, but it’s nothing I can’t handle”) to blatantly—and arrogantly—blaming any shortcomings on other people or circumstances (“If I didn’t have to provide for you and the kids, I wouldn’t have to drink to relieve all that stress”).  Chemically-dependent people are often very dishonest—and this dishonesty is a form of denial.  The sneakiness of the disease, however, is that even the addicted person is unaware they’re lying to, and ultimately hurting. themselves.

Denial is that fatal aspect of chemical addiction that locks affected individuals in destructive patterns that increase over time, that sense of self-delusion that tells them they’re okay even though they are spiraling dangerously downward.  It is a huge component of alcoholism and chemical addiction, and so must be treated along with the physical symptoms of the disease.

For assistance with dealing with these issues visit Tracy Crain.

The classic communications model states that someone has a message, the message is encoded (put into words), and then transmitted (spoken).  On the other end, the person receives the message (hears it) and decodes it (lets the brain make sense of the words).  However, unless you allow the person to respond to the message (give feedback), you’ll never know if your message was received or if it was effective.

Such is the case in communicating during conflict resolution.  You have to bring more to the table than just a list of things you find wrong.  You have to carefully choose your words and allow the person to respond.  Thus both parties continually go back and forth as the sender and receiver.  This interaction, respect, and encouragement to speak honestly make for healthy communication, even if the topic is uncomfortable.

Here are eight tips to resolve conflict by using effective communication:

1. Speak about behavior rather than make personal attacks.  If a person failed to meet a deadline, then the issue is a missed deadline.  It’s not “You’re always sabotaging the success of those around you.”
2. Phrase the upset from your perspective rather than blaming the other person.   Say, “I was very angry when you missed the deadline,” instead of, “You make me angry.”  The latter approach will almost guarantee a defensive and argumentative response because it will feel like a personal attack.
3. Stick to the facts.  “You came to work late three days this week, you missed two deadlines and you made five errors on the work you turned in.”  These are provable facts which clearly identify the behavior in question, and therefore can lead to a fix.  It’s a more effective approach than, “Your lazy and sloppy work habits have cost us a lot of money.”
4. Don’t let upsets linger.  If you’re mad at your spouse for something done or not done, don’t wait two weeks to bring it up.  The best time to address something is close to the time it happens because it’s fresh in both party’s minds.   Sometimes we silently let things go “this time,” but the next time an issue arises, we bring out the current event, plus events from last week, last year and even from the day of our marriage.  The other person will be blind-sided and communication will most probably be reduced to a huge argument.
5. Clarify communications by rephrasing what the other person is telling you, or ask them to rephrase what you’re telling him/her so you know the message is what was intended.  Failure to do so can lead to wrong conclusions and more hurt feelings.
6. Have a resolution in mind and be willing to compromise to achieve the goal.  If the issue is late arrival, then work together to fix it.  “Oh, so you’re late in the mornings because you have to take your child to school?  Okay, why don’t you start work a half-hour later?  You’ll have to stay a half-hour later, too, but that way you’re child will be safe, you won’t feel so hurried, and we’ll count on you to put in a full day’s work.”
7. Clear communication is never more important than when we are trying to resolve conflict in our home or our workplace.  We must always remember to encourage people to honestly and respectfully speak their thoughts and allow us to do the same.  These six tips can help you find peace and solutions in everyday life.

For more help with conflict resolution please visit Colleyville counselor Tracy Crain.