Adults - Thomas Conklin

Mental Wellness for Adults

“As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter what is ‘wrong’ with you.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

The first goal of treatment is to reduce your symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. We will do this with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Together, we will identify the deeply ingrained habits of thought that cause you to jump to conclusions, catastrophize, and make other assumptions that fuel anxiety and depression.

Reducing your symptoms is a good start. The next steps on your path to mental wellness include the following.

Exploring your past experiences to see how and why you developed your unhelpful habits of thought. This gives you the power to unwind them.
Learning to experience your feelings with less emotional reactivity. This allows you to feel your emotions without being overwhelmed by them.
Developing the capacity to reflect on your feelings and find the words to express them clearly. This helps you to integrate thoughts and emotions, and to balance your mental and emotional states.

The ultimate goal of treatment is emotional regulation and resilience. This enables you to develop and maintain healthy relationships, find greater satisfaction in work and life, and to become who you were meant to be.

Adult Attachment Interview (AAI)

I am trained to administer and interpret the Adult Attachment Interview, and I’ve been rated as a highly reliable interpreter of the AAI by its creators. The AAI provides valuable insight into how early childhood experiences affect current emotions and emotional regulation skills. This can help us…

If you are interested in adding the AAI to your treatment plan, please indicate that when you contact me.

Please note: Taking the AAI can be a powerfully moving experience. Because of this, I only administer it in person at my Laguna Beach location.