My name is Dr. Benaaz Russell, PsyD, CEDS-S, and I’m so glad you’re here. Working collaboratively with you, I offer integrative, evidence-based treatment tailored to your specific concerns or struggles. I work with adolescents, adults, and older adults. Read on for more information about my services and specialties at Wellington Behavioral Health.
For details about my supervision capabilities, click here. For information about pre-bariatric surgery psychological evaluation, click here.
Eating Disorder Recovery and Consultation
I am an expert in the eating disorder field and have over a decade of experience guiding adolescents, adults, and older adults toward recovery. I provide individual, family, and couples counseling, and meal support therapy. I offer comprehensive consultations for you or your loved one, which include a thorough assessment, treatment planning, and treatment recommendations. Learn more here.
Stress Management
Of course, everyone must manage stress — it’s a normal part of life. However, overwhelming or chronic stress can result in serious health problems. Stress management allows individuals to adopt a range of tools to help calm their nervous systems after a threat (or perceived threat) is encountered. Treatment includes individual, family, or couples counseling.
Personality Disorders
Individuals affected by personality disorders, which are mental health conditions defined by inflexible and unhealthy patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving, often have a hard time getting along with others and dealing with everyday occurrences. There are three subgroups of personality disorders based on the characteristics and symptoms: suspicious (paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder), emotional and impulsive (antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder), and anxious (obsessive-compulsive disorder, avoidant personality disorder, and dependent personality disorder). Treatment options include therapy and medication.
Anxiety and Mood Disorders
Patients suffering from a mood or anxiety disorder often feel intense, excessive, and constant worry or fear about everyday circumstances. They may suffer from panic attacks, defined as sudden feelings of panic that reach a peak in minutes. Anxiety disorders can impact one’s mood and often go hand-in-hand with mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder. Specific examples include separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), and specific phobias, like acrophobia (fear of heights) or claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces). Treatment options include therapy and medication.
Addiction and Recovery
Addiction, a disorder in which a person uses a substance or engages in a behavior in a way that is initially rewarding but ultimately damaging, often involves the use of substances such as alcohol, opioids, cocaine, and nicotine or behaviors like gambling. Relapse is common, making it extremely important to get consistent treatment (either individual, family, or couples counseling) until full recovery.
Trauma and Grief Recovery
Each person processes grief in their own, unique way. However, there are seven stages of grief that we can loosely follow: shock and denial; pain and guilt; anger and bargaining; depression; the upward turn; reconstruction; and acceptance and hope. Individual, family, or couples counseling can offer much-needed guidance to individuals dealing with trauma and grief.
Phases of Life Issues
Entering a new stage of life can be challenging! Whether it’s divorce, retirement, or even a milestone birthday, it may lead to feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loneliness as well as a lost sense of self. It’s important to address these feelings, as they could lead to bigger health problems, such as eating disorders, addiction, or depression. With individual, family, or couples counseling, clients can discuss their emotional state and learn skills to help them navigate their new phase of life.
Work-Life Balance Issues
Many people struggle as they attempt to balance a heavy workload and job demands with family and personal time. In an effort to “have it all,” they may put their health at risk. Plus, as stress levels increase, efficiency often declines — which is counterproductive! By working through their work-life balance issues in individual counseling, clients can gain control of their lives again.
