• Dr. Sharona's Counseling Practice
• Trauma
  

Dr. Sharona's Counseling Practice

“Over the river, and through the woods,” from the valleys to the plateaus, and from the plateaus to the peaks, if your relationships with yourself, partners, parents, and children; or friends and coworkers, etc. are spending more time in the valleys than you might like...
Strengthening your emotional muscles, and developing your thinking, perceiving, and planning skills is what the journey calls for, and YES, you can have an easier time
when you have more effective and efficient navigational skills
for these challenging times, and the world we are living in.
Why are there so many possibilities?

If you are wondering why there are so many possibilities, Great! You are becoming acquainted with Sharona’s practice. Sharona helps you discover opportunities and personal resources which were previously outside your awareness.

Sharona believes many people are stuck in their lives, considering only a limited number of possibilities. Working with Sharona, you will learn - how to think outside the box and become a more creative problem-solver.

Yes, the world of possibilities will expand for you!!

What is Sharona’s professional style?

Sharona is active and engaging with her clients developing clearly defined goals in a collaborative relationship.

Sharona brings an attitude of concern, compassion and warmth to her clients. She brings her presence and capacity to focus to each session. Sharona is knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects. Her attitude of curiosity, helps people learn how to be more curious for themselves. Clients find the tenacity of her belief in each human being’s ability to grow, supportive and encouraging..

What is your philosophy about why people are the way they are?

Sharona believes every human being is doing the best they know how to do at any given moment in time with the resources and skills available to them. She believes anyone who wants to grow can grow -“Old dogs can learn new tricks.”

Mistaken beliefs interfere with potential personal growth i.e., “At my age. . . I can not...,” or “After college I was done learning.”

Sharona firmly believes human beings continue developing as long as they are alive. When people shut down their learning channel they lose their vitality.

Irrational beliefs i.e., You should, is disrespectful and implies an imbalance of power in the relationship, with the speaker believing in his/her personal right to command another to do something.

In relationships Sharona finds that sometimes people forget to invite others to engage in a collaborative problem-solving process.

Limiting beliefs are another way people hold themselves back, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy i.e., “I am not very good at . . .” or “This works for everyone else but not me.”

Are there certain age groups Sharona does or does not work with?

Sharona is very comfortable working with all ages, trained initially in child development and development through the various lifecycle stages.

Sharona’s interests begin with conception or attempts to conceive and include early intervention during pregnancy through empty nesters, and adjustment to retirement, caring for elderly parents, or a disabled spouse or child, and bereavement.

Does Sharona work with more than one person at a time?

Yes, she works with individuals, couples, and families in various combinations, appreciating the importance of nuclear (immediate) family systems and extended family relationships.

Does Sharona work with parents, children, and their schools?

When a child is experiencing learning or behavioral issues in school Sharona is available for school observations, to consult with school staff, attend staffings and I.E.P. (Individual Educational Plan) conferences. By her presence she can advocate for students and their parents to receive the special services needed to meet needs.

What makes Sharona’s training and practice unique?

Sharona’s love for learning is evidenced by her credentials. In her work with clients she considers each unique individual(s), the contexts in which their interactions occur i.e., home, school or work, etc. Sharona often explores the multi-generational dynamics of a client’s family to highlight where unresolved family issues have been transmitted consciously or unconsciously to subsequent generations. Many issues manifested relate to role modeling of ways to be a spouse, a parent, or perhaps an adult child of an elderly parent, etc.

Trauma
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

SENSORIMOTOR PSYCHOTHERAPY is a framework for treating the physiological symptoms of hyper arousal or hypo arousal, The Fight or Flight Response which is activated whenever there is a perception of threat. Traumatized individuals may continue to experience intrusive and disruptive physical sensations i.e., disturbing visual image, sounds, smells, body sensations, physical pains, constriction , numbing, and an inability to modulate their arousal . During a traumatic event the body is unable to bring to completion the processing and discharge of physical sensations which results in muscular tension, trembling, involuntary large or small movements, changes in posture, breathing and heart rate. These recurrent physiological responses disrupt a traumatized individual’s ability to think clearly, extract information from personal experiences; and to make cognitive (ability to think) and emotional sense of the experience.

In Sensorimotor Psychotherapy treatment starts with the physiological processing of information, to help an individual re-establish their ability to physically self-regulate. This is very important because thoughts and emotions which are being driven by this dysregulated physiological arousal can also intensify emotional dysregulation. This therapeutic method facilitates the processing of traumatic experience(s) on all three levels: physical, emotional, and cognitive.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is effective in treating relational and situational trauma, and provides the necessary conditions for integrating the experience. Sensorimotor integration restores the ability of a person’s body, mind, and emotions to work together, gather information and make sense of experiences.

Dr. Sharona Stone has completed intensive training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Trauma Recovery at The Hakomi Somatics Institute in Boulder, Colorado.