My name is Karen Talbot. I am a licensed therapist (LCSW) and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional at South Davis Psychological Services. I specialize in providing therapy for children, youth, adults, and families going through trauma. Every person has a unique way of processing their emotions and thoughts. Some will repeat their trauma story over and over. Others, like children, like to re-enact what happened. Some prefer to write their feelings and thoughts out. I utilize cognitive, dialectical, narrative, and play therapies as methods to help children and adults process about their feelings and thoughts.
I believe it is important to involve parents in the counseling process with their children. When parents learn the skills being taught to their children, they can reinforce the skills in the home and community.
Skills I work on teaching children, youth, and families include mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal relationship, and walking the middle path. Learning these skills will make a difference in the lives of everyone involved.
Mindfulness skills involve being aware of your surroundings, your own emotions, and your own thoughts. Practicing mindfulness skills can help a person be more aware of how their surroundings may be affecting them. Mindfulness skills teach a person how to quiet their own mind and let go of stress. This can be done through either guided relaxation scripts or self-visualizations
Emotional regulation skills involve learning how to regulate your own emotions and thoughts. Practicing emotional regulation skills can help a person be able to process their emotions better. Emotional regulation skills teach a person how to recognize their own emotions and learn how to regulate them in a safe manner.
Distress tolerance skills involve learning skills to deal with intense emotions and pain. Distress tolerance skills involve creating a safety plan for the person that can be followed at home and in the community. Practicing distress tolerance skills helps a person to be able to find alternatives to self-harming behaviors.
Interpersonal relationship skills focus on teaching skills on how to relate and get along with others. It focuses on teaching about both self-value and the value of others. Practicing interpersonal relationships skills can help a person better their relationships with those they love.
Walking the middle path involves understanding about thinking errors and how thinking errors affect a person’s behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. It focuses on teaching about how to navigate through problems and dilemmas. Practicing this skill can help a person learn to problems solve and realize when they are having thinking errors which are impacting their actions and relationships.
One of the skills I utilize in therapy with children, youth, and adults suffering from trauma is called the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique. Utilizing this technique helps to bring a person out of the memories of their past and back to the present moment and time. To use this skill, a parent would first have their child tell them things they can see. Have the child focus on the present where they are at in the moment. Second, have the child tell four things they can touch or feel with their hands. Third, have the child tell three things they can hear. Fourth, have the child take a deep breath and tell two things they can smell. Lastly, have the child say one thing they can taste. (It helps to have a small mint or piece of gum to give the child.)
If you are interested in obtaining therapy for your child, youth, or family, feel free to contact South Davis Psychological Services at 801-872-6324 with any questions or to make an appointment.