I see people.
Today you are one step closer to a new you where you feel empowered and on a positive path toward growth and well-being.
I see people.
Today you are one step closer to a new you where you feel empowered and on a positive path toward growth and well-being.
My Approach
As a person-centered therapist, Dr. Millis’ goal is to help you uncover your true potential and lead a life that is worth celebrating. While we can’t change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life. By applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will unearth long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” JRR Tolkien
Counseling
I can help you achieve more positive outcomes and healthy relationships.
Equine Therapy
Horses are very sensitive and intuitive, and can be a source of comfort to promote trust and growth.
Hypnotherapy
Treatments for anxiety, phobias, substance abuse, and more.
Dr. Lori Millis, Ph.D.
I see people from all walks of life who need a helping hand, someone who will really listen to their concerns. I provide a compassionate yet professional perspective to help my patients heal, and realize their potential.
I’d Love to Help
How Do I Know if Therapy is Right for Me?
At one time or another you may have thought about seeing a therapist. Maybe you thought that if you waited long enough the problem might just go away, or you talked yourself out of it for another reason.
Knowing when to see a therapist can be a little challenging sometimes. After all, everyone has a bad day or goes through a rough patch every now and again, but how do you know when talking to someone might help?
The outline one the right gives some of the reasons you may benefit from speaking to a therapist. Of course, these are not the only reasons to seek out a therapist, but this list can help you make your decision.
Getting Help
In older, more traditional models of therapy, you waited until you were “sick” to get help. In fact, insurance companies only paid for treatment if you already had depression, anxiety, or some other mental illness.
Now that more people are becoming aware of how important mental health is and are more open to discussing it, this older way of viewing therapy is evolving.
Now, there are affordable ways to see a therapist before you experience a mental health problem (e.g., employee assistance programs and online therapy).
Talking to a mental health professional early on may prevent mental illnesses before they start—and it also may help you to think, feel, and perform at your best.
You Want Help Managing Stress
But, if you’re having trouble managing your stress, you may want to talk to someone. Being stressed out can lead to a variety of issues, like being irritable and short-tempered or becoming inefficient and frantic.
A therapist can help you learn healthy stress management skills or they may assist you in problem-solving so you can eliminate some stressful aspects of your life.
You Are Having Difficulty Regulating Your Emotions
A therapist can help you discover the specific anger management techniques that work for you. Or they could help you practice anxiety reduction strategies that help you feel better faster. No matter what emotions you’re struggling with, a therapist can help you develop a plan to ensure your emotions serve you well.
You Are Reaching for Unhealthy Coping Skills
Keep in mind that almost any coping skill can be unhealthy. Watching TV, playing video games, or even reading books can become unhealthy if you use them to avoid solving problems.
A therapist can help you find healthy coping skills that reduce the intensity of uncomfortable emotions, while also helping you face problems head-on.
You Are Struggling to Reach Your Goals
I can help you address a variety of issues, like motivational problems, perfectionism, and self-sabotage—all of which can make reaching a goal nearly impossible.
You Want to Improve Your Relationship(s)
A therapist can help you discover problems that are interfering with relationships and assist you with the skills and tools you need to form and maintain healthier connections. Your work together may include anything from learning how to establish healthier boundaries to discovering why you often sabotage your relationships.
You Want to Increase Your Self-Awareness
A therapist can also help you learn about the patterns in your life, like your thinking patterns or your relationship patterns. You also might discover the self-limiting beliefs that are holding you back in life like believing you aren’t smart enough to succeed.
Perhaps you have some communication patterns that are off-putting. Or maybe you struggle to get your intentions across in a helpful way.
An objective opinion from a therapist can help you take a step back and review the types of patterns that keep repeating in your life. Then, they can give you tools to help you break free from the ones that don’t serve you well.
You’re Going Through a Transition
Talking to someone might provide you with the emotional support, guidance, and advice you need to adapt to the changes in your life.
You Want Some Parenting Support
If you’re questioning your parenting skills or you have a question about whether your child’s behavior is normal, talking to a therapist might be in order.
A mental health professional can empower you to make the best choices for you and your child. Whether that means giving you the tools you need to parent a child with ADHD or it just means giving you some reassurance that you’re on the right track.
A little objective feedback from another party might be instrumental in ensuring that you’re raising an emotionally healthy child who will grow up to become a responsible adult.
You Want Help Processing a Traumatic Event
A therapist can help you deal with a traumatic event. This could prevent you from developing PTSD or it may help you find more meaning in your life. It may even help you grow from your experience.
Your Mood Is Affecting Your Work
A therapist can help you get unstuck. Processing your emotions, practicing new skills, and changing the way you think are just a few of the strategies that a therapist might use to help improve your mood so it doesn’t get in the way of your occupation or education.
Your Emotional State Is Impacting Your Appetite or Sleep
Some people lose their appetite when they’re struggling emotionally. Other people eat more in an effort to control their feelings.
The same can be said for sleep. Some people experience sleepless nights while others sleep too much when they are having a hard time.
You might not even experience a change in the number of hours you sleep. You might just feel exhausted all the time because the quality of your sleep is suffering.
Once a physician is able to rule out possible medical causes for your change in sleep or appetite, a therapist can help you determine if there are emotional causes.
Therapy can even be beneficial for people who experience chronic insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, uses a variety of strategies to help people train themselves to sleep better.
You’ve Lost Interest in Activities You Used to Enjoy
Of course, it’s normal for your interests to come and go. But if you lose interest in almost everything you like to do, your disinterest may be a sign of something bigger.
Maybe you are growing a little depressed. Or maybe you are developing some anxiety. A therapist can help you uncover why you’ve lost interest in those things as well as help you see how the lack of fun activity can take a toll on your well-being.
Together, you might create a plan to help you feel better and incorporate more pleasurable activities into your daily life.