Wisely joins Cape Behavioral Health

Adults and adolescents in the Cape Region dealing with insomnia and anxiety now have more options for therapy.

Dr. Lauren Wisely, PsyD, treats adults, children and adolescents dealing with issues of anxiety, depression, impulse control or those with a history of trauma. She also provides grief counseling and marital therapy. She joined Cape Behavioral Health outside Lewes in July.

“My husband and I relocated from New York for his job, so I was looking for the right practice here,” said Wisely, 36, who now lives in Lewes. “This practice has a great location, it’s already established and the owners are great to work with.”

Carly Miller and Susan Woodward established Cape Behavioral Health in 2011 to to offer healing therapy for the entire family. Woodward, a licensed clinical social worker and registered play therapist, worked for the past seven years with children who experienced traumatic ordeals. She partnered with Miller in the new practice because she wanted to broaden the scope of her work. Miller specializes in marriage and family psychotherapy. She has certification in mediation and works toward alternative dispute resolution.

Wisely said the Cape Region was lacking in outpatient psychologists who could provide a form of cognitive behavioral therapy.

“The idea is this form of therapy is evidence-based,” said Wisely. “I work with the patients to address how they think, while trying to change their actions or reactions to certain situations.”

Wisely creates a plan with her patients, then when situations arise, she talks to them about how they reacted. She targets certain behaviors to change and based on the patient’s reaction, she adjusts the plan.

“Each person is different, so I investigate why the person is having problems and then use strategies to address those issues,” she said.

The goal is to get the patient comfortable with their life, so the person isn’t dreading certain situations.

“It’s like coaching,” said Wisely. “I give clients work to do at home to practice. They report back on how the strategies work.”

Wisely said anxiety about social situations can cause people to cut themselves off from the world.

“I monitor their progress over time, so they can return to living full lives,” she said. “I start with small changes and then build up. It’s tailored to the patient.”

Wisely said many residents in the Cape Region have anxiety problems. She said she was surprised by how many of her patients had so much anxiety that it was turning into insomnia.

“Anxiety easily lends itself to treatment. It’s one thing that therapy can help,” Wisely said. “People can get through it with help.”

She said residents should recognize if their anxiety is causing problems in their everyday life. If a person is having insomnia or panic attacks, it is time to seek help, Wisely said.

“A lot of times medication by itself doesn’t take care of the problem,” she said. “I teach them about self-talk, which helps bring them into the moment and learn how to have control over it.”

She said in times of economic upheaval, she sees more and more patients with anxiety concerns.

“Some people are natural more anxious, but others have had something traumatic or stressful happen to them,” she said. “Sometimes circumstances overwhelm a person’s ability to cope. With the recession, a lot of people are out of work or losing their homes, so that level of uncertainty can cause anxiety or panic attacks.”

Besides working with individuals, Wisely also helps families.

“In some cases if a child is having behavior issues, I bring in the parents for some group sessions,” she said. “It helps get the whole family operating better.”

As a psychologist, Wisely said she has had more years of training in psychotherapy, trauma therapy and childhood trauma than other professions.

Wisely graduated from the State University of New York at Albany and received her doctorate in psychology at C.W. Post, Long Island University.

She meets with patients once a week for two to six months. For more information or to set up an appointment, call Wisely at 302-727-9661 or go to www.capebehavioralhealth.com. Cape Behavioral Health is located at 33712 Wescoats Road, Lewes.