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Please welcome Julie Burns, DNP, APRN, PMPMH-BC to our team of professionals!
This post is a little delayed as she has hit the ground running over the holidays and into 2025 but we are very excited to have Julie’s knowledge and experience in both mental health and substance abuse areas along with her positive spirit in the offices each week.
Julie Burns is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) providing psychiatric treatment both in-person at our Farmington office and via Telehealth. She experience serving clients in need of mental health services and has been a nurse for more than two decades. A compassionate advocate for her clients’ mental health and best interests, Julie follows evidence-based guidelines with an empathic ear for adolescents (12+) and adults.
Julie completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at Regis College in Massachusetts and is board certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For a full bio go to her bio page on this site.
Julie believes strongly in the collaboration between client and provider in the creation of an effective individual treatment plan. Mutual trust and respect are paramount, as are open and honest communication. Julie enjoys working with clients of all ages, though her primary practice as a mental health provider has been with adolescents and adults. Julie has experience working with clients with the full range of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, ADHD, and addiction disorders.
Julie is currently accepting new clients with Aetna, Optum, United Healthcare, Connecticare, TRICARE and Husky plans. She will be paneled shortly with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare. We do provide billing for out of network plans if your plan is not listed.
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Please welcome Sara Paredes, APRN, PMHNP-BC to our team of professionals!
We are excited to bring Sara’s wealth of experiences in working with both mental health and substance abuse to our medication management program.
Sara is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with over 10 years experience providing psychiatric evaluation and medication management treatment for adults struggling with mental health challenges. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from Yale School of Nursing, and she is dedicated to helping patients achieve mental wellness through a compassionate, holistic, and evidence-based approach. Go to advancedtreatmentsolutions.net/sara-paredes for a full bio.
Sara is currently accepting new clients as via "HIPPAA" compliant Telehealth with convenient evening times. She is paneled in-network with Aetna, Connecticare, Husky, United Healthcare, Optum,Tri-Care and Medicare plans. She will be paneled shortly with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Cigna.
Give us a call at (866) 887-6864 extension 2 for scheduling.
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Exciting New Additions to Our Practice!
Sep 11, 2024
Exciting New Additions to Our Practice!
I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to share some exciting additions to our practice that I believe will be of great interest to you.
We are thrilled to welcome two talented experienced therapists to our practice and team of professionals. Monica Baker, LMFT and Anna Pappalardo, LPC!
Monica Baker, LMFT specializes in marriage and family therapy utilizing a systems approach but also extensive experiencing with working with variety of mental health and substance conditions on a one to one basis. https://www.advancedtreatmentsolutions.net/monica-baker
Anna Pappalardo, LPC specializes in working with caregivers struggling with loved ones, woman’s issues, spiritual dilemmas along with grief and loss to name a few. For a full list of areas please go to: https://www.advancedtreatmentsolutions.net/anna-pappalardo
Their addition allows us to expand our services and availability, and we are confident they will bring fresh perspectives and expertise to support our clients on their journeys. Both will have significant in-person/in-office times open at our Farmington Location including evening and Saturday appointments. Both will also be in network with most major insurance providers.
If you have any questions about these updates or need further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out at Jim@advancedtreatmentsolutions.net or (866) 887-6864 extension 4
Warm regards,
Jim Moutinho
Founder/Director
Advanced Treatment Solutions
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Exciting Updates from Our Practice!
Sep 8, 2024
Exciting Updates from Our Practice!
I hope this message finds you well.
We’re thrilled to share that our practice is now in-network with UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Connecticare, Medicare, and Cigna! This change provides more accessible options for clients using these insurers, potentially lowering costs. We will also continue our partnerships with Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tricare, and Husky Health. (To ensure that your individual provider is in network, please refer to our website for details or reach us at billing@advancedtreatmentsolutions.net)
We are deeply grateful for the trust you place in us and remain committed to providing exceptional care to our clients and community. We believe these updates will enhance your experience with us and expand the options for those seeking support. Thank you for being a valued part of our community.
Warm regards,
Jim Moutinho
Founder/Director
Advanced Treatment Solutions
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A Caregiver’s Guide to Coping with Stress and Burnout
If you’re caring for an older loved one, you know how easy it is to prioritize their well-being over your own. However, over time this tendency can lead to caregiver burnout, characterized by symptoms like chronic stress, depression, trouble sleeping and worsened physical health.
If you think you’re facing caregiver burnout, we can help. The below guide will walk you through the symptoms of caregiver burnout, ways to recover and where you can get additional support.
What Is Caregiver Burnout?
Caregiver burnout, also known as caregiver fatigue, is characterized by mental, emotional and physical exhaustion that arises when caring for someone else. The condition can affect caregivers in any role, whether providing hands-on, occasional or long-distance care. Caregiver burnout occurs when the caregiver becomes overwhelmed and lacks the necessary physical, mental, emotional and financial support to effectively care for their loved one.
Continue Reading: Find more information about caregiver burnout in our Answers Center.
What Are Common Signs of Caregiver Burnout?
Caregivers often become accustomed to the routine stresses of taking care of their loved one. You may not notice the warning signs of caregiver fatigue until it negatively impacts your health and ability to provide care.
If you notice the below symptoms of caregiver burnout in yourself, it’s time to take action to relieve some of your stress.
- A newly short fuse
- More frequent emotional outbursts
- Trouble sleeping
- Weight gain or loss
- Increased physical ailments such as body pain
- Social isolation
How To Recover from Caregiver Burnout
Some steps you can take to recover from caregiver burnout include:
1. Seek professional guidance and support groups
2. Ask family and friends for help
3. Find out if your employer offers any benefits or accommodations for caregivers, such as personal leave, flex scheduling or mental health resources
4. Listen to your body and give yourself rest when needed
5. Connect with your loved one’s doctor and ask them for advice on managing your loved one’s needs
Continue Reading: Learn more about how to recover from caregiver burnout in our Answers Center.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Caregiver Burnout?
Recovering from caregiver burnout has no fixed timeline, and the duration depends on the severity of the condition. Some caregivers can bounce back in just a few days with self-care strategies like getting enough rest and seeking support from loved ones. However, for some, the road to recovery can take much longer, especially if burnout has led to chronic physical or mental health challenges.
Friends and family members must understand that recovery timelines differ, and they may need to step in to support the caregiver until they can resume their responsibilities.
How to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
You can prevent caregiver burnout by taking some practical steps.
- Recognize your limits and establish boundaries.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for help from family, friends, or support groups to share the caregiving responsibilities.
- Set aside time for breaks and activities you enjoy.
- Exercise regularly to maintain good physical health, relieve stress and help you sleep.
- Seek emotional support through a professional counselor or therapist.
Continue Reading: Learn more about how to avoid caregiver burnout in our Answers Center.
For more information and resources go to: https://www.caring.com/caregivers/burnout/ or www.caring.com/
Author: Rachel Lustbader
Reviewed by: Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD
Date Updated: March 13, 2024 Caregiver’s Guide to Coping with Stress and Burnout
Author: Rachel Lustbader
Reviewed by: Dr. Brindusa Vanta, MD
Date Updated: March 13, 2024
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Perinatal and Postpartum Mental Health Counseling
Sep 22, 2023
September 22, 2023,
Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health
Everyone experiences their own reproductive journey. During this process, however, individuals may have unexpected challenges that impact their lives. These can include infertility, perinatal anxiety or depression, pregnancy loss, postpartum anxiety and depressive symptoms, and neonatal trauma and loss.
While women often experience mood fluctuations postpartum (the time after birth up until 1 year), 1 in 5 experience postpartum depression. 1 in 10 men also suffer from postpartum depression. If you find yourself in an unexpected place anywhere along your reproductive journey, being able to talk about your struggles can be beneficial and help you to feel less isolated. The goal of therapy is to help support you along your journey, help you feel more confident, and learn new ways to manage your symptoms.
Unsure if you need help? Call us to schedule an intake appointment and discuss what you are experiencing. We’re here to help support you.
Call us at (866) 887-6864
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We have some exciting news to share!
Beginning Saturday, April 23rd at 8am we will be starting a new group “Compassionate Recovery Group” for professionals seeking to support their recoveries. This group is tailored both in the time offered and content for medical/behavioral health, law enforcement, first responders seeking to have a confidential place to share, connect and improve overall wellness. Florence LaPorte who has utilized this model over the years will be facilitating the group at our Farmington Location at 270 Farmington Ave Suite 332 Farmington CT across from UCONN Health Center.
The mission of the group is as follows:
In our daily lives, we have a tendency to get carried away with our thoughts, emotions and perceptions about the past and the future. Compassionate Recovery is a guide to returning to our present self, to reanchor and collect our mind to our daily lives.
Each member is participating in their own personal journey. The content of compassion is defined to support acceptance of differences and how they bring about healing to each as an individual. This acceptance brings one to being here, fully alive and fully aware of their present.
The group will utilize mindfulness, therapy strategies including those focused on trauma in addition to addressing coping mechanisms. The group tends to have participants for a long period of time and as a support for those who may not be as comfortable with other community groups.
We are in network with BCBS, AETNA, HUSKY for this group. For out of network clients the group would be 60 per week and we could submit to their insurance carriers on their behalf.
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Substance abuse and co-occurring issues impact not only the individual but the whole family system. Often when issues become significantly problematic in early adulthood, a parents’ fears, emotions and innate drive to protect their adult child kicks into overdrive often leading to unhealthy codependency in an attempt to “fix” the issue and by taking control now that the issue has become “out of control”.
Recovery is a process, it has to be lead by the individual who is seeking to make the changes and only that individual can ultimately decide if they would like to move forward with whatever treatment approach they would like to attempt. Adults over the age of 18 have to be the ones to initiate this process to “book an appointment” and they can dictate whether a parent has “consent” to be involved or have no involvement what so ever. This is dictated by Federal law which all providers must adhere to in order to protect the confidentiality of individuals seeking care whether in counseling practices like us, hospitals or inpatient programs.
Parents in duress sometimes take very drastic measures to circumvent systems in place in order to “onboard” their loved one with starting counseling or going to an inpatient program. They are often disappointed and sometimes angry when programs realize they are not the actual client seeking care or that their loved one doesn’t want to follow through with an appropriate program for their needs that the parent had spent significant time finding and communicating with. Individuals with “active” substance abuse disorders may manipulate, lie, tell half truths, avoid, delay or miss appointments in an attempt to not engage with a program with the goal of staying in the good graces of a loving parent who may be supporting them in some way.
Parents’ should not go through this alone and fortunately resources are available in the community and often times at no cost. Al anon www.al-anon.org , Nar-anon www.nar-anon.org provide free supports for parents’ and loved ones going through the same experiences using the 12 step model of recovery that many individuals use in substance recovery. If a group format is not your ideal approach you can seek out a Licensed Professional with an expertise with substance abuse issues to help educate, guide and process the emotions happening in the family system.
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Mental Health System During Covid, Alcohol use and Upcoming Marijuana Laws on 1360 WDRC
Jun 10, 2021
Thank you to the Talk of CT and Gary Byron for having Jim Moutinho on today to discuss the mental health system during COVID, alcohol use and upcoming changes to the marijuana laws. #talkofct @talkofct
Click below for the segment