Happy National Hugging Day from Promise Community Health Center to you! Have you ever thought about the benefits of hugging? Let’s take a look at some of the things that happen when we receive and give hugs (of at least 10-20 seconds) to a consenting friend or loved one.
- Our parasympathetic system (aka the “rest and digest” system that helps relax the body after a state of arousal) is activated which allow our bodies to restore our energy
- Our c-tactile sensory afferents (the nerve receptors in our skin that respond to touch) are also activated which can help decelerate our heart rate, feel calmer and more secure
- We bond on a deeper level with the person we are hugging, which can help open communication and decrease levels of isolation or loneliness
- Lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone)
- It can bring you into the present moment and create a more mindful and present you
- Hugs are essential to brain growth
- Hugging increases the levels of oxytocin (aka the cuddle hormone), which improves the parent-child bond
- Hugging brings down the heart rate and blood pressure to healthy level
Of course, keep in mind that some people are not ready to be in such close proximity to others for a plethora of reasons – so consent is key. Happy hugging, friends!
Promise Community Health Center Mental Health Team
Promise Community Health Center offers a range of mental health services. Our mental health team collaborates with our patients to assess current coping skills, address emotional needs and work through lifelong patterns. These services are available on-site and by Telehealth by our mental health department.
Promise Community Health Center is proud to provide bilingual mental health therapy in northwest Iowa. Our bilingual therapist can provide mental health services in both English and Spanish. Promise also provides our patients with a mental health interpreter who is qualified to interpret into Spanish for Spanish speaking mental health patients. Our goal is to make sure that our patients are able to do mental health therapy in the language they feel most comfortable speaking. We are happy to have bilingual mental health therapists and counselors and a mental health interpreter to provide accessible and affordable bilingual therapy in Northwest Iowa.
What can Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center mental health therapists help with:
- Developing & exploring effective coping skills
- Addressing emotional needs
- Working through lifelong patterns
- Working through difficult life situations
- Developing better communication skills
- and so much more!
Our mental health therapists and counselors in Sioux Center provide many therapies including:
- Individual Therapy
- Child Therapy
- Adolescent Therapy
- Couples Therapy
- Women’s Issues Therapy
- Online Therapy
- Family Therapy
Our Promise mental health therapists are specialized and trained in many different therapies including:
- Anxiety Therapy
- Trauma Therapy
- A.R.T.- Accelerated Response Therapy
- EMDR- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy
- Art Therapy
- DBT- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Generational Family Therapy
- Complex Trauma Therapy
- CBT- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Trauma Services Therapy
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Therapy
Our Sioux Center therapists and counselors are offering services to the following in our northwest Iowa communities:
- Children- Ages 8 and older
- Adolescents
- Adults
- Couples
- Families
Some of our mental health therapy patients come from Sioux Center, Rock Valley, Inwood, and Rock Rapids. We also provide mental health therapy and counseling for patients from Boyden, Hull, Sheldon, George, Sibley, and Spencer. Patients needing mental health therapy or counseling also come from Le Mars, Orange City, Alton, Hawarden, and Hudson. Promise is proud to provide mental health therapy and counseling to northwest Iowa.