Center for Brief Therapy, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Marriage, Cognitive Therapy, Counseling
CBT The Center for Brief Therapy, PC, 10319 Dawson's Creek Blvd, Suite J, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA 46825
260-969-5583; fax 260-969-5584; email: freemancbt@aol.com
Welcome to the Center for Brief Therapy, P.C.!
Cognitive therapy (CT) or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) was developed in the 1960’s by psychiatrist Aaron Beck MD. Dr. Beck originally
developed cognitive therapy as a short term treatment for depression. Short term or Brief Therapy has since undergone numerous
researchers have expanded the range of problems treated with this type of psychotherapy. Dr. Arthur Freeman was one of the Founding
Fellows of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.  He and Dr. Sharon Morgillo Freeman have worked to create a treatment center that includes
all of the components that are critical to integrated, holistic and caring psychotherapy treatment.

At the Center for Brief Therapy we have Certified Cognitive therapists emphasize a collaborative and active approach.  Identifying and
modifying beliefs helps to change unproductive behaviors (e.g. avoidance, compulsions, passivity and impulsiveness, aggressiveness),
Cognitive, behavioral, situational, and emotional strategies complement each other.  Change in one area can stimulate change in another.

An impressive amount of scientific research has repeatedly documented the powerful effectiveness of CBT. In fact, CT has been shown to be
as effective as medication for the treatment of some forms of depression and anxiety. For individuals who require some type of medication,
the long-term relapse rates are lower for individuals treated with CBT in addition to medication.  For most problems CBT is short-term, lasting
approximately 6 - 12 sessions. Some people may require longer time to address more complex problems or underlying personality
characteristics or more chronic disorders.
Congratulations to Sharon Morgillo Freeman, PhD, APRN-CS for being named "TOP
DOC" in the category Psychiatry for Northeast Indiana 2006!  

Fort Wayne Business Journal February 2006 "Top Docs" Issue
Children's
Therapy
Both Dr. Sharon Morgillo Freeman and Dr. Arthur Freeman are certified cognitive therapists by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy which was
founded by Dr. Beck.
Janet Eggiman, RN, MS, LMFT is completing her training for certification as a cognitive therapist at the Center for Brief
Therapy.  For more information on Cognitive Therapy visit their website at the
Academy of Cognitive Therapy
www.academyofct.org in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Why "
CERTIFIED" Cognitive Therapists? It's not for everyone  -For more information on Quality Control of Therapist qualifications "Quality
Control for Therapists"
Office Hours

Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm

Closed on all major holidays
Closed for lunch  12noon -
1:30pm

Our Specialty Areas

Psychiatric Services including psychiatric evaluation and medication management Full Psychological Services
including therapy and testing

Anxiety Disorders

A group of separate but overlapping anxiety based disorders include: panic, social phobia, insomnia, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and
PTSD,  PTSD does not respond to retraumatizing therapies. Please click on this link to view recent
research on trauma treatments to learn more. Other closely related stress issues include
acute disaster treatment . Dr's. Freeman are
consultants with the
International Trauma Institute. Individuals with anxiety disorders often magnify the level of danger in a situation, while
disqualifying their own abilities and strengths. Thought restructuring and desensitization are used to build a belief in ones ability to face
difficult situations. These strategies encourage clients to face fear (exposure) and build a higher tolerance for anxiety, which then allows
individuals to reach their longer-term goals.

The most common problems are anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. One out of four people will suffer from these disorders at some
point in their lives. It is not uncommon for these two disorders to co-occur.

Separation Anxiety Disorder develops in 6-8% of children who exhibit anxiety over leaving the primary caregiver.  CBT has been proven as
the most effective treatment in combination sometimes with medication for this disorder.  Studies show 83% of children return to school within
the first year of therapy.

Major Depression and other depressive problems

Treatment includes testing and restructuring thinking and behavior. Depressed cognitive distortions often include; “I’ll never improve” (fortune
telling), “I’ll never reach my goals so why bother trying” (all or nothing), “no on cares if I do improve” (mind reading).  Behavioral strategies
include: hypothesis testing, gradual activity scheduling, pleasure planning, problem solving and assertive communication skills. Depression is
a treatable medical illness.  For more information go to:
eMedicine link.

Click here for "Best Practice: Adolescents and Depression"

Click here for a Quick Depression Screening Checklist: Depression Screening Checklist

Information on Post Partum Depression: Click Here


Marriage Counseling and Couples Counseling

CBT has also proven itself to be an excellent form of couples therapy or marriage counseling. Acceptance and mutual problem solving, active
listening and challenging marital assumptions, are typical strategies used to help develop and maintain intimate relationships. CBT is also
very effective for healing the pain of infidelity, dealing with issues resulting from addictive behaviors and helping couples recover from a
variety of other problems, including infidelity  that can occur during the course of a long-term relationship.

Click here for:
Recovery from Infidelity


Psychological Trauma

Dr. Arthur Freeman and Dr. Sharon Freeman are certified clinical trauma consultants through the International Trauma Institute.

Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD) and Acute Stress Disorder are anxiety disorders that occurs after an individual is exposed to a life-threatening
situation. Expert experience and intervention for psychological trauma is available at The Center for Brief Therapy. Other therapies such as
EMDR have shown to be effective for a short period of time after trauma, however for periods of time longer than six months CBT has proven
to be much more effective especially when combined with exposure type therapies. Dr. Sharon Freeman was trained to treat
Rape Trauma
Syndrome at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Ann Burgess who first identified the syndrome resulting from rape experiences.

Substance Use and Misuse Problems

Dr. Sharon Morgillo Freeman is an addiction specialist with more than 20 years experience in the field and board certification by the National
Association of Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). For more information on her credentials please visit her
link here.

Insomnia

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a report in June 2006 indicating that Cognitive Behavior Therapy is as effective
or more effective for treatment of insomnia than prescription sleep medications.  To review the article click here:
Insomnia

Chronic Pain Problems

There are few things in life as destructive to one's general well-being as chronic pain problems and under-treated pain or complicated pain
often results in a vicious cycle of sleep problems, depression and eventually mood disorders.  Obtaining a comprehensive pain evaluation
with a coordinated plan of action is a unique service offered by The Center for Brief Therapy that can result in reduction of pain and
improvement in function.  We truly understand these problems and the complications that the complexities of pain problems cause in all of the
areas of your life.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD (sometimes only A.D.D. without Hyperactivity)

ADHD is considered a neurobiological condition. Yet the traits of ADHD are not the only problem for the person with this condition. It is often
the negative self-esteem and defeatist attitudes that develop as a result of the symptoms that are the most damaging. Cognitive behavioral
therapy can be especially effective in addressing these issues.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for children with ADHD is extremely effective and
often can be combined with medication.  Treatment begins immediately following the one hour intake assessment.

Medication Management

At the Center for Brief Therapy we have Licensed prescribing health practitioners who are skilled at both psychotherapy and
pharmacotherapy should you require both of these treatments.  Please discuss this with your therapist as medication is part of an individually
determined treatment decision.

Asperger's Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders

Asperger syndrome is the term applied to the mildest and highest functioning end of what is known as the spectrum of pervasive
developmental disorders (or the Autism spectrum). Like other conditions along that spectrum it is felt to represent a neurologically-based
disorder of development, most often of unknown cause, in which there are deviations or abnormalities in three broad aspects of
development: social relatedness and social skills, the use of language for communicative purposes, and certain behavioral and stylistic
characteristics involving repetitive behaviors or features and a limited but intense range of interests. It can range from relatively mild to
severe. The presence of normal basic language skills is felt to be one of the criteria for the diagnosis of AS, although there are nearly always
more subtle difficulties with pragmatic/social language. Many researchers feel it is these two areas of relative strength that distinguish AS
from other forms of Autism and PDD and account for the better prognosis in AS.

Both can be challenged by the social and emotional demands of marriage, although we know that many do marry. Their rigidity of style and
idiosyncratic perspective on the world can make interactions difficult, both in and out of the family. There is also the risk of mood problems
such as depression,  anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and many others.  In fact it is likely that many find their way to mental health
providers where the true developmental nature of their problems may go unrecognized or misdiagnosed.

Personal Life Skill Coaching and Motivational Coaching.

Life Skill and Motivational coaching sessions require a presume psychological health with a situational component that a person wishes to
either enhance, change or eliminate.  These sessions utilize all of the techniques available in traditional cognitive behavioral therapy,
however are not geared toward changing a persons mood.  Instead, they are used to help a person use, or uncover their own strengths in
order to achieve goals that they have set at the initial session. These sessions are not considered medical health care and are therefore not
eligible for insurance reimbursement and will not be submitted to insurance companies under any circumstances.

Gastric ByPass Psychiatric Pre-Evaluation

The Center for Brief Therapy offers psychiatric evaluations for bariatric surgery. Dr. Sharon Morgillo Freeman will conduct your evaluation
and forward it to your surgeon.
Prior to any weight loss operation, your doctor will give you a complete medical examination and evaluate your overall health.

A psychological evaluation will be given to you. The
Center for Brief Therapy offers psychiatric evaluation for bariatric surgery. Dr. Sharon
Morgillo Freeman will conduct your evaluation and forward it to your surgeon. This will determine whether you are ready to adhere to a
healthier lifestyle. If you are not ready to make lifestyle changes (and have not tried hard to do so already), you will not be considered eligible
for the procedure. Without changing your lifestyle, the surgery will not be a success.
Click here for more information about these procedures.

              
Who comes to the center?

Individuals seeking treatment are typically seen during weekly, bi-weekly or monthly individual sessions.

Couples:  In addition to individual therapy, CBT has also proven itself to be an excellent form of couples therapy or marriage counseling.
Acceptance and mutual problem solving, active listening and challenging marital assumptions, are typical strategies used to help develop and
maintain intimate relationships. CBT is also very effective for healing the pain of infidelity, dealing with issues resulting from addictive
behaviors and helping couples recover from a variety of other problems, including infidelity  that can occur during the course of a long-term
relationship.

Children and Adolescents:  The center also treats adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Cognitive therapy can also help
parents to simultaneously improve parental effectiveness and their own coping skills. Adolescents and their parents, who often both face a
variety of stressful developmental changes, can also benefit from CBT.
Janet Eggiman, RN, MS, LMFT is a marriage and Family Therapist
with years of experience working with children and families.  For more information on her credentials, please visit her webpage
here.

Professionals:  The center also provides training for mental health professionals looking to learn the fundamentals of cognitive behavior
therapy or to those seeking to advance beyond the basics of cognitive therapy. We provide ongoing supervision for doctoral interns, and
provide intermittent seminars, workshops and symposiums around the world.
Substance Recovery
Program


The Center for Brief Therapy in
Fort Wayne Indiana

"The Center has the ONLY
Cognitive Therapists in
Northern Indiana who are
trained and certified to
perform cognitive therapy
according to the methods
outlined by the Academy of
Cognitive Therapy and the
American Board of
Professional Psychology"

www.academyofct.org

www.abpp.org

Interns will have the
opportunity to be supervised
by Drs. Arthur and Sharon
Freeman.

For more information please
email us at:
freemancbt@aol.com
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The information on this website has been provided to you by The Center for Brief Therapy, PC, only for educational purposes. Any information provided by this site should not be considered a
substitute for consultation with a board certified Psychiatric professional to address specific medical needs. Any link on the Center for Brief Therapy, PC website does not imply that we endorse any of the products or
services listed on these links. Psychiatric diagnosis and treatment are a rapidly evolving area of medicine. It is therefore quite possible for some information on this website to be outdated. In a spirit of partnership therefore,
we appreciate any inaccurate or outdated information being brought to our attention immediately. With the wealth of information available online and in print it is not possible to be all inclusive about the areas outlined in
this website.
centerforbrieftherapy.com