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Page Dr. Lester Summerfield

Introduction

I am a licensed clinical psychologist, who is here to help, if you feel that your (or a friend or family member’s) life is off balance. Your privacy will be highly respected in an environment that I am sure you will find tranquil and peaceful, yet clinical enough to treat you with a proper diagnosis. Contact us today to receive your free PHONE consultation, to determine if I am the right therapist for you. If not, I will do my best to refer you to a community resource / professional that will meet your needs. See below for a full list of problem areas in which I have training and expertise.

PROBLEMS I TREAT:

Addiction

Teens and Young Adults

Post-Divorce and Divorce Counseling

Psychological Assessment

Affective Disorders

Cancer Support

 


Addiction

Internet

  • Do you find that you have given up many previously enjoyable activities, finding yourself continually surfing the internet or playing a game?
  • Are you distancing yourself from friends and other family members?
  • Are you on the computer and avoiding social contact and personal interaction?

Internet pornography

  • Do you notice your spouse secretly using the computer late at night?
  • Does your spouse seem ‘rattled’ when you enter the computer area?
  •  Do you find that you are utilizing pornography and avoiding intimacy with your partner?

Cyber sex

  • Do you secretly have a fantasy ‘lover’ on the internet?
  • Do you communicate with another person, in a sexual or intimate way on the internet, at the expense of your partner?

Teens and young adults addicted    to computer and video games

  • Do you find that your child cannot seem to pull themselves away from a computer or video game, despite the importance of doing so?
  • Do you notice that you child’s school grades are suddenly plummeting, and computer time is increasing?

Cannabis

  • Do you notice your child showing a lack of motivation, for things they always did well?
  • Are there times that you notice tremendous irritability and argumentativeness with your child or spouse?
  • Do you notice that you can’t seem to function during the day without smoking marijuana several times?

Alcohol

  • Do you notice that you are frequently drinking alcohol during periods of time alone?
  • Do you notice that every time life feels hard you pick up a drink?
  • Do you notice that your child is having trouble waking up, argumentative and irritable?
  • Are you worried that your spouse drinks a lot more than usual, especially when they mention stressors in daily life?

Prescription medication

  • Have you noticed that the pain medication given to you by the doctor seems to be disappearing?
  • Do you notice at times that your spouse or young adult seems to be physically unbalanced?
  • Is your spouse complaining angrily that they are running out of their pain medication?

 

Teens and Young Adults

Lacking direction

  • Do you notice your young adult  receives lesser units completed at school and obtains grades below their aptitude
  • Is it clear that your young adult has little interest in their life and seems quite aimless?

Lacking motivation

  • Do you notice that your child shows a sudden drop in enthusiasm in their daily activities?
  • Has your child given up many of the extra curriculum activities that they previously excelled in or enjoyed?

Reluctant young adults

  • Does your young adult indicate that very little interests them?
  • Does your young adult have numerous reasons and excuses as to why they cant move forward in their life path?

 Social skills training

  • Do you have questions about why your child is rarely invited to other children’s parties or play dates?
  • Do you have questions in your mind about the appropriateness of your childs behavior with other children?
  • Does your child make strange faces/sounds or have strange behaviors in public situations or at home?

Homework and academics

  • Does it seem as if every night is a ‘fight’ with your child about what homeowork assignments he/she has?
  • Are there continual battles over completing the homework in more than a cursory fashion?
  • Do you frequently notice that your child lies about having completed his/her required homework?

Failing to be age appropriate

  • Does it seem as if the other children of the same age as your child behave in far more mature ways? Do you get notes home from school that the teacher indicates your child was behaving in a silly or immature fashion?

Support Vs enabling (parents)

  • Is it confusing for you as to where the line is between helping and aiding your child vs being over protective?
  • Do you find yourself hovering over your child and doing the work that they should be doing?

Post-Divorce and Divorce Counseling

Marital counseling

  • Is your marriage in trouble? Do you wish to reverse the downward spiral?
  • Is it your desire to keep your marriage together?

Mediation

  • If you are in the process of a divorce, would it be helpful to have a third party aid the two of you in determining solutions for issues, including child custody and finances, in a private and not discoverable manner.

Post-divorce counseling

  • Are you and your spouse at an impasse regarding issues about your child(ren)?
  • Would a trained professional aid you in working out solutions, that perhaps you hadn’t considered?

Aiding cooperation in divorce with   management of children

  • Would you benefit from an individual assisting you in creative ways of sharing your children post-divorce?
  • Perhaps you might consider that your children have aged and that your original agreements are no longer viable given their stage of development. Perhaps some change is necessary?

Co-parenting therapy

  • Do you find that you and your former spouse generally get along, however recently there have been issue arising that the two of you cannot seem to work out, and this causes some hostility in the relationship
  • A co-parenting circumstance might alleviate tension and create solutions that put the brakes on more drastic remedies

Court appointed therapist for children

  • Dr Summerfield is often appointed by judges and by attorney agreement to council children of divorce, especially contentious divorces whereby the child exhibits signs of psychological damage.
  • Requesting counseling from the court can often reduce the possibilities of your child experiencing many negative emotions.

 

Psychological Assessment

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity   Disorder

  • Do you find that it is difficult to attend to details and do you make careless mistakes in your school or work?
  • Are you able to sustain your attention on a task or are you restless and unable to focus on the task at hand for any length of time?
  • Do you lose things? I.e. keys, assignments, jackets?
  • Do you find yourself easily distracted?
  • Do you find that you make impulsive decisions?

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

  • See ADHD bullet points
  • The individual has increased anxiety and depression, more so than individuals with ADHD

Career and vocational

  • Do you find yourself feeling lost in terms of career goals
  • Are your academic capabilities unclear? Would you be better off to seek a skill and certificate?
  • As young person do you have little clarity on what your skills and interests are?

Cognitive and personality reports

  • Do you require a legal report or declaration related to a court matter?
  • Could a computerized test which aid in diagnosis for numerous purposes be of use to you?  i.e a good surgery candidate, information that might help your physician or psychiatrist in medical evaluation
  • These tests aid Dr Summerfield in making proper diagnoses

Educational testing services

  • Is your child failing to flourish in school academically and socially?
  • Does it seem that your child requires accommodations in school to aid their progress?
  • Have you been out of the work force for significant time and need direction?
  • Does your child seem to be unable to finish exams, especially those that are timed?

Interventions with schools and   advocate for students

  • Do you feel that you are not getting a proper hearing from the school district and require an advocate to assist you in gaining accommodations for your child?
  • Is the school refusing to assess your child despite your requests?

 

Affective Disorders

Obsessive compulsive disorder   (OCD)

  • Is it difficult to throw out useless items?
  • Do you worry about contamination; are you washing your hands numerous times per day?
  • Does a thought or a sound get stuck in your head for days?
  • Do you have thoughts that you have to do something over and over until you get it just right?
  • Do you find yourself frequently counting things? I.e. ceiling tiles in an office, draws in a desk, books on a shelf.

 

Cancer Support

Treatment and Support for Cancer Patients, Survivors and family members

  • Do you feel all alone?
  •  Do you feel confused?
  • Do you have trouble sleeping?
  • Do you have difficulty maintaining optimism?
  • Do you have frequent anxiety?
  • Do you have fear communicating with your loved ones?
  • Are you struggling with life goals and change?
  • Do you need assistance talking to your medical team?
  • Is fear taking over your life?
  • Do you feel distant from your spiritual connection?
  • Do you need help rediscovering your optimism?