Click the button above to go to Alliance of Hope which is a great resource for survivors of suicide. We are in the intial stages of organizing the Southwest Nebraska LOSS Team-LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors).  We are need of volunteer team members. If interested please contact me at Lotus Counseling 308-532-5565.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the SW NE LOSS Team. 

​ WELCOME TO Lotus Counseling LLC:
​Meet the Therapist:                                        
Hello, my name is Jenee' (pronounced Janay) and I have provided mental health services and drug and alcohol services for over 12 years. I am a licensed independent mental health professional (LIMHP), a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC), and a Nebraska Registered Service Provider. I work primarily with youths and adults. I also offer trauma-informed services that are supportive, empowering, and safe.
 
 I have a special interest in the complexities of the human brain and the role it plays in human existence, addiction, trauma, and mental health. My expertise lies in helping people with co-occurring issues related to drug use, alcohol use and/or other mental health conditions. People are diagnosed with co-occurring conditions when one issue is established independently of the other.
My counseling style is person-centered. I believe each person has unique issues, stories, and paths/journeys t healing. I employ clinically-proven techniques to help people overcome their concerns and reach their treatment goals.
I am passionate about working with individuals and families as they achieve recovery, wellness, and wholeness. I view long-term recovery as a journey, not a destination.​

I am also an EAGALA Certified Professional Mental Health Provider and I have an EAGALA Certified Professional Equine Specialist, LeAnn and we work together to bring the best ethical Equine Psychotherapy to individuals, families. If you have questions please give us a call at Lotus Counseling LLC. (308) 532-5565. Please see the videos below for more information. ​

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Lotus Counseling LLC is proud to be offering Equine Psychotherapy sessions. I am an EAGALA Certified Professional dually credentialed as a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP) as well as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). I also have an EAGALA Certified Professional Equine Specialist that I work with in the Equine Therapeutic Sessions. We offer individual sessions as well as group sessions and work with mental health, life coaching, substance abuse/Addiction and Criminal Justice clients. Please give us a call at (308) 532-5565 and I will be glad to set up a free initial appointment to discover if I can be of any assistance to you or gladly make a referral to another provider if that is what would benefit you the most. Here at Lotus Counseling LLC I am interested in finding you the appropriate  level of care where you will experience the most growth and that will fit your needs. For more information on Equine Therapy please click on the Equine Therapy button at the top of the page. Thanks so much for your interest and Happy Trails!!

ORGANIZATIONS I AM A MEMBER OF:
Warning Signs & Risk Factors

A Young Person is at Critical Risk of Suicide if He or She:

  • Threatens to hurt or kill him or herself; or talks of wanting to hurt or kill him or herself; and/or
  • Looks for ways to kill him or herself by seeking access to firearms, pills, or other means; and/or
  • Talks or writes about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary. If your friend somehow indicates or communicates suicidal thoughts, get help immediately from a mental health professional or a professional in a hospital emergency department, or call 9-1-1.
If a youth shows or expresses any of the following behaviors or symptoms, they may signal a suicidal crisis. An evaluation by a mental health professional is essential to rule out the possibility of suicide and/or to initiate appropriate treatment.
  • Feelings of Hopelessness
  • Anxiety, agitation, trouble sleeping or sleeping all of the time
  • Expressions of having no reason for living; no sense of purpose in life
  • Feelings of being trapped - like there's no way out
  • Increase alcohol and/or drug use
  • Withdrawal from friends, family, and community
  • Rage, uncontrolled anger, expressions of wanting or seeking revenge
  • Reckless behavior or more risky activities, seemingly without thinking
  • Dramatic mood changes
  • Giving away prized possessions

Get Help
Get help by contacting a mental health professional or calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). The Lifeline staff can refer you to resources in your community. Lifeline has trained counselors available 24/7. To find support groups outside the U.S., go to Befrienders Worldwide.

Risk Factors for Suicide:

Keep in mind events and circumstances that increase risk:
Having more warning signs.
If your friend has more than a couple of these warning signs for suicide in the near-team, do contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or a mental health professional: having more than one of these signs has been associated with greater risk of suicidal behavior. (Remember, if a youth has critical warning signs like talking about killing him or herself or dying or looking for ways to kill him or herself, get immediate help.)

Losses
Losses and other events - whether anticipated or actual - can lead to feelings of shame, humiliation, or despair and may serve as triggering events for suicidal behavior. Triggering events include losses, such as the breakup of a relationship or a death; academic failures; trouble with authorities, such as school suspensions or legal difficulties; bullying; or health problems. This is especially true for youth already vulnerable because of low self-esteem or a mental disorder, such as depression. Help is available and should be arranged.

Previous suicide attempts
If your fiend has attempted suicide in the past, he or she is at an increased risk for another attempt or suicide. Many suicide attempts go unrecognized, but if you are aware of a previous attempt, pay attention to warning signs. If your friend is expressing some thoughts about suicide, it's okay to ask, "have you ever had these thoughts before?" and if so, "have you ever done anything about them?" This is especially important when conditions are similar to prior attempts.
What is EMDR?
​Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful new method of doing psychotherapy.
​HOW DOES EMDR WORK?
​No one knows for sure exactly how EMDR works. However, do kow that the memory of the trauma can be as bad as actually going through it. One moment becomes "frozen in time," because the images, sounds, smells, body senstaions, and feelings have not changed. These can be triggered and create a "flashback." Such traumatic memories can have a lasting negative effect on an inidividaul's world perspective as well as how that individual relates to other people. The trauma memory can have also effect how we interact with life.
​EMDR seems to have an effect on brain functions. After completing EMDR therapy what happened is still remembered, but it is less upsetting.
​There are a number of scientific studies that show EMDR is extremely effective. In the Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology in 1985 by Wilson, Becker, and Tinker 80 subjects wtih Posttraumativ Stress Disorder (PTSD) improved significantly with EMDR treatment, and further studies showed that this beneficial effect was maintained for at least 15 months.
​One or more sessions are required for the therapist to understatnd the nature of hte problem(s) and to decide whether or not EMDR is an appropriate treatment option. A typical course of treatment is 3-10 sessions, performed weekly. EMDR may also be used with other Evidenced Based Treatments for Psychotherapy.
​EMDR is effective for treatment of the following:
​PTSD (single event and chronic)
Panic Attacks
​Substance Use Disorders/Addiction
Complicated Grief
​Phobias
​Performance Anxiety
Stress Reduction
Anxiety Disorders
​Attachment Disorders
Chronic Pain
​EMDR can be used successfully on all ages from children up to seniors.
​If you have questions please phone (308) 532-5565 ext. 1 for a free 15 minute consultation to discover if EMDR could help you.

​Can You Benefit from EMDR Therapy?By Francine Shapiro, Ph.D.
~ 4 min read
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy has been declared an effective form of trauma treatment by a wide range of organizations. In the United States these include the American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Those suffering from major traumas such as sexual or physical assault, combat experiences, accidents or the sudden death of a loved one can be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if certain symptoms exist. These include intrusive thoughts of the event; nightmares or flashbacks; avoidance of reminders of the incident and increased arousal, which can include problems such as sleep difficulties; angry outbursts; being easily startled or having difficulty concentrating.
Research has also indicated that medically unexplained physical symptoms, including fatigue, gastrointestinal problems and pain can also go along with this disorder. Anyone suffering from PTSD can benefit from EMDR therapy.
In order to be officially diagnosed with PTSD it is necessary to have experienced a major trauma. However, recent research has also revealed that other, less dramatic life experiences can cause even more symptoms of PTSD than major traumas. Many of these disturbing life experiences take place throughout childhood and can include hurtful experiences with parents or peers. The negative impact on the person’s sense of self takes place since, just as with diagnosed PTSD, “unprocessed memories” are running the show.
This happens because the experience was so disturbing that it disrupted the information processing system of the brain. One of the functions of this system is to take disturbing experiences to mental adaptation. So if something happens to us that is disturbing, the processing system “digests” the experience and the appropriate connections are made, while the reactions that are no longer useful — such as the negative self-talk, emotions and physical sensations — are let go.
However, if an experience is too disturbing, it disrupts the system, causing the memory to be stored with the negative emotions, physical sensations and beliefs. Current experiences must link with the memory networks in our brain to be interpreted. If there is an unprocessed memory, the negative emotions and sensations can emerge and color our perception of this current situation. In short, the past is present.
That’s where EMDR therapy can help. While EMDR cannot remove a problem caused by genetics or organic injury, the research indicates that even in these cases negative life experiences can exacerbate problems. When a person is held back from doing things he or she would like to do by feelings of insecurity, anxiety, fear, or unremitting sadness, or is pushed into doing things that are not useful — such as overreacting to people or situations — the reason can generally be found in the memory networks. Many times the problems are unprocessed memories from the past that are poisoning the present.
In my new book, Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy, I provide numerous procedures that will allow the reader to identify the earlier memories that are at the root of their problems, and ways to change their emotions, physical sensations and negative thoughts. There are also techniques to help achieve desired goals in work and social relationships. These self-control techniques can make life more manageable, and understanding why we are doing things that don’t serve us can often help to bring things into perspective.
But if the techniques aren’t sufficient to give you a good feeling about your life, or you feel better for awhile but the old feelings continue to come back, then it would be useful to read the stories in the book that illustrate why different kinds of problems emerge, and decide if EMDR therapy would be a good choice for you.
Part of that evaluation involves taking stock of both your personal and professional relationships. Do you feel happy and fulfilled? Do you have a good support system? Or do you feel frustrated and troubled by disturbing thoughts and emotions?
Generally, there are three categories of negative feelings and beliefs that can emerge. These are the feelings of not being good enough, not being safe, or not being in control. If we often feel insecure, fearful or anxious — or notice that these feelings arise intensely in certain situations — we have the tendency to blame ourselves. Friends aren’t able to reassure us no matter how hard they try, because the problem is generally caused by the unprocessed memories associated with the negative emotions, physical sensations and beliefs.
When certain things happen in the present — even minor ones, like the expression on someone’s face — the memories can get triggered and the emotions, beliefs and accompanying sensations (like a tightness in stomach or chest) surface. We don’t get an image that goes along with it, so we don’t realize it’s really the “old stuff.” Then, since our distress can debilitate us, we may have problems interacting with people in the present, causing new memories of “failures” to be stored and thus increase the problem. That’s how depressions can also increase: our new negative experiences just dig the hole more deeply.
So, the bottom line is that we deserve to have happiness and fulfilling relationships. Problems involving negative thoughts and emotions are generally the result of negative past experiences that are improperly stored in our brains. The negative feelings may appear to be true to us, but they are actually the result of physiologically stored memories. This makes it not a “mental problem,” but rather a physical problem that can be remedied. If you break your leg, you would not just hobble along. You’d have no question about going to a doctor to align your bones properly so that healing can take place.
Likewise, if you go to an EMDR therapist for assistance, a good history will be taken and you will be prepared for memory processing. Then the memory will be accessed and aligned in a certain way, while the information processing system of the brain is stimulated so the memory can be transformed into an adaptive learning experience. The negative emotions, physical sensations and beliefs can be discarded and a positive sense of self can emerge.
EMDR therapy is not limited to simply taking symptoms away. It addresses the past, present and future. The goal is to allow the person to achieve a complete state of emotional health. It has also been used to help athletes, performers and executives to achieve a state of “peak performance.”
If you feel stuck personally, or in your relationships, and the self-help techniques provided in Getting Past Your Past are not sufficient, then consider fully addressing the problem with EMDR therapy. Ultimately, the goal is to liberate you from the confines of the past into a happy and productive present and a fulfilling future.