Outpatient Services

Our Outpatient Services We Provide at Summit Psychological Associates, Inc.


Outpatient Services are offered in private counseling and group sessions for many personal and mental health disorders. Whether group or individual sessions, our services are confidential, and no record of treatment or diagnosis is released without prior written authorization from the client. Visit each page below to read more about our services.

Outpatient Counseling


Our team of psychologists, clinicians, and case managers have been providing counseling and therapy services to the community for more than 35 years. Our counselors create comprehensive treatment plans and personalize these plans to fit the unique needs of the individual. Common outpatient counseling services include treatment for conditions such as anxiety, depression, addiction, post-traumatic stress, and marital troubles.

Outpatient Psychiatry


Our psychiatrists are experienced in assessing and treating a broad range of psychiatric disorders. Our large support staff, including psychologists, clinicians, and case managers, can help facilitate additional services if needed. We maintain a working relationship with inpatient facilities and can help clients make arrangements to secure inpatient treatment if requested or in the client's best interest.

Youth/Juvenile Programs


Youth Counseling Programs – Children and adolescents may experience various emotional stress as they develop and mature. Anxiety about school or short periods of depression that pass without incident is fairly common.

As your child transitions into the teen years, you may see specific changes in behavior due to normal brain changes. However, if symptoms persist or behaviors transition outside of the normal range, it may be time to seek psychological treatment. Most youths are physically and emotionally healthy, but some may meet serious mental disorder criteria. Undiagnosed disorders can lead to trouble in school, unnecessary conflict with peers, or entanglements with the law.

In addition to treatment programs, Summit Psychological Associates provides diagnostic and court-referred psychological evaluations and testimony for juveniles with legal trouble or those currently serving in a juvenile detention facility. Legal action may be modified based on expert witness testimony.

Youth Psychological Evaluations

  • Competency to Proceed to Trial
  • Sex Offender Risk Assessments
  • Violence Risk Assessments
  • Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Intellectual/Learning Disabilities
  • Mental Health Diagnoses
  • Victim of Abuse
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

Youth Psychological Treatments

  • Drug and Alcohol Treatment
  • Domestic Violence
  • Anger Management
  • Family Problems
  • Parental Divorce
  • Academic Difficulties
  • Behavior Problems
  • History of sex offenses
  • Youth with Developmental Disabilities
  • Anxiety & Depression
  • Impulse Control
  • Victims of Trauma
  • Competency Restoration
  • Social Skills Training
  • Stress Management
  • Peer Problems

Youth Treatment Modalities

  • Individual Counseling
  • Family Counseling
  • Group Counseling

Psychological Evaluations


We provide psychological evaluations to employers, local city and county governments, and private individuals. Many local police departments rely on us to provide psychological evaluations to potential new hires to help determine job eligibility. We also provide forensic evaluations to local courts for individuals with psycho-legal issues. Below is a small sample of psychological evaluations we provide. Please contact our forensic psychology services department at 330-535-8181.

City/County Organizations

  • Police Departments – new hire eligibility
  • Fire Departments – new hire eligibility
  • Job and Family Services – parenting evaluations, occupational evaluations
  • Fitness for duty evaluations

Courts

  • Guardianship
  • Substance Abuse
  • Victims of Sexual Abuse
  • Competency evaluations such as competency to consent, competency to stand trial, competency to direct self-care

Educational

  • IEP Evaluations
  • Developmental Disability Evaluations
  • Behavioral Disability Evaluations

Private Individual

  • Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Gastric Bypass Evaluations
  • Pain Management Evaluations

New Foundation Program


New Foundation group programming is designed to assist clients in eliminating drug and alcohol use. The program is offered in a 26-week format, but a 6-week format is available for those with less intensive needs. Both formats help clients identify the negative effects of substance abuse. Alternative coping strategies and relapse prevention plans are also developed.

Participants in the New Foundation Program are often ordered to participate by the court system. Therefore, there are rules for participation, including regular attendance and attendance at twelve-step meetings. Upon completion of the program, each participant receives a certificate of completion and recommendations for continued care. Our services are confidential. No record of treatment or diagnosis will be released to any source without prior written authorization.

New Foundation group class topics are as follows:

  • Motivational Approach
  • Stages of Change
  • A Day of Substance Use
  • Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test
  • Physiological Effects of Alcohol
  • Drug Screening Inventory
  • Expectations about Substance Abuse
  • Expressions of Concern by Significant Others
  • Values
  • Pros and Cons of Use
  • Relationship Issues
  • Roles
  • Confident Situations
  • Overcoming Temptations
  • Problem-Solving/Considering Consequences
  • Goal Setting/Change Plan
  • Identifying Triggers
  • Managing Stress/Relaxation Training
  • Rewarding Personal Successes
  • Effective Communication
  • Learning to Refuse Offers to Use
  • Managing Criticism/Thoughts/Cravings & Urges
  • New Ways to Enjoy Life/Alternatives to Using
  • Developing an Action Plan/Relapse Prevention
  • Recommitting After a Slip
  • Social Support
  • Identifying Needs and Resources

Pride in Parenting Program


The 10 week Pride in Parenting Program is designed to assist clients in improving their parenting skills. We use a combination of advisory lessons and practical exercises during each session to improve the parent-child relationship and create a positive and safe home environment for families. Our program offers individuals from all backgrounds the tools to navigate parenting in daily life successfully.

Parenting and caregiver relationships play a significant role in children's psychological, physical, and social health. Even mentally healthy individuals generally receive little preparation or support beyond the experience of having been parented themselves. Whether one enters the program voluntarily or involuntarily, there are requirements regarding attendance, completion of homework assignments, and participation during sessions to graduate from the program. Upon completion of the program, each participant will receive a certificate of completion and any recommendations for continued care. Regardless of how one enters the program, participation remains confidential.

Program Topics – Our 10-week program includes classes on building and maintaining a positive parent/child relationship.

  • Making Good Decisions about Parenting
  • Major Parenting Styles
  • Building a Positive Relationship with your Child
  • Understanding the Reasons for your Child’s Misbehavior
  • Positive Reinforcement & Effective Encouragement
  • Ignoring, Modeling and Labeling
  • How to Manage a Temper Tantrum
  • Natural & Logical Consequences
  • Effective Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Using Time Out Effectively
  • Child Development
  • Age-Appropriate Discipline Methods
  • Meeting Your Child’s Physical, Medical, and Nutritional Needs

Thinking for a Change


Thinking for a Change is a cognitive-behavioral intervention researched and applied in various human services fields, including corrections and juvenile justice. These evidence-based interventions positively impact individuals by helping to create change in both their thinking and behavior. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help restructure existing adverse thought patterns and perceptions, which change a person’s behavior for the better.

For clients currently or previously in the criminal justice system, the program has been effective in reducing reoffending. Even high-risk offenders have had behavioral change successes after participating in this program.

Thinking for a Change program is a closed 26-week group. Individuals in the group start simultaneously and develop and learn from each other and the group leader in addition to the material reviewed in each group session.

Thinking for a Change focuses on making positive behavioral changes affecting common interactions in a client’s daily life at work, home, or in the community. The goals of the Thinking for a Change group are to reduce recidivism and develop positive social skills and problem-solving abilities. Topics include:

  • Active Listening
  • Asking Questions
  • Giving Feedback
  • Knowing Your Feelings
  • Learning How Thinking Controls Behavior
  • Being Able To Recognize Risk
  • How to Utilize New Thinking Skills
  • How to Understand The Feelings Of Others
  • How to Make a Complaint Appropriately
  • Apologizing
  • Respond to Anger From Others Appropriately
  • Negotiating
  • Problem Solving Skills

The Thinking for a Change approach to addressing criminal behavior can offer successful and positive life changes for individuals with a previous criminal record. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology (Vol 1(4), Jan 2005), recidivism can be reduced by 25%.

To learn more about our outpatient services and how to make your next appointment, call our healthcare center today in Akron, OH.

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