The Northern Virginia (NOVA)
CFS, FMS & OI
Support Group

Mental Health Practitioners

1. Articles About Counseling, Choosing Counselors
2. General National Search Engines for Finding Counselors
3. Washington DC, MD, Northern VA Area Counselors and Therapists
   recommeded by CFS and FM Group Members, other sources; also those available by phone.

• When your mind goes to talk therapy, is your body invited?
  Here are some words of warning and wisdom.
  by CFSupport's Elly Brosius, MS, and Fred Friedberg, PhD. The CFIDS Chronicle
• Dealing with Guilt The CFIDS Chronicle
  "Though the work of therapy is sometimes uncomfortable, the relationship with the therapist should feel comfortable and safe."
• Managing Anger (Add new resources to your anger coping tool kit) The CFIDS Chronicle
  "Because CFIDS is a chronic condition, it puts stress on everyone involved, not just the patient. The most common form of anger I see is the anger that emerges from disappointment and losses associated with interpersonal relationships. - Dr. Renee Taylor "
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Assessment and Treatment of Patients with ME/CFS:
  Clinical Guidelines for Psychiatrists Eleanor Stein, MD, FRCP(P), at FM-CFS Canada
  A “best practice” guide that explains why ME/CFS is NOT a psychiatric disorder, and then outlines how anxiety and depression can be assessed and treated in CFS patients. Available in English, it is currently being translated into three additional languages
• A Team Approach to Treating CFS: Matching Best Medical Practices to Phases of Illness
  The CFIDS Chronicle
• I Have Chronic Pain, Why Do I Need a Pain Psychologist? 4Therapy.com
• Stress Comes In Many Shapes and Sizes 4Therapy.com
• Finding and Evaluating a Private Therapist 1-800-therapist.com
• Choosing a Body Psychotherpist US Association for Body Psychology
  
• How NOT to choose a therapist 1-800-therapist.com
• How Do You Know When to STOP Going to Therapy? 1-800-therapist.com
• Insurance For Your Mental Health: Are You Covered? 1-800-therapist.com
• Advantages of Therapy or Counselling by Email CounselingResource.com
• Disadvantages of Counselling or Therapy by Email CounselingResource.com
• Assessing the Suitability of Counselling by Email CounselingResource.com
• About Pastoral Counseling: Professionally Integrating Psychotherapy with Spirituality AAPC
  
  
  

• Find a Therapist Search 4Therapy.com  [offers "chronic fatigue" and "fibromyalgia" searches]
• Find a Therapist (Phone Call Required) 1-800-therapist.com
• Find a Therapist NetworkTherapy.com
  
• Find a Pastoral Counselor American Association of Pastoral Counselors
• National Social Worker Finder and NASW Register of Clinical Social Workers HelpStartsHere.org
• Find A Psychologist American Psychological Association
• Finding a Body Psychotherapist US Association for Body Psychology

• Quantitative Electroencephalography Patterns Associated With Medical Conditions (PDF)
  Biofeedback, Fall 2006
• Neurotherapy: Rehabbing the CFIDS brain
  The CFIDS Chronicle, Winter 2003
• Neurotherapeutic Treatment of Fibromyalgia Using EEG-Based Stimulation
  FM Frontiers, 2003: Volume 11, Number 4
• Current Applications of Biofeedback to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  FM Aware Online, April 2004
• Neurotherapy as a Fibromyalgia Treatment: Exclusive Interview
  10-10-2001 ImmuneSupport.com
• ISNR.org Comprehensive Bibliography for Neurofeedback
  International Society of Neuronal Regulation: see CFS, FM & Autoimmune Disorders Section
  was at http://www.isnr.org/nfbarch/nbiblio.htm or http://www.isnr.org/information/compbiblio.pdf
• Neurotherapy (QEEG = Qualitative EEG) cases/research for CFS
  International Society of Neuronal Regulation and Jounal of Neurotherapy

• Cognitive Function in CFS Eleanor Stein, MD, FRCP(C)
  
  Tests which most commonly discriminate CFS from controls:
  
  Any test measuring functioning before and after exertion
  Psychomotor speed - Finger Tapping Test (Halstead 1947),
                                       slower and decreasing speed across trials
  Memory - Selective Reminding Task (Rey 1964) delayed recall and long term storage
  Auditory processing speed - PASAT (Stuss et al 1987)
  Attention - Digit span forwards and backwards (Wechsler 1955),
                       Trail making test parts A&B (Reitan & Davidson 1974)
  
  Conclusions: As a group persons with CFS have measurable cognitive impairment which is made worse by physical exertion and cannot be attributed to comorbid conditions or attitudes. In individual patients cognitive deficits are difficult to prove with neuropsychiatric testing since there are rarely premorbid test results with which to compare. Never the less, findings which are out of keeping with known levels of premorbid functioning and decreased functioning after aerobic exercise are consistent with a diagnosis of CFS. Healthy controls and persons with depression generally do better on neuropsychiatric tests after exercise.
  
  
• The Role of Neuropsychology in CFIDS - Leo J Shea III PhD This article explores the surprising benefits of a neuropsychological evaluation and guides you through the evaluation process. 
• Is CFS a Brain Disorder? - Lange / The Science and Research of CFS 2005-2006
  The cognitive problems CFS patients report have led to numerous research studies to assess neurocognitive impairments.  Although data is not consistent, research confirms both structural
  and functional brain abnormalities in CFS. 
  
• From Protocol for Cognitive Assessment for CFIDS - Sandman PhD & Moore PsyD
  The unique and specific effects of CFIDS included pathological overestimation of ability (metamemory), inability to recall information even with cues, serious distractibility and inability to concentrate, and slowed mental processing and decision-making. The protocol for these deficits involves three tests. The most sensitive is the PI test. The recall test adds to the sensitivity of the profile. The item recognition test produces a modest improvement on the utility of the specific battery to detect CFIDS deficits.
  
  
• Cognitive Function & Fibromyalgia  Jennifer Glass PhD & Denise Park PhD
  
  
  "I can deal with the pain, but the memory and thinking problems really worry me."
  "The physical symptoms weren't as frightening as the memory problems."
  "The most devastating effect for me has been the cognitive impairment."
  
  
  If you have fibromyalgia (FM), then these quotes may describe what you have felt as well. Many FM patients complain of cognitive (or mental) symptoms such as memory failures (both long-term and short-term), difficulties with attention, and with finding the right words. Our research has shown that patients' complaints about their cognitive problems are accurate: there is cognitive dysfunction in FM patients and this is not due solely to psychiatric disorders such as depression, or to other symptoms of FM such as sleep disturbance, anxiety or fatigue. On the other hand, cognitive dysfunction in FM is related to pain.

• Assessment and Treatment of Patients with ME/CFS: Clinical Guidelines for Psychiatrists
  Eleanor Stein, MD, FRCP(C)
  http://www.fm-cfs.ca/Psychiatry-overview.pdf