About Us
Linda Seyfarth
Founder of Lgs Options
Lgs Options began in 1991 as a private practice for individuals, families, and groups that needed psychotherapy. The business evolved along with its founder. Over the years Linda Seyfarth, founder of Lgs Options, helped scores of people take charge of their lives by understanding how the past affects the present and influences the future. Her goal as an educator and Health Psychologist is to lead through vision and values, encouraging others to meet their own goals, while they improve their overall level of health and function.
Process
Linda uses a strength-based process to build resiliency factors in individuals/systems and to effect behavioral change at different levels. Resilience is a complex term with many definitions. Maluccio (2002) is a researcher in this area and states, “Resilience refers to the operationalization in practice of the strengths perspective, which stresses the capabilities, assets, and positive attributes of human beings rather than their weaknesses or pathologies” (p.596). He reinforces this position at the conclusion of his review when he makes the statement, “…striving toward growth and self-fulfillment”. Resilience consists of a balance between stress and the ability to cope. Lock and Janas (2002) state, “The essence of resiliency is the ability to bounce back from adversity, frustration and misfortune” (p.117). Resilience is essentially capsulated in the statement, “It is not what happens, it is how we act on what happens”.
Normalizing psychotherapy as improving overall health of mind and body is necessary. Many fear the term psychotherapy. A health coach is like a personal trainer that provides support, guidance, and encouragement to manage lifestyle related health risks at home and in the workplace. Managing lifestyle improvements can be difficult. Health coaches help identify an individual’s strengths and empower them to succeed by focusing on lifestyle-related behaviors that must change. The same is true for organizations and systems. Afterall, individuals make up organizations!
Lock, R. and Janas, M. ( 2002). Build resiliency. Intervention in School and Clinic, 38 (2), 117.
Maluccio, A. (2002). Resilience: A many-splendored construct? [Review of the book Resiliency-An integrated approach to practice, policy, and research]. American journal of Orthopsychiatry, 72(4), 596-599.
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Foundation
Linda has conceptualized a model that is three tiered. The bottom tier is self-responsibility. The middle tier consists of patterns, defenses, and dynamics. The top tier is thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Learning how to integrate and manage the tiers is what constitutes resilience and health.
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Credentials
Linda holds her Master’s degree in Social Work and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Advance Addictions Counselor, and a Clinically Certified Forensic Counselor. She has completed all of the course work for a PhD in Health Psychology and is working on her dissertation. The dissertation titled is “An analysis and evaluation of resiliency factors in individuals who experience chronic pain”. The populations she is studying are those individuals who are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Migraine without aura.
She wrote “An analysis of the etiology, causes, and management of juvenile offenders” that is published.
Read it here in Adobe PDF
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Service
Linda has spent her life serving others. Her experience as a Surgical Technician trained in the Army, a Police Officer, a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, a Psychotherapist, manager of Mental Health Clinics, and most recently providing therapy to adjudicated male offenders in a State facility allows her to approach her work from many different angles. The common thread within all of these careers is service to and for other’s. Her goal is to provide health and peace to the community and individuals via education and lecture.
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Teaching
Since 1991, Linda has given presentations, lectures, and workshops to diverse community groups including the Department of Human Services, Community Mental Health, Department of Corrections & Probation, the Alano Club, churches, and the medical community. She is partnering with Washtenaw Community College and offering courses to professionals in the field for meeting their continuing education requirements.
Some of the topics from prior workshops include:
- Resiliency
- Trauma
- Sexual & Physical Abuse
- Management of Tension
- Stress Management
- Pain Management
- Conflict Management
- Chemical Dependency
- Addiction
- Mental Health Issues
- Anxiety/Depression
- Life Skills
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