West Yavapai Guidance Clinic’s Cognitive Function Development therapists help clients improve brain function and quality of life
By Jen Beyst, MCFDT
Many factors impact brain health and our ability to function well in our daily lives. The foods we eat, the amount of water we consume, and the quality of our sleep can have a profound impact on our mood and overall health.
Our environment, life experiences, and genetics also affect our cognitive abilities, as does trauma. According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, “Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.”
West Yavapai Guidance Clinic’s (WYGC) Cognitive Function Development (CFD) therapists work one-on-one with clients to increase brain function and help clients improve their overall quality of life by identifying and targeting areas of the brain to work on. Whether clients need help improving their focus and attention, strengthening their memory systems or developing their executive functioning–which helps regulate decision-making and impulse control—CFD can help clients achieve improved brain functioning.
“Talking about client challenges, ‘feelings,’ and traumatic experiences is not the principle focus of cognitive function development therapy,” said Brian Beyst, MCFDT, director of Cognitive Function Development at WYGC. “Rather, the life-changing results of CFD are realized by directly and indirectly addressing the neurological basis of the client’s condition.”
CFD’s unique approach to working with clients—by exercising the brain through a variety of activities—has shown to help clients address conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD and substance use disorder.
Many clients report an improved quality of life and a reduction of the symptoms that originally brought them to the CFD program. A grateful parent of a CFD client writes, “Even though we had already tried many different types of therapy to support our son’s needs…we were intrigued by your cutting-edge approach to deal with the cognitive functioning of the brain. We were hopeful that by developing his cognitive functioning it would improve his ability to self-regulate his emotions, process old and new information, and appropriately interact with others. Now, here we are three months later, and … your program significantly changed our son. He’s now able to self-regulate, articulate his feelings, and has had greater success in school, peer relationships, and family life. Your program was a critical part of our son’s extraordinary progress.”
Nearly everyone can benefit from improved cognitive function and WYGC’s CFD team is ready to help you or your family members experience an improved quality of life.
For more information call West Yavapai Guidance Clinic at 928.445.5211 ext. 3157.
Jen Beyst, MCFDT, is the executive director of the Cognitive Function Development Institute and a consultant for West Yavapai Guidance Clinic.