New mental health practice opens in Portsmouth this month

Rhode Island Oak Counseling and Wellness located at corner of East Main Road and Patriots Drive

Posted 8/30/22

PORTSMOUTH — Building on its growth and success over the past six years, and answering the call to support and improve access to mental health services, Rhode Island Oak Counseling and Wellness …

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New mental health practice opens in Portsmouth this month

Rhode Island Oak Counseling and Wellness located at corner of East Main Road and Patriots Drive

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Building on its growth and success over the past six years, and answering the call to support and improve access to mental health services, Rhode Island Oak Counseling and Wellness will open its doors at 2984 East Main Road this month.

According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the demand for mental health services is stronger than ever with nearly six in 10 Americans seeking or wanting to seek help for themselves or a loved one. Amanda LaRose, owner of Rhode Island Oak Counseling and Wellness, said that demand made perfect sense for the business to bring its version of mental health services to Portsmouth. 

“We believe in a holistic mental health journey. We don’t just aim to hear a client’s words during a counseling session through talk therapy, rather we want to support them in finding personalized long-term solutions and wellness as a whole,” LaRose said. “Depending on the client, their wellness journey could be supported by several of the services we provide.”

Along with mental health counseling support, the practice will provide a complete lineup of yoga classes throughout the week, year-round, for every experience level at their in-house yoga studio. A recent publication by the Harvard Medical School noted that yoga can boost your mood by lowering levels of stress hormones, increasing the production of feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, and bring more oxygenated blood to your brain. Yoga can also affect mood by elevating levels of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is associated with better mood and decreased anxiety, LaRose said. Additionally, acupuncture and reiki treatments will be available to all. 

“In previous experience and practice, I have seen all of the services we offer complement each other in a client’s journey toward wellness. We are thrilled to be able to offer not only counseling, but yoga, acupuncture, and reiki all under one roof,” LaRose said.

The practice will also hold workshops and group events. “We are excited to bring our vision of mental health wellness to Rhode Island. Our staff is very knowledgeable and we intend to provide a platform for outreach into the community through group events and workshops, with a wellness focus, which will facilitate a wider community involvement,” said LaRose. 

While Rhode Island Oak will open its doors and begin to see clients this month, the new practice will hold a grand opening celebration in October.

For more information, visit www.rioakcounseling.com.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.