Dr. Gary Zomalt: Defining psychological resilience

Gary Zomalt Photo credit: Marit's Paper World

Psychological resilience refers to an individual’s willpower to cope with stress and adversity. Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt agree that such a character management process may result in the individual’s bouncing back from being swamped by tragic events or depressive moments to a previous stage of normal functioning. As it is a dynamic process, resilience helps people exhibit positive behavioral adaptation when they encounter considerable personal adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant loads of stress.




Psychological resilience is a process, not a personal trait. It is the result of individuals’ positive interaction with their environments and undergoing of processes that have either promoted their well-being or protected them from the overwhelming influence of numerous risk factors. These processes can be individual coping strategies, or may be helped along by other people: mental health physicians like Dr. Gary Zomalt, family members, schools, communities, and social policies that make resilience more likely to prevail.

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: NatalyaKorotkova

A number of factors could modify the downbeat effects of adverse life situations. Studies reveal that the most important factor is to have relationships that provide care and support, build love and trust, and offer encouragement, both within and outside the family. Other indicators for the prevalence of resilience in an individual’s behavior are the capacity to make realistic plans, a display of self-confidence and positive self image, the development of excellent communications skills, and the ability to manage strong feelings and impulses.

From Gary Zomalt

For more updates about Dr. Gary Zomalt and his counseling programs, visit his Facebook page.

Dr. Gary Zomalt: Minding your mental health

Dr. Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: yepy_hardi

People who show positive outlook in life indicate that they have the ideal mental state. But for others who do the opposite, professional assistance from psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt may well be required. As everyone is prone to emotional distress—regardless of age, race, sex, or economic status—the health of the mind is the one that is put to challenge.




Having stable mental health helps people feel good about themselves and be comfortable with others. It also propels them to effectively deal with the demands, challenges, and changes in everyday life. On the other hand, negative behaviors like anger, self-pity, and anxiety could cause serious troubles. As these emotional disturbances may come and go quite often, disturbing and interfering people’s daily lives for a long period of time, seeking professional help can be a wise resort.

Dr. Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: jepoirrier

Mental health physicians like Dr. Gary Zomalt reveal that psychological angst is a common condition among Americans. For a more vivid idea of this fact, here are the numbers:




• Between eight and 14 million Americans suffer from depression each year.

• About two percent of college students suffer from an eating disorder.

• Approximately 10 percent of Americans have phobias.

• About 21 percent of college students say that sleep difficulties affect their academic performance.

• More than 20 million Americans suffer from drug dependence or abuse.

• Nearly 25 percent of the elderly who are thought to be senile actually suffer some forms of mental illness.

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Dr. Gary Zomalt co-presents workshop about youth on involuntary psychiatric hold

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Smart Recovery

October 18-23, 2011—the AACAP and CACAP Annual Joint Convention featured a workshop presented by Dr. George H. Stewart and Dr. Gary Zomalt. Titled Crisis Stabilization for Youth on an Involuntary Psychiatric Hold: Danger to Self, Danger to Others, or Gravely Disabled, the workshop aims to discuss and apply a Best Practices crisis stabilization model for the evaluation and treatment of youth with mental disorders who are put on involuntary psychiatric hold.

Suicide remains the third leading cause of death for youth aged 15–18 years in the United States. Ten percent of those who attempt suicide will do so again in 3 months, with the potential for fatality increasing with every attempt. The plans in use by the Seneca Crisis Stabilization Unit (Seneca CSU) for youth in Alameda County, California reflect an attempt to stem this on a local level. As discussed by Dr. Gary Zomalt and his partner, the Seneca CSU applies a new paradigm in dealing with crisis situations involving the youth. The presentation incorporates the various crisis plans used by the staff of the CSU in dealing with patients with mental disorders as well as the CSU’s legal background. Also tackled in the workshop are problems faced by CSUs in general, among others.

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Aya

You may view the presentation of Drs. Zomalt and Stewart in the following links:


Presentation 1 (authorstream.com)

Presentation 2 (authorstream.com)

From Gary Zomalt

Dr. Zomalt continues to aim for excellence and efficiency in the management of organizations. More information can be accessed through his Facebook page.

Gary Zomalt’s legacy: The Fresno County Department of Children and Family Services

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Smart Recovery

From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Gary Zomalt served as one of the key figures in the revival of the Fresno County Department of Children and Family Services (Fresno CFS), leading a management team of six to turn the underfunded, underperforming department into a top-tier organization that adhered to national best practices.

Prior to 2001, the Department was in shambles. Fresno CFS had a funding deficit and was not meeting performance expectations. It sent over 3,200 children to foster care each year, causing an unprecedented level of injury within the system. The institutional health section was overfunded and taking a strain on the already unbearable strain on the department’s budget.

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Aya

Under Dr. Gary Zomalt, the department eliminated its deficit by maximizing the number of legal revenue sources, working closely with other key organizations to improve operating practices, and slashed the funding for institutional health and diverted its key functions to external government and nonprofit organizations. The resulting surplus allowed the expansion of the department’s workforce, which increased coverage.


Improvements to the system meant that over 900 children were not sent to foster care; with the support of the Casey Foundation, over 29% of eligible children were sent to good homes. Moreover, improvements to the department’s service and referral network were added through an Internet-based service directory, which was praised by both government entities and the community alike.

From Gary Zomalt

Dr. Zomalt continues to aim for excellence and efficiency in the management of organizations. More information can be accessed through his Facebook page.

Dr. Gary Zomalt: The requirements for becoming a full-fledged psychotherapist

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: jepoirrier

Dr. Gary Zomalt is the owner of 3R Counseling and Consulting, a firm that renders social service and mental health programs for residents in the California Bay Area. A psychotherapist since 1986, Dr. Zomalt has always been a key figure in helping people suffering from personal plights and mental instability cope with their conditions and get high ranks in the wellness index. Familiar about how external forces such as stress and family problems could influence, disturb, or ruin human behavior, he understands how important it is for an individual to receive psychiatric guidance from full-fledged specialists.



Entry requirements



To become a licensed psychotherapist like Dr. Gary Zomalt, applicants for training must have earned a degree in a relevant course and should be a qualified healthcare practitioner, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health nurse, or clinical social worker. Where experience is required, it should be related to the field of psychotherapy in which the individual wishes to train.

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Smart Recovery

Trainings and Practicum



Generally, trainings to become a psychotherapist take a few years to complete. These are approved and provided by a number of organizations normally accredited by various psychotherapy councils or associations. Clinical trainings consist of the intensive treatment of individual patients of different ages carried out under sound supervision. Clinical discussions that combine theory and practice are also held throughout the training period.



Aside from running his own counseling company, Dr. Gary Zomalt also serves as a program consultant at the Seneca Center’s crisis stabilization unit, accredited by The Joint Commission. He has also received an achievement award from the California State University in Fresno, and leadership awards from the Family Mosaic Project and the San Diego County Clinical Staff Association.

From Gary Zomalt

For more updates about Dr. Gary Zomalt and his counseling programs, visit his Facebook page.

Dr. Gary Zomalt: Unveiling positive aura through psychotherapy

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: yepy_hardi

Every individual deserves a life fully lived — free from mental distress, emotional volatility, and other personal struggles. According to psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt, people’s behavioral patterns can be manifested in their physical disposition. The better they “glow,” the more they feel light inside. However, for individuals who have been deeply hampered by emotional nuisances like personal problems and hardships, disturbing behaviors may prevail. It is by then that psychotherapy sessions are most needed.



Psychotherapy is an interactive process, utilizing numerous techniques and methods that help patients deal with issues that affect their mental health and prevent their full maturity in a certain discipline. Without having to rely on chemical treatments and rigid rehabilitation, people may subtly improve their character through interactive counseling sessions. Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt engage patients in exploratory, analytic, and psychodynamic dialogues during private meetings, incorporating these with dream work, psychodrama, movement exercises, reflection, meditation, and trance depending on patients’ specific needs.

Gary Zomalt Photo credit: Marit's Paper World

Held in high esteem by his colleagues and patients, Dr. Zomalt has created and managed major service programs that improved community health and wellbeing. His innate compassion and desire to be of service to people who need his expertise made him a necessity in the industry. At present, he runs his own consulting firm called 3R Counseling and Consulting, and serves as a program consultant at the Seneca Center’s crisis stabilization unit, a healthcare institution accredited by The Joint Commission.

From Gary Zomalt

For more updates about Dr. Gary Zomalt and his counseling programs, visit his Facebook page.

Dr. Gary Zomalt: Attaining self composure through Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: NatalyaKorotkova

The human body is an obvious outlet of one’s mental health. According to psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt, physical change can be attributed to the change in mental condition.



Setting oneself free from the perilous dynamics of internal forces and past struggles can plausibly become the key to exuding more confidence and a better aura. Psychological angst poses a toll on the body, just as bliss and liberty permit physical well-being. But for people who can hardly cope with life’s hardships, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) could provide substantial help.

Gary Zomalt Photo credit: Marit's Paper World

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps people manage or change unhealthy thinking habits, feelings, and behaviors. CBT may be used to treat problems including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, uncontrollable anger, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other personal problems. Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt generally categorize CBT into four different stages:



Assessment. This includes filling out of various questionnaires to help people describe their particular problem and identify distressing symptoms.



Person education. The therapist provides written materials to help patients learn more about their psycho-emotional problem. The cliché ‘knowledge is power’ is a cornerstone of this process.



Goal setting. The therapist helps the patient formulate a list of goals he or she wishes to achieve from therapy.



Practice of strategies. This process utilizes a “story board” to role-play difficult social situations or come up with realistic self-talk to replace unhealthy or negative self-talk.

From Gary Zomalt

For more information about Dr. Gary Zomalt and his counseling programs, visit his Facebook page.

Dr. Gary Zomalt: Reclaiming one’s self from grief and loss through psychotherapy

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Aya

There is no right or wrong way to grieve — but there are healthy ways through which pain can be managed. Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt work through phases with individuals suffering from grief and loss.



Availability to help aggrieved patients requires empathy and the right amount of advice to lighten up their emotional and mental loads, even leading them to face life’s toughest moments and enter a deep internal search for answers.



Sorrow could be the emotional or mental suffering people feel when something or someone they care about is separated from them permanently such as by death. While this feeling could be very frightening and overpowering, it is a normal reaction to loss.

Gary Zomalt Photo Credit: Smart Recovery

Entering a therapy or counseling at these moments may be essential to begin a journey towards healing. Psychotherapists like Dr. Gary Zomalt provide helpful support and guidance to grieving individuals to help them regain their self-esteem, strengthen their emotional faculties, and enrich their lives in general.



Although sadness and yearning are the dominant emotions the bereaved often displays, guilt, regret, anger, and a sense of meaninglessness could also be present. Psychotherapy is a vital tool to help these individuals eschew from further emotional malignancies.



Grieving is an individual and highly personal experience. The ways by which people grieve depend on many factors, including their unique personalities and coping mechanism, their life experiences, culture, faith, and the nature of the loss. People’s deepest wounds may sometimes need privacy and exclusivity, but the genuine healing process often requires the strength, encouragement, and support of other people.

From Gary Zomalt

For more information about Dr. Gary Zomalt and his counseling programs, visit his Facebook page.