Healthy Living
Dr. Sandra Bruno, MS, DMin, LMFT, AADC felt drawn to help others from an early age. “I’ve always felt the inclination to support people who are lonely or outsiders,” Bruno shares, adding that she believes this desire to encourage and comfort others is part of the skill set God gave her. This calling led her to become a marriage and family therapist.
Power of Counseling. For over 27 years, Bruno has seen counseling help people transform their lives. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the positive impact of therapy on individuals and couples. I’ve seen people find relief from anxiety and depression. I’ve observed people gain control over addictive behaviors.” Bruno is passionate about guiding her clients through the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of therapy. “This model is a holistic framework that integrates four aspects- biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors- to strengthen and help an individual understand their health and wellbeing,” Bruno explains. 
- Biological. Bruno shares that for this component, she concentrates on the physical. “I encourage my clients to eat healthy foods, drink water, get their sleep, and exercise.” She adds that there are multiple studies that show when someone takes care of their physical body, it impacts mental health and emotions.
- Psychological. This component pertains to mental health and emotions. Bruno asks questions like: “What are we telling ourselves? Are we encouraging ourselves and being positive? Are we able to control anxious thoughts?”
- Social. Bruno explains that this component centers around healthy relationships. “These relationships can be with family or friends, church community, as well as regular community.” Bruno encourages her clients to surround themselves with positive people.
- Spiritual. The final component of this model focuses on beliefs and practices. “This is our relationship with the Lord. This needs to be our number one, in my opinion,” Bruno says.
This approach to counseling “is based on the premise that a client’s overall wellbeing and stability are achieved when all four of those four components are utilized to nurture and take us towards a more healthy us,” Bruno explains. She equips her clients with coping mechanisms for each of the components.
Interested in learning more? Still Waters Counseling offers therapy in-person in Mtn. Brook and Madison, Alabama, and therapy via telehealth anywhere in Alabama. Bruno offers in-person counseling exclusively in Madison but via telehealth throughout the state. To learn more, visit www.mystillwaters.org or call 205-825-1423.
-Melissa Armstrong
Click below to hear more from Dr. Sandra Bruno about her approach to counseling and more.
