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Carolina Partners in Mental Healthcare, PLLC 

Psychiatry, Psychology and Counseling

Is your online life taking over the rest of your life?  Do you have a hard time putting your phone down?  Are you spending more and more time in front of a monitor?  Internet compulsion is a growing health concern across the globe and will become even more so as we play catch up to understanding how we are affected by our own technology.  Compulsive internet use includes texting, IM-ing, tweeting, surfing the web, cybersex, internet porn, online gambling and online gaming.

 Symptoms of internet compulsion include:
• Excessive use and an experience of a loss of time
• Withdrawal symptoms of anger, depression and irritability when the internet is inaccessible
• A tolerance that requires more time, more upgrades and faster connectivity
• Negative consequences including arguments, isolation, poor job and school performance, and neglect of basic needs
• Obsessively thinking about being and getting online

Rob Maggard, MSW, LCSW uses cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training techniques to help clients unplug and learn to balance internet use with other priorities.  Mr. Maggard uses his training in Satirian experiential therapy and gestalt therapy to help clients work through unresolved issues that surface when the distraction of a computer or smart phone screen is removed.  Facing internet compulsion not only opens the door for greater personal freedom but also growth and healing.  It is a challenging but rewarding journey.  And as online technology becomes increasingly integrated into the fabric of our daily lives, it is imperative that we protect ourselves from dangerous and unhealthy habitual use.  After all, technology is a wonderful servant, but a horrible master.

Please visit us online at carolinapartners.com for more information about Rob Maggard, MSW, LCSW, and the practice in general. Call 919-929-9610 for a new appointment.