ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Therapy is used to help people cope and recover. It’s essential when it comes to helping victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. A group of licensed therapists in Collier County uses a specific education form to help survivors leave their trauma behind. “Domestic violence, and certainly human trafficking are considered repeated, severe trauma, the participants that come they need stabilization in many areas,” said Natalia Gonzales, a licensed therapist and clinical director at the Shelter for Abused Women and Children. The shelter, in Collier County, offers a number of resources and programs to victims, including housing, court advocates and financial and job resources. But even after all of this, survivors can feel lost. “After they go through outreach, with resource management, and other services that we provide, what’s really left is working on some of the emotional distress that’s left,” Gonzalez said. “Our goal is to help people process versus just talking about it … We don’t just do counseling, it’s not just a conversation of oh, how you feeling, how was your week. This is deeper, we use, we use a hidden gem.” That gem is a form of therapeutic education. “It’s an array of techniques that really get in there and go to the traumatic network, open it up. And they really help the brain reshuffle the information and find completely new meaning on it,” she said. Once a survivor signs up, they receive a text that connects them with a therapist. That’s where they’ll answer a set of open-ended questions, like “Tell me a similarity between you and the person who abused you.” Gonzalez said the survivor answers the question over and over again until they find closure. “A lot of the people that we see have received some form of counseling or therapy in the past. And usually the comment is, this is strange, what is this? At the beginning, they could be a little skeptical because it is a bit bizarre. And then they’re like, I don’t know what this is. But I feel amazing. I feel great,” Gonzalez said. She acknowledges the skeptics. But said the results are proof. They use an evidence-based tool called OQ Analyst to track patient progress. “We know, is this person getting better? Or are they getting worse? Or have they plateaued? And we thought we could use other modalities that could potentially help move the process along,” Gonzalez said. Since 2015, Gonzalez and her team have helped more than 400 survivors get back to living a normal life. “It’s amazing knowing that they’re out there and that they don’t have to worry about that nightmare, that anxiety, thinking about that thing and ruminating over the same thing over and over again. Now they’re thinking about what’s next,” she said. Gonzalez said the length of the sessions can range depending on a patient’s performance. Survivors can answer the questions on their own time or in-person with a therapist. If you need help or know someone in an abusive relationship, contact the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233.