Jessica Pontis
Jessica Pontis, LCSW How many times have you walked into Target with the intention of getting toothpaste and dish soap, and walked out with three new shirts, four mugs, and a handful of random household trinkets that you don’t even know where to put? I know I sure have, all while forgetting the toothpaste. Industrial and organizational psychology is a powerful thing, and whoever was responsible for organizing the consumer experience of some of our favorite stores…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW What do you think of when you think of yourself being angry? Do you see a person who seems out of control, sad, aggressive even? Anger is an emotion that frequently gets a bad reputation, especially when compared to other, more positively associated emotions. However, like every other emotion anger has its place in our bank of feelings. Anger is so closely associated with aggression that many people would rather it be wiped away…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW It’s a tough scene out there for people who are single. In a world where connecting with new people has never been more accessible, why is dating so hard? With the increase of different types of tech and apps out there aimed at helping single people connect, why does it seem like I hear more and more from clients the struggle to find open, honest, and straightforward people looking to find love. One thing…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW With the sun setting earlier and earlier you may notice the impact that the cold and lack of sunlight may be having. What you may be experiencing are symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. As the name would imply, SAD is a type of depression whose onset is brought upon by the changed of the season. For most people symptoms of SAD begin the fall and continue through the winter months, though…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW It’s that time of year again, the holidays have crept upon us, and somehow twelve months have flown by with the speed of both the hare and to tortoise simultaneously. With the change in the new year comes the looming desire to change something about ourselves, the dreaded New Year’s resolution. We put our hopes into this idea of “new year, new me” but I wonder what we are focusing on. How many diets…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW Have there ever been times when your life has felt out of control? Where no matter what you do nothing seems to change and you begin to feel powerless over your own circumstances? If the answer to these questions is yes, then it may be worthwhile exploring the topic of self-determination, and how that impacts our ability to motivate ourselves to change. Self-determination refers to the person’s feelings about the control that they have…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW In my previous post about the stages of change, I discussed the different stages of change and how they may present within the context of a person’s experience with smoking. Having outlined the stages, let’s focus our attention in part two of this discussion on how a clinician can appropriately assess where a client is in the change model and stage-appropriate strategies that could be applied. Assessing and Assisting in Precontemplation. When a clinician…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW While the holidays are typically portrayed as something uplifting and joyous for many people this may not be the case. For some the holidays may be a time of stress and heightened perfectionist tendencies, for others a time of grief over a family member who passed away, a few may feel the financial weight that comes with the pressure to give gifts and buy food. Many may feel saddened by the lack of connection…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW Are you the type to find yourself counting calories, being mindful of eating healthy to the point that it causes anxiety? Does the idea of not “eating clean” cause you to miss out of the joy of sharing meals with others? If the answer to these questions is yes it may indicate the presence of something known as orthorexia nervosa. While orthorexia is not recognized as a diagnosable disorder in the DSM-5, it is…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW What’s your story? Do you consider the way in which you connect with your history impacts your present? How many times have you been asked that in your life? For those seeking to better understand themselves and their values these questions are important to ponder. There’s a therapeutic approach to help answer these questions, narrative therapy. Narrative therapy helps us discover opportunities for growth, empowerment, and the discovery of meaning on our past. While…
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