Jessica Pontis
Jessica Pontis, LCSW As a provider one thing that I see that can significantly impact a client’s ability to meet their goals is ambivalence. It’s not uncommon for someone to question whether or not changing certain behaviors is really necessary to hit certain goals, and this type of thinking can be a normal process during therapy. After all, humans are typically creatures of habit, and any type of change (even positive change) disrupts our homeostasis and can…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW Have you ever been in distressed and not know what to do with your emotions? Maybe you wanted to scream, cry, throw a temper tantrum, lash out at someone else? We’ve all had moments where we might not have known how to process our feelings, which might have resulted in behavior that was somewhat childlike. It’s not uncommon for people to revert to a childlike state when stressed, sad, or angry, but it…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW Have you ever looked in a mirror and not particularly enjoyed the person staring back at you? Have you ever judged your body, skin, or face? Perhaps there are stretchmarks in places you feel there shouldn’t be, or felt self-conscious about some gained weight during quarantine? You are not alone in these thoughts. It’s unfortunate how we have been conditioned to feel we should constantly be at war with our bodies. Constantly feeling as…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW One thing I see time and time again as a clinician is the anxious mind of my client’s taking over, struggling to recognize and accept their wants and needs. Instinctually we know what we don’t want, we don’t want pain, disappointment, sadness, all the things that make life seem less enjoyable. Oppositely, we aim to fill our lives with joy, meaningful connection, goodness, and fulfillment. The question is, how do we recognize the path…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW In 1996, Olympic athlete Kerri Shrug made history with her one-legged vault. Having sustained an ankle injury after her first attempt, she rallied for her team and performed her second vault injured. It wasn’t until she landed that the world could see her pain. Not able to stand, Kerri crawled on hands and knees to the arms of her coach who had to carry her off the platform. Kerri’s choice to participate in her…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW Let’s face it, the better part of the last 18 months has been incredibly overwhelming for most of us. As we face increasing numbers in Covid-19 cases we may be asked to pull from what limited emotional reserves we have left to see this pandemic out. In order to do this, we may have to learn the important skill of emotional budgeting. When we think of financial budgeting we think of planning out how…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW Everyone wants to have a voice, but sometimes we struggle to connect with our strength and speak our truth. We all wish to be assertive when it comes to standing up for ourselves and what we believe in, though struggle to find the words or are concerned about the perception of others. To be assertive is to show confidence and appropriate forcefulness in situations where our beliefs, opinions, or desires differ from that of…
Read MoreJessica Pontis, LCSW I can think of few things better than a great night’s sleep. I know that when I have a good night’s sleep I feel ready for just about anything the next day. Sleeping is just as important to our health as a good diet, community, and exercise, but many of us struggle to find rest during the night. We may toss and turn or ruminate on the events of the past repeatedly. If you…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW One thing I see time and time again as a clinician is the anxious mind of my client’s taking over, struggling to recognize and accept their wants and needs. Instinctually we know what we don’t want, we don’t want pain, disappointment, sadness, all the things that make life seem less enjoyable. Oppositely, we aim to fill our lives with joy, meaningful connection, goodness, and fulfillment. The question is, how do we recognize the…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW On March 11, 2020, Covid-19 was officially declared to be a pandemic and all at once the world seemed to stand still. Countries locked down, wedding plans changed, families forced to grieve the loss of loved ones. We’ve lost jobs, connection, and precious time. Up until very recently so much of the conversation around Covid-19 has been about how I can make it through lockdown, how can I stay safe, when will I be…
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