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Attending therapy for the first time can be an intimidating and nerve-racking process for many new clients. I often hear new clients say that they’re relieved that I talk during sessions and that it feels more like a conversation, which is something they may not have anticipated. Therapists and psychologists are often portrayed in movies and in our culture as being a distant figure in a chair who takes notes while clients lay on a couch and…

Getting engaged can be one of the happiest and most exciting times of your life. When your partner pops the question or you two mutually decide that you’re both ready, excitement and joy fill you up. You get to share your love and joy with your families and close friends and celebrate your relationship. That excitement and joy can often quickly turn into stress and feeling spread too thin with wedding planning, appeasing families, and discovering what…

It is no surprise to anyone that the recent election has shown us what a divided country we are. This election felt incredibly personal to so many people, and when something feels close to our hearts, our emotions are on the line. Dialoguing about contrasting political views can often be filled with emotion and defensiveness. Many of my clients in individual and couples therapy have spent time discussing how to talk to family members with opposing political…

It is becoming increasingly more common and more accepted to date and marry someone from outside of your faith and cultural background. Thanks to living in large cities and urban areas, such as Chicago, we are now exposed to different types of people with diverse backgrounds and upbringings more than ever before. Not only are we more exposed to different types of people around us, but we are also more likely to date them and even marry…

Many people believe that if they were to make more money, have a nicer car or larger house, be in a relationship, have more friends, be more attractive or lose weight, have a different job, live somewhere else, and on and on, then they would finally be happy. But this is a false belief and even if obtained, will never truly bring happiness. Yes, it might result in temporary joy or happiness, but it will not be…

When I first started out as a therapist, a good part of the work I did was with children and adolescents, which I still continue to do today. Providing therapy to children and adolescents comes with its own set of struggles and barriers, in comparison to working with adults, but one common issue I frequently saw was the belief by parents that if their child or children were in therapy it meant they were failures as parents…

Dating has become more accessible than ever. The majority of single people have many options when it comes to dating due to the increasing popularity of dating websites and apps as well as people in large cities waiting longer to settle down and get married. However, with the higher accessibility, and therefore frequency in dates, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stay authentic to who you are and what you are looking for when your dating…

“You want me to budget for “fun” money? But I am supposed to be paying off all of my debt, how is that going to help me reach my goal?” In my work as a Financial Therapist, that is typically the response I receive from clients when I tell them they need to add in spending for “fun,” spending for themselves, or spending for things they enjoy or want to do/buy. This may seem counterintuitive when one…