How Can I Have Better Work-Life Balance?
By: Danielle Bertini, LPC Sometimes it truly feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Between work, spending time with friends, caring for children and loved ones, staying healthy, pursuing personal interests, it can feel like it’s impossible to balance everything. And in fact, research suggests that this struggle has grown increasingly difficult in…
Read MoreGrowth and Development: What Happens in the Final Years of Childhood? Part III
By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC If you read my previous blog posts, this is the final part to the three-part blog series about human growth and development. It discusses the progression from what you need to know about growth and development, the evolution of children’s growth, and the final years of childhood as one…
Read MoreGrowth and Development: How Does the Growth of Children Evolve? Part II
A child’s story begins with small steps that lead to remarkable milestones. Parents and caregivers often notice how quickly children grow. Understanding the phases behind this transformation can bring a more profound appreciation of their lives. Exploring the early childhood development stages helps us recognize the beauty of growth. It also gives us the tools…
Read MoreGrowth and Development: What Do I Need to Know? Part I
By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC The developmental phase from infancy to toddlerhood is described as a pivotal growth period of drastic change in the beginning of a human’s life. This phase, like all other developmental stages, has many milestones involving developmental, physical, emotional, spiritual and cognitive components. Infancy to toddlerhood is one of the…
Read MoreFriendships Throughout the Lifespan: Adolescence and Adulthood, Pt. 2
Written by Kara Thompson, Licensed Social Worker In Part I of this series, we talked about the reality of childhood friendships being founded on similarities, companionship, and chance. These relationships are often heavily impacted by the adults in our lives, with more minimal emphasis on choice. In Part II of this series, we are going…
Read MoreFriendships Throughout the Lifespan: Childhood, Pt. 1
Written by Kara Thompson, Licensed Social Worker “Friendship, a state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy, and trust between two people. “ – Britannica When thinking about growing up as a child, some of us may be able to recall both sweet and bitter memories around our journey of making friends. Maybe you’re able to remember…
Read MoreConflict Within Marriage: How Do I Fight Fairly?
By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC We can all agree – arguing stinks. Although marriage can be one of the most wonderful and rewarding parts of life, it can also be challenging and it’s something that has to be constantly worked on. All close and intimate relationships experience conflict sometimes. It can be healthy and…
Read MoreCan I Budget My Emotions?
Jessica 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…
Read MoreWhat is Harm Reduction?
By Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC Symmetry Counseling Chicago Harm reduction is a behavior change approach through which an individual reduces their exposure to risk without a complete elimination of the problematic behavior, all while giving oneself the opportunity to learn important new life coping skills. This is for people who are contemplating significant behavior change,…
Read MoreDo I Need to See a Psychiatrist?
By Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC Symmetry Counseling Chicago In working with clients in individual psychotherapy, there are times when progress has slowed or become increasingly difficult to sustain. A mentor of mine once told me, “Therapy treats the mind while psychiatry treats the brain.” Psychiatry is the practice of utilizing medical interventions by a MD…
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