Tips for Building Habits that Last
Jessica Pontis, LCSW Building and maintaining healthy habits is hard enough, add the stress of what our community is currently facing and establishing rituals that feel right seems almost impossible. However, now more than ever we need to have routine and healthy habits that ground us in the here and now. Here are a few…
Read MoreWhat Are You Doing Right Now to Manage Stress?
By Eric Dean JD MBA MA MA LPC CADC Distress is inevitable, so we need to find ways to manage it. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) gives us the acronym ACCEPTS to manage stress in healthy ways and use it to our advantage: Activities Participating in hobbies that you enjoy can help combat distress. Oftentimes, when…
Read MoreReclaiming the Term “Self-Care” and Discovering What It Means to You
In our society, the term “self-care” has become a phrase loosely thrown around by many who may not actually know what self-care truly encompasses. In a previous blog post titled, “What’s the Deal with Self-Care?” I discussed the 4 different types of self-care: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. After gaining a better understanding of the…
Read MoreTrauma in the Time of COVID
Mary-Lauren O’Crowley, NCC, MA When most of us think of trauma, our mind likely flashes to the most extreme circumstances, including war; however, many of us, whether knowingly or unknowingly, have experienced a traumatic event in our lifetime. Losing friends and family members, witnessing violence, incurring abuse, and living through a natural disaster are just…
Read MoreDepression and Anxiety In Adolescence
Mary-Lauren O’Crowley, MA, NCC Nearly 70%-80% of children who receive mental health services access these services through school-based programs; however, bullying, depression, anxiety, social isolation, peer victimization, and suicidal ideation are still rampant among high school adolescents. According to the World Health Organization, 16% of global disease for individuals aged 10-19 is attributable to mental…
Read More5 Things You May Not Know About Your Therapist
Mary-Lauren O’Crowley, NCC, MA Some people may find the idea of therapy a bit unsettling if they have never actually tried it. The idea that the client is expected to tell their life story to a complete stranger might make a person uncomfortable to say the least. Despite this initial awkwardness, many people will still…
Read MoreHow to Support Someone with Mental Illness
Mary-Lauren O’Crowley, MA, NCC The quotation, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about” carries more truth than most of us may comprehend. 1 in every 4 people will experience mental health issues over the course of their lifetime, which begs the question: how many people are then impacted…
Read MoreHow To Boost Your Mood During The Pandemic
Mary-Lauren O’Crowley, MA, NCC Since the start of the pandemic, many of us have found ourselves in the same cart as the roller coaster of emotions barrels rapidly and relentlessly through the air and back down to earth, over and over again, feeling an overwhelming sense of powerlessness to stop or even slow its course.…
Read MoreNature’s Connection to Emotional Well-Being
While the connection between nature and mental health may not be entirely shocking, just how strong the connection is, and how much of an impact nature has on emotional well-being can be enlightening to many individuals. While this concept may seem simple, there’s actually more to this process of connection than simply standing outside and…
Read More“Letting Go” Sounds Simple, But It May Not Be Easy
Jessica Pontis, LCSW Humans are innately social creatures, we depend on one another for interaction, support, and community. We live in intricate social structures that we must navigate day in and day out. Our relationships with one another, while rewarding, can also be complex. As a result of these complexities, we can feel hurt by…
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