Online Counseling Chicago
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 simple ways to get started in building a healthy habit that will last far longer than this pandemic. Start Small Beginning to…
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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 we are overwhelmed, we become uninterested in activities we typically enjoy. In these situations, it is key to not wait until you…
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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 different ways self-care can show up in our daily lives, we can then begin defining what self-care means to us and how…
Read MoreBy: Danielle Bertini, LPC I want to premise this article by stating that anger is not necessarily a “bad” emotion. No emotions are inherently “bad.” We all get angry at times! We’re human. Anger is there for a reason. However, some people are more prone to rage more often than others. And sometimes we need a bit of help in handling it. One of the issues that can come with the emotion of anger is that we…
Read MoreSteven Topper LCPC In a world more and more derided and vitriolic, it can be important to reflect on and assess how this impacts us interpersonally. For many of us, the combination of pandemic changes and social disorder has led to increased anger and frustration, often without somewhere to direct this anger. For so many people, anger hasn’t been an issue until recently, when so many aspects of our lives have been taken from our control. Yet…
Read MoreBridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC You may have read part one to this blog series, which was titled “Present Over Perfect, Part I: How Is Therapy Similar to Vinegar?” which discussed the similarities between therapy and vinegar, and the many benefits the therapeutic relationship can bring to someone’s life. This blog continues to share some of Shauna Niequist’s ideas and concepts from her book, Present Over Perfect that are worth living by. Stillness As we rush through…
Read MoreI work with many clients who struggle with stress and anxiety. Many times, clients are looking for ways to better manage their stress. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) there is a difference between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses. Stress is typically caused by a trigger and has a short-term affect; whereas anxiety is persistent worry that doesn’t go away even with the lack of stressor. Either way, stress and anxiety are both challenging…
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I work with many clients who are truly starting to struggle with their work transition of working from home 100% of the time due to the current global pandemic. Some clients of mine were working remotely prior the pandemic, and they too are struggling due to most of their shared office spaces/coffee shops are currently closed. One of my jobs as their clinician is to help the client understand some warning signs that they could be burning…
Read MoreI work with many clients who are struggling with connecting with others due to many interactions have become virtual since March, especially with coworkers. With this lack of social connection, I have definitely seen an increase in depression in my clients as many times loneliness and depression can go hand in hand. One of my jobs as my clients’ clinician is to better help them find creative ways to connect with others, especially while in this pandemic.…
Read MoreThere are two very different trains of thought that can come when thinking about winter. The first are thoughts of holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, time with family, eating delicious foods, participating in traditions, and making joyous and happy memories. The other, less desirable train of thought includes shortened days, less hours of sunlight and more darkness, cold weather, less opportunities to go outside or painful memories of past holidays that didn’t go the way you had…
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