Psychologist Chicago Archives

Have you ever felt depressed or anxious and asked yourself, “Why do I feel like this? This is uncomfortable. I don’t like this feeling, and I want to make it go away right now.” While many people do not enjoy the feeling of not being okay, it is important to reflect on the relevance it has on your mind and body. While society has been a little slow in keeping up with the importance of self-care and…

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling It’s Sunday afternoon and an intense feeling of dread may begin to overwhelm you. This anxiety is often accompanied by racing thoughts of what lies ahead in the work week and all the responsibilities that come with it. Some of these responsibilities include emails, meetings, deadlines, and late nights. Once the anxiety kicks in the rest of your night is then consumed with work-related stress leaving you feeling exhausted on…

Do you ever feel yourself feeling really low and having low self-esteem often? Have you ever felt unable to connect with people around you due to differences that you might experience? Have you been able to identify why you are feeling that way? Low-self esteem can manifest from many ventures in our lives, including experiences in our childhood, abuse, ill health, negative life events, disturbances in relationships, and of course many other aspects. When we are feeling…

Are you a sports fan? Do you feel connected to the players when watching sports on television or live? Do you feel happier after watching a game? How do you feel while getting ready to pick up a ball and grab a few friends and head to play some ball? How do you feel after throwing a ball around or hitting some balls? With the NBA Finals just ending, FIFA in progress, baseball in progress, football about…

I will never forget the day my mom reached out to me and told me that my younger brother had talked to his teacher for the first time. I was so excited and continued to ask her questions of how it happened. For many, this might not seem like something that warrants excitement, but for my family, this was a significant event. My brother was in fifth grade and he had been struggling with an anxiety disorder…

There are so many different aspects of your life where boundaries can be imperative to implement. These can be with a wide range of components including: your friends, family, significant other, profession, or even yourself. It is easy to fall into the trap of allowing other people to impose their boundaries on you. What is not as easy is to simply tell people “no,” especially if you identify as amiable or a people pleaser. But how do…

In the previous blog post (DBT Basics), I was able to explain the very basics of DBT. In this post, you will get a better understanding of 2 of the 4 modules (the other two were explained in “DBT Modules Explained (Modules 1 and 2) that are used when working with individuals or groups in a DBT scope. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, also known as DBT, was founded by Marsha Linehan, who is currently still teaching at the…

In the previous blog post (DBT Basics), I was able to explain the very basics of DBT. In this post, you will get a better understanding of 2 of the 4 modules that are used when working with individuals or groups in a DBT scope. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, also known as DBT, was founded by Marsha Linehan, who is currently still teaching at the University of Washington-Seattle. There is the Linehan Institution which offers DBT intensive training.…