Live Better. Love Better. Work Better.

Therapy Chicago

Categories

Nervous About Taking the Plunge?: What to Know Before Starting Therapy

September 1, 2019

Therapy is a complex journey that you may have been wondering about whether or not you want to embark on. If you have never gone to therapy but are thinking about taking the plunge, it may be helpful to do some research and have an idea of what the process may look like. Therapy is not a “one size fits all” type of experience. Like you, your therapy experience will be unique – it will be tailored…

Read More

We All Make Mistakes and That’s Okay

August 30, 2019

I work with many clients who make mistakes who then ruminate over the mistake session after session. My job as their clinical therapist is to help the client understand reasons why they made the mistake, understand why they are still ruminating over the mistake, and understand possible coping skills to move on from the mistake. I also gently remind them that everyone makes mistakes, myself included. I recently read an article from The New York Times that…

Read More

5 Simple Ways to Have a Calmer Morning with the Kids Going Back to School

August 30, 2019

I work with many clients who are parents to younger children. Now that the summer is coming to an end, many parents are feeling the back to school chaos of balancing their morning with getting themselves to work and their children to school. My job as their clinical therapist is to provide a sense of sympathy and validation that balancing the chaos of their children and their job can be incredibly overwhelming. I then also attempt to…

Read More

Lying to Your Therapist

August 29, 2019

Shannon M. Duffy, MFT, LCPC As a therapist I want to provide a safe place for every individual to feel they can be open and honest as they begin therapy and throughout the process. I am fond of the phrase, “these are four non-judgmental walls” within my office to provide my client’s reassurance. However, many individuals choose to withhold the truth or alter the severity of their concerns within therapy. This is common practice and many times…

Read More

Procrastination: Why We Do It and How to Stop

August 29, 2019

I work with many clients who struggle with procrastination. My job as their clinical therapist is to help them understand possible reasons why they are procrastinating things in their life, whether it is in their professional or personal life. Once we figure out why they are procrastinating things, I then help provide possible coping skills to help them with their procrastination tendencies. I recently read an article from FastCompany that touched on this very topic, “Procrastination is…

Read More

How to Beat the Job-Searching Blues

August 25, 2019

When it comes to our jobs, we are going to experience a wide range of situations and emotions as long as we are in the work force. You may have a job or career that you love, or you may have a job that you are feeling unfulfilled by. And of course, there’s a wide range of situations and experiences in between. If you are in the work force, you may even experience a point in time…

Read More

5 Rational Steps to Anger Management

August 23, 2019

Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC Many of us believe that we are controlled by our anger and that we cannot manage it. It may feel very real in the moment, but our anger can certainly be managed. This is accomplished by identifying, disputing, and improving our self-talk from irrational to rational in five simple steps: Identify Your Anger It may seem obvious, but the first step to managing our anger is recognizing when we are angry. Physical symptoms…

Read More

Shifting From Short Term Solutions to Long Term Meaning

August 21, 2019

Steven Topper, LCPC Many people come into therapy looking for a quick fix. If I could just communicate with my partner more clearly, if I could just make my boss understand I’m doing my job well, If I could just defeat this sadness. We think that if we can be given solutions to these problems, that we will be free to go about our lives with much less discomfort. When people look a little closer at their…

Read More

As Seasons Change, Take the Bold Path

August 20, 2019

Steven Topper, LCPC As we move toward the end of Summer, so many of us look back on the past few months and think: I wish I could bottle that up. Doesn’t it seem like there’s so much to do during those precious few beautiful months? Outdoors, socializing, exploration – it can feel like the city opens up in unique ways for a few months. And then we turn ahead with worry, here we go again, winter.…

Read More

How to Cope with Loneliness: Volunteering

August 20, 2019

I work with many clients who are struggling with depression related to a number of factors. Often times, I have noticed that clients who are struggling with depression also tend to discuss they feel lonely. As their clinical therapist, I help clients understand possible reasons why they are experiencing loneliness and then possible coping strategies to beat this lonely feeling. I recently read an article from Scientific American that touched on this very topic, “A Solution for…

Read More