Therapy Chicago
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Are you experiencing stress? If so, it’s important to know which type of stress you’re dealing with. The term stress is often used as a catchall phrase for any negative internal response to external stimuli. However, there are different kinds of stress. The APA (American Psychological Association) reports that there are three different types of stress: acute, episodic, and chronic. Each type of stress impacts you in different ways, so it’s important to…
Read MoreWithout sometimes recognizing it, we self-identity ourselves daily. The clothes we choose to wear, the make-up, the glasses, hats, shoes, hairstyle, body piercings, tattoos, etc., are all ways that we choose to self-identify ourselves on the outside for others to see. Internally, we identity our self through our religion, culture, self-esteem, emotions, etc. We have ways to self-identity ourselves in the public self and in the private self. How do we differentiate between both of those? Aspects…
Read MoreMadissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Have you ever found yourself saying, “It’s fine” to someone when they did or said something that was not fine to you? In today’s world, the team player gets hired, the nice person gets invited to the party, and the extra work gets put onto the person who doesn’t say “no”. The term agreeable is used to define those who are warm, friendly, and easy going. It may appear that…
Read MoreEvery person has some degree of self-esteem, whether it is low self-esteem or high self-esteem. Self-esteem is one’s own awareness of their worth, and how they value and perceive themselves. Our self-esteem lies on a spectrum, and it can fluctuate throughout our lifetime. Different factors influence one’s perception of self, such as family life, relationships, career status, strengths, abilities, talents, financial status, grieving and loss, trauma, and life transitions. So how do you know where your self-esteem…
Read MoreFrom an early age, many of us have experienced the essence of structure and routine through what our caregivers outlined for our day-to-day schedules. This provided us with an understanding of what our essential tasks were, where we had to be and at what time, and it gave us a sense of stability and security — knowing what could be expected for the day. As adults, it is our responsibility to create and maintain our own structure…
Read MoreI work with many clients who not only have stressful jobs, stressful personal lives, but that incredibly one stressful coworker. I have several clients who often discuss a stressful coworker or theirs. As their clinical therapist, my job is to help the clients to cope with this particular frustrating coworker. We talk about reasons why the coworker frustrates them, and then what things they can and cannot do to change the environment in regards to this coworker.…
Read MoreAndrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC When we fall victim to our anxieties, we frequently neglect to identify the source of our fear. This hinders our ability to put any consequences into rational perspective. This is a blog on how to identify the source of our anxieties, and how to manage our thoughts and feelings by using Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). What is REBT? Here is a quick refresher on REBT (though you can also see my previous…
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I work with many clients who are struggling to practice resilience after experiencing an event that was stressful at their job or perhaps even a traumatic event in their personal or professional life. As their clinical therapist, I help them find ways to cope with this life transition. Some clients also truly struggle with the concept of finding time just for themselves by actively participating in self-care. I help them to discover the reasons why they are…
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Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR When you see an animal board the cabin of a plane or walk into a public building with a “no pet” policy, you know that this animal is special. They are not your average pet, but what do you call them? Are they a therapy animal, a service animal, or an emotional support animal? These statuses can be confusing, and with an increased number of animals being identified it’s important to know the…
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse that occurs in many relationships and can unfortunately be difficult to detect. Experts in the field have formally defined the term, gaslighting, as a manipulation tactic used on another individual to make them question their own sanity as a means to gain power or control. They will always test your trust, make you question yourself, and try to make you believe others aren’t…
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