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Is Your Goal Too Big?

January 11, 2020
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Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW When working in the field of mental health, we often utilize SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based. The reason we do this (as in many fields) is because we often have a great idea and a great goal and can’t wait to get there. However, it can be incredibly easy to get side-tracked, lose sight, or feel overwhelmed, when we have something big we want to accomplish…

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How to Stop Buying So Much Stuff

January 9, 2020
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If pressed, many of us would admit that we buy too much stuff and end up with a house full of things we don’t really need.  The phrase “retail therapy” points to why this can happen – shopping for things gives us a temporary ping of satisfaction and makes us feel good, like we imagine therapy will or should.  (Of course, we later realize that this is a temporary high, so we go seeking it again and…

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A New Time Management System

January 7, 2020
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Cal Newport is a professor at Georgetown University and author who writes about academic and professional success, technology, minimalism, culture, and the intersection of these topics.  In his 2007 book How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less, Newport outlines a useful time management system.  Not only is it applicable to the general public (it’s not just useful for young college students), it’s flexible and focuses…

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The Impact of Parental Conflict: Tips for Managing & Decreasing It

January 1, 2020
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Parental conflict in the home can be very taxing on children. For any child that has two parents/caregivers in the home, their only wish is that they get along and that there be no arguing or conflict between them. Of course, being a parent while also sustaining a partnership is no easy feat. It’s normal to become overwhelmed in life and have relational issues with your partner while managing a household and kids. If you have children…

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It’s Okay to Have Anxiety — You’re Not Alone (Part One)

December 30, 2019
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I work with many clients who are struggling with anxiety and/or depression. My job as their clinical therapist is to help the client understand possible reasons/triggers for their anxiety and possible coping mechanisms for it. Some clients have no idea if they have anxiety, but they know they are feeling burned out from their personal and/or professional life. They have simply had enough and need guidance on coping. I recently read an article from Fast Company, that…

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The Money Messages You Send to Your Children

December 29, 2019
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I remember being a child and constantly hearing my parents talk about saving money. When I reached first grade and we learned how to count a dollar with quarters, I remember thinking that I wanted to save my quarters rather than buying gumballs like my friends. I say this to highlight the point that young children are learning/hearing messages about money every day whether that is intentional parenting or not. So think, what money messages do you…

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Dealing With Everyday Stress

December 27, 2019
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In today’s world, stress has become a chronic condition many of us struggle with. With how fast paced our lives are and the exposure we have to social media and the news, it’s no wonder this is becoming a growing issue. When we feel stressed or hear others say they’re feeling stressed what exactly does this mean? Stress is when your body feels an external threat and as a result enters “fight or flight” mode. “Fight or…

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Sleep Improves Mental Health

December 24, 2019
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Paula Gonzalez MA, LPC Did you know that sleep impacts not only your physical health but your mental health as well? Most of us have experienced the symptoms of lack sleep, such as red burning eyes, headaches, feeling sluggish, reduction of coordinated, increased clumsiness and poor balance. But the lack of quality sleep on mental health are of interest and the focus of this blog. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the amount of sleep the average…

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Alternatives to the Question “How Are You?”

December 19, 2019
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Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified “How are you?” “I’m fine.” “Are you really fine?” “No, but that’s not what you want to hear.” Do you truly want to know about someone’s well-being? If so, the question “how are you?” may not be the best option. The question “how are you?” tends to invite responses that are short, inaccurate, superficial, and polite. If that’s not want you want, then you might consider a few alternatives. I came…

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The Truth About Millennials Having Kids Later in Life

December 16, 2019
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Danielle Bertini Millennials have been a hot button topic recently. Comparisons of the “older” generation versus the “younger” generation have been rampant in all aspects of life. It’s no secret that older generations reached family-planning milestones much earlier than Millennials. Getting married and having babies in one’s twenties was once the norm, and now that is no longer the case. Research has found that between 2007 and 2012, birth rates among women in their twenties declined more…

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