mental health
By Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC “I hate my job.” So often have I heard this statement from folks. Usually, this awareness did not happen last week, but has been lingering for some time, maybe years. Please do not lose hope: there may be ways to improve your satisfaction with your current job. If that does not work, you have options: switch jobs, find a new career, work for a new company, move to…
Read MoreBy Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC There are numerous reasons why we may find ourselves getting involved in unhealthy romantic relationships or with unhealthy partners. A common reason is that we lack examples of what a healthy relationship looks like. Throughout our lives, starting in childhood we have observed many examples of unhealthy relationships and dynamics, but not much else. Thus, we have a strong familiarity with unhealthy relationships and limited exposure to healthy…
Read MoreBy Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC You have assessed your current situation and determined that you are depleted, maybe even burned out. First, know that you are not alone. But now what? A next step could be to identify practices and activities that you can add to your life to make you feel better. While this is logical and important to do, a better starting point is to identify current unhealthy behaviors that can…
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Matthew Cuddeback LCSW One of the most common difficulties that clients bring up is just a general low mood, maybe you call it being in a funk, maybe sadness, maybe depression. Whatever you want to call it, people often report just not feeling very happy for an extended period and of course are looking for an answer for how to feel better. First it is okay to feel sad and not feel great all the time, it…
Read MoreBy Eve Brownstone, LCPC “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley All my life I have found magic, healing, and fun in water whether in Lake Michigan, a pool at a JCC, or the shore of the Mediterranean. The first time I remember swimming was four years old at a pool at a YMCA in Hyde Park. I was hooked. Many of us live in Chicago to live close…
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Megan Mulroy, LPC Intrusive thoughts are characterized by unwanted thoughts that pop up, cause distress, and get stuck in your mind. Often times these thoughts can be violent, sexual, disturbing, or something deemed as unacceptable by society. These thoughts can be really scary and produce a lot of anxiety for people who experience them. Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts- it is so normal to have passing thoughts of rear ending the car in front of you or stealing…
Read MoreWritten by Kara Thompson, Licensed Social Worker When exploring the concept of trauma bonds, it is helpful to start by understanding attachment. Attachment theorist John Bowlby defines attachment as the “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” While much of Bowlby’s work surrounded the attachment between child and caregiver, so much of his work influences what we know about connectedness in all nuanced relationships in our lives… even unhealthy romantic partnerships. When we experience a strong, intense emotional…
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By: Danielle Bertini, LPC Have you ever heard of, or even experienced, the word FOMO (fear of missing out)? If you have, it was probably used casually in a day-to-day conversation. “If I don’t go to that dinner, I’m going to have real FOMO.” However, behind the seemingly innocent acronym hides a darker reality. FOMO can cause significant distress, as it can cause people to live their lives through the filters of what other people are doing.…
Read MoreMeg Mulroy, LPC Self-compassion is defined by treating yourself the way you would treat a friend or a loved one who is having a hard time. For a lot of folks, it is easier to give others compassion than it is to give it to ourselves. For more reading on how to speak and act more compassionately in your life, I highly recommend reading Amanda Ann Gregory’s, LCPC recent blog about ways in which you can work…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Often many people are intimated by meditation and think that they “can’t do it.” My hope with this blog is to provide you with an approachable and easy way to do a body scan meditation, with the main goal of relieving stress and tension. It can be difficult to self-facilitate this exercise, so there is an audio version of this blog that you can listen to carry out the meditation at…
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