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Setting Boundaries with Workplace Friendships

July 6, 2020

By: Danielle Bertini, LPC When you spend most of your week with the same people, you’re bound to form bonds with some of them — which is great! It’s nice to have co-workers who support your goals and inspire you. However, the line between colleagues and friends can often blur. Overstepping boundaries with people at work can cause tension, miscommunication, and distractions. Business News Daily Editor (2020) offers tips to properly and professionally manage your friendships in…

Pulling Yourself Up When Feeling Down

July 4, 2020

Despite our best efforts to maintain stable positivity in our lives, we will inevitably find ourselves feeling down at some point in our lives. Whether this is a feeling of sadness or just feeling overall “blah”, we all know what it’s like to feel stuck in a funk we just can’t get out of. This feeling can be caused by negative events happening in your life, feeling overwhelmed, or the feeling can just come out of nowhere.…

Overwhelmed by Negative Thoughts? Here Are Some Tips 

July 2, 2020

By Hannah Hopper, LPC When you’re cooped up indoors, isolated, and unable to keep up with your typical routine, it’s a prime environment for negative thoughts to start spiraling. There are lots of different approaches to curbing negative thoughts, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all quick fix. It takes effort and lots of time to retrain your brain, because chances are good that it took your brain a while to learn these negative thought patterns too. But below…

Could I have postpartum depression? If I do, how do I treat it? Part 2

June 30, 2020

If you read my last blog post, “Could I have postpartum depression? If I do, how do I treat it? Part 1”, referencing The New York Times article, “Postpartum depression can be dangerous. Here’s how to recognize it and seek treatment” by author Tara Haelle, you may be wondering about the additional symptoms of postpartum depression as well as the appropriate next steps to take if you do have it. Below are the remaining key points from…

Giving Too Much of Yourself?

June 28, 2020

Kaitlin Broderick, LCPC We grow as people by getting outside of ourselves and being able to think of and help others. Some people even say this is a necessary component of finding happiness. However, how do you know when you are giving too much of yourself and neglecting the one person you need to take care of the most (yourself?) The following guidelines can help you in becoming a “successful giver”, someone who thinks of others while…

Decision Fatigue: What Is It and How to Manage It

June 26, 2020

Megan Mulroy, LPC  We make a lot of decisions every day. We make simple decisions like what shirt to wear, and we also make more complex decisions like to stay or leave a relationship. You may have a job where you make a lot of decisions, and people may even depend on you to make important decisions. Sometimes there are so many options that make deciding something so hard! Think about the number of times you may…

Catastrophizing During Corona: A Three-Pronged Approach, Pt. 1

June 24, 2020

By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC This is a two-part blog series that breaks down how to effectively combat the negative habit of catastrophizing into small and realistic steps. Check out my next blog post to put all of the pieces together. Here goes part one!  Are you a catastrophizer and would like the ability to think more positively? More than ever, many people are practicing catastrophizing with all of the unknown we are facing amidst this…

Accepting the Tough Stuff: What To Do With Distressing Emotions

June 20, 2020

Steven Topper, LCPC In her article on acceptance-based strategies and their long-term outcomes, Lila MacLellan asserts that the path to psychological well being is tied directly to acceptance. This may be something that has long been in the zeitgeist of Eastern cultures, as we can often cite ancient poets (MacLellan cites Rumi’s poem “The Guest House”, see below) for their depth of understanding around acceptance. Yet it’s mostly evaded our Western culture for a few notable reasons.…

Your Stress Response

June 16, 2020

Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC Stress is universal: everyone at some point in their lives will experience it. Stress can stem from work, relationships, anxiety or pretty much anything. In fact, stress can happen without a direct cause, or stimulus. Stress, understandably, has a negative connotation. However, it is not always a bad thing to be stressed in certain situations. A moderate amount of stress is beneficial to athletic and academic performance, for example.…

Asserting Needs

June 14, 2020

Danielle Bertini, LPC It can be hard expressing needs directly to someone, especially when our wishes aren’t aligned with the other person’s. Asking for what we need is the principle behind assertiveness (Gillihan, 2018). Being assertive often gets confused with being aggressive, as if being assertive means demanding that others give you what you want. However, according to Alberti and Emmons, being assertive actually falls between being passive or being aggressive. It’s a fine line to walk,…