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The Balancing Act: Achieving Work-Life Balance

July 14, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Maintaining a balance between the expectations of your career and your home life is no easy task. Many times, a poor work-life balance can result in you getting burnt out in your career or feeling like your work life is carrying over into your home life. For example, stressful work situations or encounters throughout your day can still affect you at home, as you may feel anxious, depressed, stressed, and…

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What to Tell Yourself during a Panic Attack

July 10, 2018

Amana Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner I’m going to die. I’m helpless. I’m going crazy. Certain thoughts commonly reoccur during panic attacks. But they’re simply untrue, and the best way to fight them is with the truth. Panic attacks are often misunderstood. Many people believe that panic attacks are short bursts of anxiety or stress that can be easily calmed or avoided. The common reproach “You gave me a panic attack!” implies that these experiences are situational. That’s…

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Anne Malec Featured in The New York Times

July 9, 2018

At Symmetry Counseling, we understand how difficult it can be for engaged couples to consider prenuptial agreements. No one wants to think about divorce before you even get married; it might even feel like you are “jinxing” it if you do. As difficult as it can be, it is worth the effort to protect you and your family. This is one of many topics we can cover in premarital counseling. While many couples struggle to bring it up, there…

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Manage Your Anxiety with Grounding Techniques

July 8, 2018

Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace. — Steve Goodier Anxiety is a stormy road that can leave you disoriented, distracted, and even physically or emotionally detached. Grounding is an approach to manage anxiety by helping you to focus on the present moment. When you are focused, it is more difficult to continue to feel anxious, as your mind must choose between experiencing anxiety and being…

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What is REBT? It's as Simple as ABC!

July 5, 2018

Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC, Symmetry Counseling Chicago Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) is a therapeutic discipline developed by Dr. Albert Ellis in 1956 that focuses on identifying and disputing irrational beliefs. Its basis can be summed up by the Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus, who said, “Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.” The main tools of REBT are the ABC’s: A is the Activating Event, or more…

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Four Ways to Maintain Positivity In Your Life

July 3, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling With all the negativity in the world today, it can be difficult to maintain a positive attitude on a daily basis. Constantly being faced with life’s challenges, negative attitudes, and bad circumstances can often leave you feeling in a bad mood overall. Over time, these bad days can turn into you feeling disappointed, depressed, stressed, and anxious for months or even years. While it is cliche, a positive mindset can…

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Your Worst Critic: Yourself

July 1, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Think about what you say to yourself when you are feeling down: “You aren’t pretty enough”, “You aren’t important”, “You are a screw-up”. These are just a few of many thoughts that you may say to yourself when you are in this mindset. Now take a second and ask yourself if you would say these things to a friend or family member. The answer is most likely an “of course…

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How to Talk to Your Teen About Porn

June 28, 2018

We live in a culture where pornography is easily accessible, but not easily discussed. Anyone, including teens, who has access to the internet can easily access pornographic content. What sex therapists and educators are learning is that most people report that their sex education came from porn. Many schools in our country legally do not need to provide comprehensive sex education in classes, which leaves kids and teens feeling confused and ashamed when they want to start…

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Breaking Up With A Friend

June 25, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling As you move through the stages of life, there may be friends you just seem to have outgrown. These are the friends who hurt you, make you feel bad about yourself, constantly complain, only talk about themselves, bring you down, or consume too much of your time and energy. While you may be aware this friend is not healthy for you the most difficult part of wanting to break up…

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Seek Help (Even If You Don’t Think You Need It)

June 25, 2018

Have you ever felt so out of control with your own emotions, actions, or thoughts and never had anyone to turn to express your actions, thoughts, or emotions? Have you ever felt alone? Scared? Lonely? Sad? Overly excited? Lack of interest in almost anything? You are not alone in feeling any of these emotions, and many more emotions. Seeking help is completely okay and can help you in many ways (definitely more than you can think about).…

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