mental health
Walking into therapy for the first time can feel like stepping into uncharted territory. You may not know what to expect, how much to share, or even where to start. Therapy is often portrayed as a space where the therapist does most of the guiding. The reality is that the strongest outcomes come when clients actively participate. Knowing how to communicate with your therapist gives you the know-how to shape your own experience. Your words, thoughts, and…
Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Intimate relationships can bring so much light and happiness into our lives, but when they are unhealthy or come to an end, you may feel alone and empty. A quick fix that comes to mind when the relationship causes you to feel this way may be to invest a new love interest. Although going from one relationship to the next may bring you temporary love, excitement, and happiness, is it actually…
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Communicating with your doctor, whether they be a psychiatrist, a primary care physician, or a specialist, can be difficult in this fast-paced health care climate. Nirmal Joshi, chief medical officer of PinnacleHealth, reported that patients’ chances of having their doctor’s undivided attention have decreased due to increased documentation requirements. Doctors are now expected to record and keep track of more information than ever before, and they are rarely given additional time to…
It’s that time of the weekend again. It’s early Sunday evening and all of the sudden you realize the weekend with your friends flew by, and tomorrow is already Monday morning and back to work! You had so much fun meeting up with friends and catching up on your favorite Netflix series, but the dread of knowing you will be back to check all the unanswered emails starts to cause you some nervousness and anxiety. You’re having…
Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and it happens to fall on a Saturday this year. Saint Patrick’s Day in Chicago can be a fun event to be part of as the city brings everyone together turning the river green and playing Irish music at the local restaurants. It can also be a holiday heavily focused on drinking copious amounts of alcohol. While some may consider themselves to be social drinkers and can enjoy having…
Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Imagine living in a world where you might be killed by a carnivorous wild animal at any moment. Only people who are hyperaware of danger and able to act quickly are likely to survive. This was the life lived by all our ancestors long ago, and they survived with the help of their primitive automatic responses to fear— to run away, to counterattack, to keep very still and escape notice. As human…
Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling In today’s society, the pressure for young adults to be “perfect” seems to be far greater than ever before. With social media so heavily present in our lives, it is easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others or wondering how others perceive us. Many people begin to wonder if they are pretty enough, successful enough, smart enough, fit enough, or “liked” enough in the eyes of others.…
Anne Brennan Malec, PsyD, LMFT, Financial Therapist, Owner, Symmetry Counseling As therapists, we frequently work with clients who engage in a lot of negative thinking patterns. Part of providing clients with cognitive behavioral therapy is to help them deconstruct these patterns and begin to look at events more realistically. Listed below are some negative thinking traps that can befall all of us from time to time. Are you guilty of engaging in any of the following negative…
Having trouble maintaining your New Year’s resolutions? Once all of the holiday festivities slow down, it can be tricky to settle down to maintain those intentions. It’s easy to throw out all of your goals and kind of get into a “funk,” and getting into this “funk” can make it easy to fall into old poor habits. Returning back to old bad habits from 2017 can make it challenging to keep up with your goals for 2018.…
As parents, loved ones, and caregivers, there is the natural desire to protect children. When difficult life events happen, such as the death of a family member, friend, pet, or peer finding the words to explain death to a child can be difficult. Of course, this is a difficult topic for adults, as well. So, what do you share with your children? First, you may wonder if your child is aware that someone important has died. The…
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