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Holding Healthy Boundaries with Family

December 3, 2019
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Hannah Hopper Many of my clients come into counseling frustrated with family relationships and feeling that they were pushed into agreeing to too much, feeling like they could not ask for what they needed, being unable to say “no” to certain requests from family members, or having trouble staying calm and in control of their emotions when family starts to get under their skin. Whether it is the family you grew up with or your extended family…

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Self-Care for Therapists: Part II

November 27, 2019
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In my previous post, I reflected the necessity of maintaining healthy self-care habits for clinicians. Establishing a healthy work-life balance is beneficial to your home relationships, as well as your clients. I have provided a few tips as a way to help incorporate self-care techniques into your lives (this is beneficial for you readers who are not clinicians as well!): Be Mindful: Take time for yourself to understand what self-care activities work for you. Be mindful of…

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Early Discovery of Infidelity: Part 3, The Unfaithful Partner

November 21, 2019
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This is the third part of a 3-part blog series about the immediate aftermath of both partners in a relationship learning about one partner’s infidelity. This blog, which focuses on the specific experiences of the unfaithful partner, follows considerations for the couple in coping in the immediate aftermath of infidelity and a blog focusing on the hurt partner. While the unfaithful partner is likely experiencing fewer losses at this stage than the hurt partner, the unfaithful partner…

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Early Discovery of Infidelity: Part 2, The Hurt Partner

November 19, 2019
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This is the second part of a 3-part blog series about the immediate aftermath of both partners in a relationship learning about one partner’s infidelity. This blog, which focuses on the specific experiences of the hurt partner, follows considerations for the couple in coping with infidelity and precedes a blog focusing on the unfaithful partner. The hurt partner – the partner who learns of their partner’s infidelity – is likely to struggle more intensely immediately after the…

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Early Discovery of Infidelity: Part 1, The Couple

November 17, 2019
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This is the first part of a 3-part blog series about the immediate aftermath of both partners in a relationship learning about one partner’s infidelity. This blog will focus on how to cope in the immediate aftermath with considerations for the couple, and the next 2 blogs will focus on the more specific experiences of the hurt partner and the unfaithful partner. There is almost nothing more devastating to the livelihood of a couple than the disclosure…

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The Importance of Emotional Movement

November 13, 2019
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Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW Winston Churchill said “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” This quote stuck with me long after I heard it, it is incredibly profound for many different reasons. Churchill was saying this, as a rousing orator, to motivate the British people during the second World War. However, I find that it is also incredibly impactful for when we are waging our own internal wars as a guide for how to see our way through…

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The Relationship Between Optimism and Longevity

November 11, 2019
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Danielle Bertini According to a decades-long study that was published August 26, 2019, men and women with greater optimistic tend to live longer than their pessimistic peers. The research identifies a strong correlation between optimistic and “exceptional longevity,” which is described as living to age 85 or older (Bergland, 2019). So what is an optimist? And would you consider yourself one? Generally, optimists tend to look on the bright side of things and have positive expectations about…

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How Can the Seasons Affect Our Mood?

November 3, 2019
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I hate to say it, but winter is coming. If you saw our Instagram post from Symmetry Counseling on November 1, 2019, 95% of Symmetry Counselors prefer fall over winter! Do you prefer fall or winter? What is your favorite season? With us having our first snow just a few weeks, on Halloween, we can only prepare for more snow and cold-at least in the Chicagoland area. Unfortunately, the cold lasts a few months, and it actualy…

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Healthy Ways to Manage Anger

October 30, 2019
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Inevitably we all get angry sometimes. We are human after all. But what happens with this feeling of anger decides to stick around longer than usual or becomes part of our day-to-day emotions? Feeling angry is extremely uncomfortable and our first instinct is typically to do what we can to take the anger away as quickly as possible. While drinking or engaging in drug use does not take away the anger, it numbs it, which can lead…

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How to Use Your Commute to Your Advantage

October 26, 2019
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Matthew Cuddeback, LCSW When living in a major metropolitan area it is unfortunately a part of our lives that we will have some sort of lengthy commute. This time spent commuting can not only be frustrating, but also easily squandered, it is all too easy to be sitting on the train ruminating about something that annoyed you at work, maybe reading work emails, or just scrolling through things that are unhealthy for you mentally and emotionally, on…

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