Your Emotional Life
Understanding the role emotions play in our mental health is a key component of overall wellness. We generally classify feelings into two main categories of “primary and secondary emotions.” In counseling, a therapist will explore these emotional layers to help a client understand why they are experiencing specific emotions, how and where they feel them in their body, and ways to relate to their emotions so that they don’t hijack a situation. But what exactly are emotions, and how do they influence our actions?
A Beginners Guide to Mental Health
I often have clients who come to their first counseling appointment trying to understand what specific help I provide and have questions related to the terms and titles that make up our mental health lingo. Does a counselor prescribe medications? Why do I need a diagnosis? How do you know what kind of therapy is best for your situation?
Making Connections in the Modern World
To make meaningful connections with others, it takes effort and energy. Relationships thrive when we approach them with thoughtfulness and a willingness to make another person feel seen and heard. With time, attention, and practice, you can increase meaningful social connections in the modern world.
The Anxiety Loop: How to tell the difference between productive stress vs. toxic anxiety
Anxiety-even the word can make your heart pound! Right now we are living in a time when the collective “felt sense” of anxiety is almost constant. Identifying the difference between healthy stress and problematic anxiety is important because our society has a collective mindset that negative emotions must be avoided, and this in itself has created a lot of anxiety about having anxiety.
Address the Holiday Stress
Tis the season for festivities and joy…but let's not overlook that for many, this time of year can be especially challenging. Along with warm white lights and the merriment of Christmas music, for some, the holiday season brings added social pressures and activities, uncomfortable family dynamics, and financial strain.
Navigating the Seasonal Shift
The transition from summer to winter is a natural part of the yearly cycle, but it can have a significant impact on mental health. By acknowledging the challenges and taking proactive steps to care for ourselves, this transition can become a time of restoration for the mind, body, and spirit.
Preparing for Re-entry: The Next Stage of the Pandemic.
With the country beginning to open up services, many people are struggling with how to go about re-entering social situations. The decision-making process can feel overwhelming especially with so much uncertainty about health and safety in public spaces. Quarantine and isolation have definitely increased mental health challenges for many people….
What is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that...
The Basics of Telehealth Counseling
Seasonal changes can disrupt daily routines, reduce exposure to natural light, and affect circadian rhythms, potentially leading to increased feelings of sadness and fatigue.
EMDR Goes Public
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. It has been extensively researched and shown effective for the treatment of a variety of different diagnoses including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, adjustment disorders, and phobias.
Change for the Better: The Role of Listening in the Counseling Environment
Listening doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Many of us seem to talk endlessly throughout the day with no difficulty and gravitate towards others who are boisterous or fun. Our leaders talk loudly via microphone a mile-a-minute and we sometimes come home to watch hours of television that often spouts opinions as fact and can make statements boldly, giving us information and sensory input for as long as we care to keep it on….
2020 Vision for Wellness
he most common time that people pause to reflect on the patterns in their life that promote wellness is the start of a new year. Whether you are an optimist that leans toward the possibilities of positive change, or someone who tends to view life with a pessimistic reality, here are four areas of focus that can help you move toward improved mental wellness…