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cognitive behavioral therapy

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Is It Time to Change Your Holiday Traditions?

November 4, 2018

With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us are already beginning to plan our get-togethers with family and friends. For this reason, sometimes “the most wonderful time of the year” often is also the most stressful time of the year. If you are in charge of the family and social calendar in your household and you feel mounting pressure around the holidays, it may be worthwhile to evaluate and change some of your holiday traditions. When is…

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Do you Suffer from Seasonal Depression?

November 2, 2018

Many people have heard of the condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), characterized by a depressed mood that onsets in fall and winter. SAD is not (any longer) a distinct diagnosis, but is now a commonly used term to describe a very real condition, depression with a seasonal pattern. Winter is the most common season for this, so with fall upon us and winter quickly approaching, perhaps it is helpful to take a closer look at what…

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6 Ways to Help Your Kids Become Independent Decision-Makers

October 30, 2018

I work with many clients who struggle with making tough decisions in their daily routines, whether it is something as simple as choosing between bananas or apples at the grocery store, or something as big as a significant career change. When working with these clients, I use a bit of psychodynamic theory, asking them about their childhood and how they made decisions when they were younger. Many times, they report that their parents tried to make decisions…

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Embracing The Single Life

October 28, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling We tend to grow up believing our fairy tale, other half, or soulmate is going to come into our lives exactly when we want them to. The truth is, we don’t know when someone special is going to enter our lives. For many of us, there will be a lot of swiping, bad dates, heartbreak, and rejection before we find a strong connection with someone. This means that you could…

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“Genie, You are Free": Ways to Help a Loved One Get Help

October 24, 2018

The recent mural to honor the Late Robin Williams in Chicago has made news, and of course, many emotions. This has been bringing back memories of  his cause of death, along with other celebrities who passed in 2018 due to suicide. Often, we have friends or family members who are going through a difficult time (or even ourselves), and this can lead to thoughts of suicide. It’s important to recognize the signs of someone who is struggling,…

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9 Negative Thinking Patterns and How to Stop Them

October 20, 2018

I work with many clients who struggle with their anxiety. To assess where the client’s anxiety is stemming from, I help them track their thinking patterns, which can allow the client to start changing those patterns. Doing these types of thought exercises can change their emotions, feelings, and actions; this type of intervention is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It takes a lot of practice to change thinking patterns, and you need to start tapping into your…

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Avoid the Four Horsemen

October 18, 2018

We may have all heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, death, famine, war, and conquest; however, have you heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for communication? According to Dr. John Gottman, the Four Horsemen are Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling. He labeled these communication styles as the Four Horsemen, because research was able to predict the end of a relationship when these styles were being used in communication. As a therapist, I see…

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How to Strengthen Bonds with Your Chosen Family

October 16, 2018

Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Blood is thicker than water. This familiar proverb might not mean what you think. It may not refer to the strength of genetic family ties but to the power of the bonds we forge with those outside our biological family. Some believe that the phrase “Blood is thicker than water” originated from the saying “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” which conveys that those who…

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Adulting: The Secret to Success is Becoming Your Own Parent

October 14, 2018

Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Do you sometimes feel that you need an active parent in your life even though you’re already an adult? The ability to take care of oneself as an adult, commonly called adulting, can be difficult to learn and even harder to achieve consistently. But it is required in order to live independently. You can succeed at adulting by learning to act as your own parent. First, think of yourself as a child.…

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Winter Blues

October 13, 2018

Unfortunately, summer in Chicago has come and gone (so quickly!)! Now we are feeling the cooler weather and leaves fall, that just means winter is coming, and it will be here longer than we want. Usually people try to escape Chicago winters and go somewhere warm since as we all know, our winters last an eternity. Sometimes with our schedules, we cannot escape Chicago, so in this post I am going to help you identify ways that…

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