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Do You Have Compassion for Yourself?

October 5, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling We often believe that being hard on ourselves will push us to be better people. However, that exact self-criticism we are using to “grow” could be the number one thing that is bringing us down. Some common examples of negative thoughts people have about themselves include “I am stupid”, “You can do better than this”, “You aren’t good enough”, “You are a failure”.These cruel words and statements we make to…

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5 Stages Of The Grieving Process

October 4, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling We have all experienced grief and loss at some point in our lives. Whether it was the loss of a loved one, the termination of a relationship, the loss of a job, or the death of a pet, you have probably experienced that emotional rollercoaster. While you may feel like you should be putting yourself back out there or getting over it faster, just know that your desire to be…

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Is It The Baby Blues or Postpartum Depression?

October 3, 2018

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling As you bring a new baby into the world, you may expect to be in a state of pure bliss and happiness. Instead, you might have gotten blindsided by a whirlwind of negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, sadness, loneliness, and moodiness. While you may have been looking forward to finally getting to bond with your baby, you end up feeling guilty because you can’t stop this rollercoaster of emotions.…

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Attachment Style: Why Does it Matter?

October 2, 2018

What is the concept of attachment? Attachment refers to the emotional bond that connects an individual to something or someone—a friend, family member, or partner. The psychological theory of attachment (John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth) identifies four styles of attachment, and most people fall into one of these four categories. How do attachment styles impact me? Understanding your attachment style, and your partner’s will help you better communicate your needs and recognize the needs of your partner.…

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What is Compassion Fatigue and 5 Ways to Reduce It

October 1, 2018

Many of my clients experience a lot of stress at work which leads to feeling burned out and less satisfied with their job. Many of these clients are in the “helping field” whether they are nurses, doctors, child life specialists, social workers, police officers, nannies, firefighters, military, veterinarians, human resources, ministers, teachers, physical and occupational therapists, or maybe even a counselor like myself, just to name a few. Those who choose a path in the helping field…

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4 Signs that It’s Time to Break Up with Your Therapist

September 30, 2018

Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner You’ve been in therapy for months, but something doesn’t feel right. After much deliberation, you realize that the problem might be your therapist. Many people have chosen to end their relationship with their therapist and begin working with a different therapist for the sake of their treatment. But how do you know when it’s time to call it quits? Consider these four signs that it might be time to break up with…

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Make New Friends By Trying New Things!

September 29, 2018

Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC As we age, it can become increasingly difficult to meet new people and make new friends. If we are lucky, we hold onto some older friendships, but as real-life circumstances change (work, marriage, parenthood, etc.), we can find ourselves less engaged with our social circle. The solution to this problem would seem obvious: meet new people! But this is not as easy as it might seem. In my work as a therapist, one…

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5 Ways to Handle Crisis

September 28, 2018

Throughout their lives, many people will go through a crisis or challenging occurrence. While experiencing crises and challenges is a normal part of life, not everyone knows how to handle or respond to a crisis while experiencing it. I find that many clients of mine are attempting to cope with a crisis in their life and are looking for skills to utilize when the crisis is currently occurring, or even to handle a crisis that happened in…

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Building Trust in Your Relationship

September 27, 2018

As a couple and family therapist, a common issue I experience is trust. I have heard about trust issues in couples that have only been together for a couple of months, and couples who have been together for several years. The issue of trust can range from not trusting your partner’s response to your hard day of work, to breaches of trust with infidelity. Although building trust may seem like a daunting task, it is definitely possible…

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Understanding Perfectionism and How Therapy Can Be of Help

September 26, 2018

Shannon M. Duffy, MFT, LCPC Audio Version Perfectionism is a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable. However, perfectionism can be viewed as a motivator for wanting to achieve one’s best and in turn can cause despair if you are unable to be the best. When perfectionism goes beyond the need to achieve high-standards to become distressing is where therapy can be helpful to understand those thought patterns and behaviors, in addition to identifying positive…

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