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Matthew Cuddeback LCSW

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Are You Struggling with Differences in Values Among Your Family?

January 2, 2021

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW If there is one thing 2020 has taught us, it is that we need to do more work on how to navigate differences in opinions and especially differences in values. As we get older, we often see our perspectives or opinions have evolved and may not match up with our families of origin. This is of course nothing new, but in 2020 it does feel more potent. Let’s talk about the ways in which…

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Why Now May Be A Great Time for a Family Vacation

December 30, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW The reactions and effects of current global affairs have ebbed and flowed for most of 2020. We have all had our ups and downs of some variety, and with a highly contentious political season in full swing and various other highly challenging social issues continuing to have serious effects it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the weather is changing and in a few months time it will be snowing. This…

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Yes, You Can Feel Multiple Feelings at Once

September 30, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW We often believe our thoughts and feelings need to neatly fit together however; it is usually not so simple. We often try to fight or deny it, but the fact is that we often feel many different things at once, and often these feelings can seemingly conflict as well. It is important to understand this experience and take meaningful action to get more comfortable with it. This struggle often occurs when something happens, and…

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A Therapist’s Experience with “Doomscrolling”

September 14, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW Doomscrolling is a term that references how we can scroll through our social media and news outlets rapidly, often absentmindedly, looking for the newest opinions and information about difficult things going on in the world. It is something that can easily become maladaptive and unhealthy if left unchecked and is also difficult to avoid in our current environment. I have experienced the draws and negative effects of this phenomenon myself. Let’s talk about doomscrolling…

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How to Pace Yourself

August 25, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW There are a few common themes behind most aspects of therapy and mental health. Generally, a few of these themes are intention, attention, space, and pace. The last one, pace, is in some ways the trickiest of these areas to pin down. Below are a few key considerations about what pacing is and how to manage it well. Pace here refers to monitoring the speed at which you are experiencing or navigating a given…

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Are You Paying Attention to Yourself?

August 7, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW Something I always talk to clients about early on in our sessions in the importance of paying attention, and specifically something I say probably every session is recognizing that our actions, thoughts, and feelings are all information and it is useful to recognize without judgment that they are telling us something important, so are you paying attention? As mentioned above inherent in this is the need for non-judgment. Sometimes when we think about something…

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A Video-Therapist’s Thoughts About Video Therapy

August 1, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW We are all taking the roller coaster ride of the COVID-19 pandemic together, and as we all know, it can be incredibly uncomfortable and awkward when we are trying to connect with others remotely. Working from home means more of us are connecting to the world online and perhaps this is most obvious in our Zoom meetings. It is important to acknowledge and process the inherent discomfort in our lives, for that reason we…

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Your Therapist’s Therapy Style

July 26, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW When someone makes a decision to meet with a therapist to work on things, they are struggling with it can be uncomfortable and highly vulnerable. This is why it’s so important to discuss the things that are important to you as a client, and why your therapist should be bringing these topics up early. Like clients, individual therapists do things in a way that are specific to them, making sure your styles are compatible…

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Tips for Combatting Burnout

July 18, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW We all experience burnout at some point in our careers. It is easy to find yourself gradually slipping into this difficult place without even noticing it. However, it is an incredibly important feeling to pay attention to, as the pitfalls of ignoring it can have highly negative consequences, and managing it well can often bring you to an even better place in your career. Below are a few tips to address and combat those…

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The Downward Arrow

July 14, 2020

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW There are certain aspects of ourselves that are at the center of many of our beliefs about who we are, in the mental health field we call these Core Beliefs. These beliefs can be healthy or unhealthy, and we can have quite a few. They are also sometimes rather obvious, and others are harder to recognize. There are certain avenues that we use in order to understand them, deconstruct them, and then build them…

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