online counseling services
In the midst of a global pandemic, it is more important than ever to ensure we’re meeting our basic needs as humans. I break up these needs as food, shelter, sleep and movement. We all know sleep is important but it’s frequently something that eludes us, no matter how hard we try to get those 9 hours. With sleep being so difficult to come by prior to coronavirus, it has become even more difficult for many with…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC It’s all fun and games until someone finds out the function of your behavior! Have you ever wondered why you do certain things or why you react or behave in specific ways? Perhaps learning about the ABCs of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) will help you break this down. We create our emotions throughout our interpretations of events that take place in the world. The events themselves do not directly cause…
Read MoreBy: Danielle Bertini, LPC I think we can all say a collective experience the world has shared this year (among other things) is that we are BORED. With the pandemic still around and most activities continuing to be shut down, there truly is not much to do to occupy our time. And here’s the thing—boredom is generally viewed as an unpleasant emotional state. When you feel bored and fatigued, 10 minutes can feel like an eternity. Because…
Read MoreBy Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC Gambling has pretty much always been popular since money has existed. Today, it is as immediately accessible as it ever has been through online lottery purchases and mobile apps for casinos and sportsbooks, where players can win and lose real money really fast. In Illinois, online sports betting became legal in 2020, just in time for the professional football season to start. Advertisements for titillating promotions make the lure of trying sports…
Read MoreMatthew Cuddeback LCSW Something that I have been hearing more and more recently is a reluctance from people to admit that they feel good about something small. We all do this at times, we feel awkward admitting that something felt good, or we are proud of a certain achievement but feel we cannot indulge this feeling. We should always allow ourselves to feel good about the things that actually feel good instead of pretending we don’t,…
Read MoreBy Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC In the first part of this blog, we explored Point 1 and Point 2 of SMART Recovery’s 4-Point Program for behavior change. Next, let’s look at: Point 3 – Managing Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors This dives deeper into Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy tools and concepts. The key tool here is the ABC’s. I have written about the ABC’s of REBT previously, but in short, the theory of REBT says that we create…
Read MoreBy Andrew McNaughton, LCSW, CADC SMART Recovery is a secular, evidence-based recovery program that emphasizes an individual’s ability to gain empowerment through making better choices. SMART is an acronym that stands for Self Management And Recovery Training, with a strong emphasis on “self management,” (you will also find that this program loves its acronyms!). SMART is a program of personal accountability by learning how to identify, challenge, and reframe patterns of thinking to make lasting behavior changes.…
Read MoreProductivity and efficiency are things individuals strive for in both their work and home environments. It’s frequently thought that the more productive you are the more successful you’ll be. Or the more productive you are the more leisure time you’ll be able to have at the end of the day. It can be frustrating when others are seemingly more productive than we are despite what we feel are our best efforts to stay on task and make…
Read MoreHannah Hopper, LPC, NCC “I don’t know why, but I often feel so empty and numb inside.” “I had a good childhood, so I don’t know why I can’t just be happier.” “I’m not sure who I am, what I like, or what I want.” Do any of these statements above hold true for you? One of the misconceptions about childhood emotional neglect is that if you can’t see any scars from it, then it won’t leave…
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Kaitlin Broderick LCPC The word narcissist is thrown around quite frequently nowadays. Many of us have had experience with a narcissist, whether it be a boss, family member, friend, or significant other. Narcissism is a personality disorder characterized by grandiosity, an excessive need for admiration, a big ego, and a lack of empathy for others. Someone can have traits of the disorder without meeting the full criteria of the personality disorder. Narcissists can be very charming and…
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