Therapy
By Eve Brownstone, LCPC “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley All my life I have found magic, healing, and fun in water whether in Lake Michigan, a pool at a JCC, or the shore of the Mediterranean. The first time I remember swimming was four years old at a pool at a YMCA in Hyde Park. I was hooked. Many of us live in Chicago to live close…
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Megan Mulroy, LPC Intrusive thoughts are characterized by unwanted thoughts that pop up, cause distress, and get stuck in your mind. Often times these thoughts can be violent, sexual, disturbing, or something deemed as unacceptable by society. These thoughts can be really scary and produce a lot of anxiety for people who experience them. Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts- it is so normal to have passing thoughts of rear ending the car in front of you or stealing…
Read MoreWritten by Kara Thompson, Licensed Social Worker When exploring the concept of trauma bonds, it is helpful to start by understanding attachment. Attachment theorist John Bowlby defines attachment as the “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” While much of Bowlby’s work surrounded the attachment between child and caregiver, so much of his work influences what we know about connectedness in all nuanced relationships in our lives… even unhealthy romantic partnerships. When we experience a strong, intense emotional…
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By: Danielle Bertini, LPC Have you ever heard of, or even experienced, the word FOMO (fear of missing out)? If you have, it was probably used casually in a day-to-day conversation. “If I don’t go to that dinner, I’m going to have real FOMO.” However, behind the seemingly innocent acronym hides a darker reality. FOMO can cause significant distress, as it can cause people to live their lives through the filters of what other people are doing.…
Read MoreMeg Mulroy, LPC Self-compassion is defined by treating yourself the way you would treat a friend or a loved one who is having a hard time. For a lot of folks, it is easier to give others compassion than it is to give it to ourselves. For more reading on how to speak and act more compassionately in your life, I highly recommend reading Amanda Ann Gregory’s, LCPC recent blog about ways in which you can work…
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Jessica Pontis, LCSW Everyone wants to have a voice, but sometimes we struggle to connect with our strength and speak our truth. We all wish to be assertive when it comes to standing up for ourselves and what we believe in, though struggle to find the words or are concerned about the perception of others. To be assertive is to show confidence and appropriate forcefulness in situations where our beliefs, opinions, or desires differ from that of…
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Steven Topper LCPC Over the past few years, we’ve seen a boom in the proliferation of mindfulness. Commodified to apps, businesses have attempted to harness the power of mindfulness to increase productivity. Within that proliferation has been a watering down of the tenets of mindfulness- which is frequently the case when ideas move into the mainstream. In an effort to reach more people, the ideas themselves become homogenized, more easily digestible. And while Headspace and Calm have…
Read MoreSteven Topper LCPC Take a moment to reflect on the last few weeks. What has been a struggle? Where has pain showed up in your days and nights? What has gone well? What do you wish could have been different? How do you wish you could have been different? See if some of these reflections yield familiar results. Themes that you’ve known about for quite a while. Commonly, our struggles are old ones, maybe repackaged for new…
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I remember one of the first times I was introduced to the concept of “fat”. I was a third grader (about 8 years old) when a friend made the comment, “my mom told me if your arms or thighs jiggle, it means your fat.” As a child I remember feeling so concerned that because my thighs gave the slightest jiggle, I must have been fat. I grew up in the diet culture of the 90’s and early…
Read MoreBy: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC If you read my last blog post, which was part one of this two-part blog series, you learned many things that you would be able to observe from the body language of others. It discussed studying the eyes, facial movements, and proximity of body positioning. Part two includes information about mirroring, head movements, feet and hand signals, and more! Is the other person mirroring you? Mirroring of body language or behavior…
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