Educational Blogs from Our Mental Health Therapists

Learn about common challenges, including depression, anxiety, relationships,
trauma, and more, written by Maryland therapists!

Burnout, Anxiety, Resources Melissa Wesner Burnout, Anxiety, Resources Melissa Wesner

5 Ways The School Systems Can Prioritize Teachers' Mental Health

Teaching can be an incredibly rewarding profession, but it can also be challenging and stressful. Teachers are responsible for the education and well-being of their students, which can be a heavy burden to carry. As a result, teachers often experience high levels of stress and burnout, which can have a negative impact on their mental health. In this blog post, we will explore some ways that school systems can support teachers' mental health.

Read More
Anxiety, Burnout, Trauma and PTSD, Resources Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Burnout, Trauma and PTSD, Resources Melissa Wesner

Innovative Ways Hospital Systems Can Support Nurses' Mental Health

Nurses play a critical role in the healthcare system, providing essential care to patients and supporting doctors and other healthcare professionals. However, the job of being a nurse can be extremely demanding, both physically and mentally, which can lead to burnout, stress, and other mental health issues. In this blog, we will discuss some ways in which hospital systems can support the mental health of their nurses.

Read More
Anxiety, Burnout, Trauma and PTSD Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Burnout, Trauma and PTSD Melissa Wesner

The Unseen Mental Health Struggles Faced by Nurses Working in Healthcare

Nursing is a challenging and demanding profession that requires a high level of skill and commitment. Nurses are responsible for the care of patients, often in highly stressful and emotionally charged situations. While the focus is on the care of patients, it is important not to overlook the mental health challenges faced by nurses themselves. In this blog post, we will explore some of the mental health challenges faced by nurses and the impact they can have.

Read More
Anxiety, Depression, Resources Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Depression, Resources Melissa Wesner

How Doctors’ Offices Can Prioritize Patients’ Mental Health and Wellness

In today's world, mental health has become a growing concern and more people are seeking help to manage their mental health issues. Doctors' offices can play a significant role in addressing the mental health needs of their patients by providing support and resources. Here are some ways that doctors' offices can support their patients' mental health.

Read More
Anxiety, Online Counseling Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Online Counseling Melissa Wesner

Helpful Coping Strategies That Can Reduce Your Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It can manifest in various forms such as general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, specific phobias, among others. Left unmanaged, anxiety can significantly impact an individual's daily life and well-being. In this blog post, we will explore the top strategies for managing anxiety.

Read More
Burnout, Anxiety, Resources, Business Owners Melissa Wesner Burnout, Anxiety, Resources, Business Owners Melissa Wesner

How Companies Can Partner with Local Therapy Practices to Improve Their Employees’ Mental Health

Partnering with local counseling practices can be a valuable way to improve the mental health of your employees. These collaborations help your employees on an individual basis while helping the productivity and health of the company as a whole. Here are a few ways that companies can collaborate with counseling practices to support your employees’ mental health.

Read More
Burnout, Anxiety, Mindfulness, Business Owners Melissa Wesner Burnout, Anxiety, Mindfulness, Business Owners Melissa Wesner

Ways Companies Can Prioritize Their Employees’ Mental Health at Work to Improve Company Morale

Mental health is a crucial aspect of overall well-being, and it is important for companies to prioritize the mental health of their employees. Demonstrating the importance of employees’ mental wellness requires companies to take visible action.  Here are a few ways that companies can do this.

Read More
Anxiety, Depression, Parenting, Resources Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Depression, Parenting, Resources Melissa Wesner

Post-Weaning Depression and Its Effects on a New Mom's Mental Health

Shortly after I started weaning my toddler, sadness engulfed me. I felt like melted ice cream, honestly. This led me down a rabbit hole of reading. I am sure that you are joining me in my surprise that as a therapist, a former educator, and a mother who reads every parenting article I can get my hands on, I had never heard of post-weaning depression. Well, I think that the answer is two-fold. From what I can gather, there is limited research on post-weaning depression. This blog is centered on raising awareness on post-weaning depression, along with an encouragement for greater societal attention and research.

Read More
Parenting, Children & Teens, Resources, Anxiety Melissa Wesner Parenting, Children & Teens, Resources, Anxiety Melissa Wesner

Supporting Your Child with ADHD Through Promoting Self-Esteem and Capability

Supporting your child in effectively managing their symptoms of ADHD, while celebrating them and accepting them for all that they are, will aid long term success and elevated self-esteem. This will promote self-confidence, self-acceptance, and assurance that can handle all that life throws their way. 

Read More
Anxiety, Resources, International Clients, Biases Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Resources, International Clients, Biases Melissa Wesner

Understanding Emotional Struggles from a Cultural Lens

I have never felt so Chinese before I came to the U.S. As a matter of fact, I rarely mentioned the word “Chinese” in my daily life while I was in China–I never had to, given that everyone around me was Chinese. Cultural diversity in the U.S. has given me a chance to reflect on my relationship with my own culture, and more importantly, what is the relationship that I want to develop with my own culture. As a therapist, my experiences with clients tell me that culture plays a significant role in people’s mental wellbeing, especially in U.S. society. In this article, I will share some examples of when culture is at the center of people’s mental struggles.

Read More

How to Best Support Your Highly Sensitive Child

“I think she/he is just too sensitive,” some parents complain. Indeed, some children are more sensitive than others. But does high sensitivity only bring trouble? Who gets to decide what is the right amount of sensitivity and what is too much? Those difficult questions take us into an important research area–HSP (Highly Sensitive Person). If you get frustrated with yourself or/and your child over their high sensitivity, this article is going to help you learn about highly sensitive people and how to best support your child.

Read More

Recognizing and Treating Compassion Fatigue & Burnout with Helping Professions

Our dedication to others makes us well-suited for positions within helping professions; whether you’re a fellow therapist, a medical provider, a first responder, a humanitarian aid worker, the ability to meet humans with unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding is key. Compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout can affect the best of caregivers.

Read More

The Internal Fight Against Anxiety and Depression: a CBT Based Coping Skill

This is a recommendation I provide all my clients experiencing anxiety and depression, to put up a “fight” with their negative thoughts. I do not want this internal dialogue to be in contempt, but rather provide your mind with the alternative perspective- one that a parent may provide a child. You are the parent. You are in charge. Your anxious thoughts are your inner child. Your job- and it takes practice- is to explain to the “child” why their concerns are not actuality or that should they become actualized that they- you- can handle it. This models the value of thought reframing and prevention of catastrophizing. So here are a few examples.

Read More
Anxiety, Highly-Sensitive Person Melissa Wesner Anxiety, Highly-Sensitive Person Melissa Wesner

4 Strategies for Managing Negative or Self-Critical Thoughts

Sometimes the thoughts that pop into our heads are ones that make us worry about the future or feel bad about ourselves. And some of these thoughts can be particularly irritating in that they like to stick around or pop up frequently. When we’ve experienced certain thoughts repeatedly, there can be a point in which we actually start believing that they are true, even when they most definitely are not. If you’ve ever struggled with depression or anxiety, it’s likely that you’ve experienced lots of these annoying thoughts.  If you’re a human, it’s 100% likely that you’ve experienced some unhelpful, self-critical thoughts too. 

Read More