Educational Blogs from Our Mental Health Therapists
Learn about common challenges, including depression, anxiety, relationships,
trauma, and more, written by Maryland therapists!
Topic
- Anxiety
- Art in Therapy
- Biases
- Boundary Setting
- Brainspotting
- Burnout
- Business Owners
- COVID-19
- Careers
- Children & Teens
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- College Students
- Communication Skills
- DIY Crafts
- Depression
- Emotional Regulation
- Faith-Based
- First Responders
- Grief and Loss
- Highly-Sensitive Person
- International Clients
- Internships
- LGBTQIA
- Mindfulness
- Motivation
- Neurodivergence
- Online Counseling
- Oppression
- Parenting
- Recovery
- Relationships
- Resources
- Sex Therapy
- Trauma and PTSD
- Women's Issues
- Workshop
Social Wellness for Solopreneurs: Confronting Loneliness in Entrepreneurial Ventures
At the start of the pandemic, many remote capable entrepreneurs were forced to begin working from home. This was great for physical health and safety, but not so great for social and emotional well-being. During the pandemic, many entrepreneurs (including therapists in private practice) reported increasing feelings of isolation and disconnection.
Mental Health Resources for Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs are a unique group, and they face distinct work and lifestyle challenges as a result of their work. While there are a wide-range of mental health resources available to the community at large, it can be more challenging to find resources and services designed specifically for entrepreneurs. We hope you’ll be able to use this list to identify resources that will be helpful to you.
4 Helpful Resources You Can Use When Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis in Baltimore County, MD
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, and you are in Baltimore County, MD here are a few things that you can do. The resource you choose will depend on your specific situation. The most important thing, however, is that you reach out for help when you need it.
Top 16 Strategies for Managing Depression from Mental Health Therapists
Depression is known for symptoms that are particularly challenging to deal with. The good news is that there are a number of great strategies that you can use to help improve your mood. Remember, you might not always feel like using these tools when you’re feeling depressed, but they will work if you use them.
Finding Relief Through The Power of Brainspotting: Treating Depression
Depression is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people around the world. It can cause feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of energy and motivation, making it difficult to enjoy life and perform daily activities. While there are many different treatments available for depression, including medication and talk therapy, one newer approach is Brainspotting.
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.
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.
Important Mental Health Awareness Dates to Add to Your Calendar
Every year, several organizations and programs dedicate time to bring awareness to certain topics, including mental health, substance use, stress management, and more. Over the course of the year, each organization and/or program brings awareness, reduces stigma, offers a variety of shareable resources, and hosts helpful events locally and nationally. If you’re looking to learn more about a particular topic, share helpful resources, and partake in local opportunities, be sure to mark your calendars with these important dates!
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.
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.
Three Common Thoughts and Beliefs That Contribute to Holiday Stress
Holidays are generally associated with family and friends gathering. For many, it is a time for love and connection. However, in reality, it is inevitable to experience ups and downs throughout one’s life. And as we all know, life does not have a schedule for happy/painful moments.
“我怕被诊断出抑郁症!”—理诊断给您造成更大的心理压力吗?
“你对这个诊断怎么看?”我几乎每接待一位新来访者,都要问他们这个问题。尽管心理健康服务者早已对心理障碍的诊断习以为常,但每一位来访者经过初步咨询,得知自己所得的心理障碍是什么的时候,每个人的反应都是不同的,这背后是不同的想法、感受和经历。
Does Receiving a Diagnosis From a Therapist Cause Mental Health Stigma?
“How do you feel about receiving a diagnosis?” That is a question I almost always ask when doing an intake with a new client. Although diagnoses are something therapists deal with on a daily basis, everyone may have different feelings, thoughts, and experiences around diagnoses, especially when they receive one from a professional during the intake meeting.
Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder: Self-Care During Seasonal Changes
Do you notice your mood goes down when the weather gets colder? Have you ever been told that you were too “sensitive” to feel that way? The truth is, many people (three million people in the U.S.!) experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD). So, it is no joke.
Repair, Not Re-Traumatize: Beginning to Heal Relationship Wounds
“Can he/she just move on?” People sometimes get frustrated about their partner’s unforgiveness. They have to tiptoe around their partner, trying to avoid their raw spots. “Ever since then, she has become super sensitive about my interactions with other women on social media,” said someone who discussed his wife’s “overaction” after he entered into an affair years ago.
The truth is, without genuine emotional connection between both parties, without corrective emotional response from the injured person, without actions that met the deep needs that have been ignored for so long, “moving-on” would be extremely hard, if not impossible.
Women's Mental Health and Ways to Improve Overall Wellbeing
Women are often raised with messages about being caring, nurturing, thoughtful, and family oriented. These communicated values, as well as the behaviors that we have observed in the women before us, sometimes result in continued patterns of taking care of others while putting our own wants, needs, and self-care on the back burner.
Alternatives to Medications for Anxiety and Depression
If you are suffering from anxiety and/or depression, you may be relieved to know that there are many effective treatments that do not involve pharmaceutical medications. A combination of lifestyle changes and therapies can help alleviate these conditions and improve overall health and well-being.
Loneliness and Valentine's Day: Gaining Insight & Changing Your Perspective
Valentine’s Day can be a mixed bag of emotions. Some people love it, others romanticize it, and others hate it. Loneliness, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief and loss, and trauma are all very real and prevalent feelings individuals have around this time of year.
While Valentine’s Day has come and gone, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone in your feelings, and we’re here to help put things in perspective and find creative ways to enjoy Valentine’s Day in the years to come (and the other days of the year!).
How to Begin to Heal From Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Counseling for anxiety, depression and grief sharply increased since the pandemic, and it has been more common for us to acknowledge that we may be in pain, in sorrow, and in grief. Since the outburst of COVID-19, the pandemic has not only created stress, anxiety and uncertainty about the future, but it has also made us feel some type of loss. The healing process takes time and effort for us to heal globally and individually.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression & What to Look For
Depression is a mood disorder that includes sadness, feelings of emptiness, irritability, and physical and cognitive changes. These symptoms can be distressing and disrupt your day-to-day life. These symptoms can also vary in severity and intensity. Depression sometimes creates difficulty getting out of bed, consistent crying, severe fatigue, and complete social withdrawal. Here are the symptoms of depression that can be both severe and subtle.