How many times have you tripped over your thoughts — I say tripped as if to say they come rushing in one after the other and it can be paralyzing in the moment. The “I’m not good enough…” and the “Why did I say/do/behave that way…” thoughts. The common players.

The inner critic is universal. Every human being depends on other people physically, emotionally, and throughout a lifetime for acceptance and psychological well-being.

手心出汗、心跳加速、大脑中却一片空白……很多人在说外语时都有这些紧张不安的表现。尤其是当你忽然被提问，一瞬间无论怎么搜肠刮肚，也找不到合适的词表达。也许你眼前的人正一脸困惑，而你则感到颜面尽失……

对大多数人来说，用母语交流就像吃饭睡觉一样轻而易举，而相比之下，用外语来沟通，真的更费脑子——除了要费尽心思寻找合适的表达方式，还要克服心理上的焦虑。这个焦虑有个专门的词，叫“外语焦虑”（foreign language anxiety，简称FLA)。

Sweaty hands, racing heartbeat, mind going blank, uneasy, nervous, embarrassed… If you speak English as a second language, the above might not sound unfamiliar to you, especially if you are caught on the spot, struggling to figure out what words to use to save your face. Nevertheless, the person in front of you gets more and more confused…

While speaking one's native language seems so natural and easy, trying to command a foreign language requires extra mental resources — finding the right words and calming foreign language anxiety (FLA).

For those who are getting ready for mental health therapy, the most important question is: “how can I benefit the most from therapy?” I have five tips for clients who are getting ready for this journey with their therapist.

Consider, when was the last time you had a conversation with your doctor, nurse, or therapist about your sexual health? When was the last time they asked you about your sexual health? If you’re like many, it’s possible that you’ve never had this conversation with your provider and/or that they’ve never tried having this conversation with you either.

So the question remains, why is nobody talking about sexual health when it is a crucial component of our overall wellness? And, what are the steps we can take to change that?

This is an honest talk about stigmas about mental health. Everyone has mental health so the understanding of stigma and its effects are very important! Stigma can make people feel ashamed about something that is not their fault. Stigmas about mental health can create unhelpful beliefs about treatment and prevent people from seeking the professional mental health services they need. All of us can help fight against stigma. The question is: How can you help fight against mental health stigma?

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness is, “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” Based on this definition alone, you can see that mindfulness can be incorporated into our daily lives without consuming additional time.

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.

How do we destigmatize mental wellness and self-care in the workplace? This is a hot topic in the Human Resources world today. For a long time, mental health was not prioritized in the workplace. In fact, it can often be ignored or go unrecognized. Workplaces across the nation are pushing to reform mental health care and improve employee’s overall well-being.

Work related stress can trickle into home life, relationships, and overall well-being. Vice versa, stress at home, relationships, personal matters, etc. can affect your job performance. If you feel like any of these resonate with your current situation, I encourage you to reach out and speak to your Human Resources department!

Pride month may be coming to a close, but we continue to encourage everyone to stay informed, connected, and spread resources to those close to them!

If you, or someone you know, is looking to learn more, or is in need of additional support or services, here are some local and national LGBTQIA+ resources we want to share with you!

This blog will dive into non-verbal communication, or, body language, and the way this can enhance or detract from communication with your child. Awareness around the different elements of non-verbal communication can help set a conversation up for success and build a sense of closeness in a relationship. Strategic use of non-verbals can also enhance the effectiveness of communication and support memory and comprehension.

The phrase “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it'' has become a cliche at this point, but for good reason! There are many factors outside of the actual words being spoken that affect how communication is received. This blog will focus on paraverbal communication.

When you are engaged in communication with someone, you are either receiving information or sharing information. Different situations call for different balancing of these roles. Parenting often focuses on the sending, or speaking, role. In the course of giving directions and reminders, and sharing information we can unconsciously dominate the conversational space. Children are often relegated to the receiving, or listening, role. It is incredibly impactful when you create opportunities for your child to express themselves while offering yourself as an active listener.

How often are you met with a blank stare after asking your child how their day was? Are you tired of getting shrugged off when you ask questions, or knowing you’ve lost their attention when you’re trying to check-in? A desire for connection is at the heart of parent/child relationships, but dysfunctional communication can make us feel further apart than ever. To help close that gap and make you feel more empowered as parents, we’re going to share different strategies to help you build your communication toolkit.

There are a variety of things that can influence how motivated someone is feeling such as being overwhelmed, burned out, anxious, depressed, perfectionistic, rigid, fearful, and many more. One’s motivation (or lack thereof)  may depend on a number of factors. Here are some tips that you can use to help you increase motivation. 

College finals are an extremely stressful period of time. Final exams can be daunting, given the culmination of a semester’s worth of information. Multiple exams can add to the stress of finishing a semester. How you prepare for finals can have an impact on how you make it through them. Having a game plan and strategy for your finals can make a difference in how they go. If you are looking for some guidance to approach your finals exams, then keep reading!

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.

A client once said to me…
Maybe the purpose of life is finding your purpose
Otherwise you’re not really living, just waking up.
Those lines have always resonated with me
Because maybe life really is that simple
Simply living so that eventually I could find me…

An original poem by Dereka Ross, LCPC

In a world where technology has taken over and everything is so readily accessible in the palm of our hand, it comes as no surprise that there are endless tasks we can manage by simply unlocking our smartphones. Banking, messaging, tweeting, and emailing. The list goes on!  But did you know that you can work on your mental health by downloading a simple app?

In this post, I’ll be going over some of my favorite, free mental health apps I like to use on a daily basis! Feel free to give them a try and see whether they’re the right ones for you!

Strong organization strategies can be extremely helpful for completing everything you need to get done and for maximizing your time. Having strong organizational skills helps maintain and support time management. Organization is very important for many aspects of your life, but particularly college. Keep reading if you are looking for some easy small steps to help with organization!