Consider the source of information. In a society where we are inundated with information from the media, including all the advice from anyone with an opinion to share, it can be hard to know what to do. Google search has become a best friend, although it can quickly lead one down a “rabbit hole.” (Especially when already is experiencing anxiety, fear, or doubt!) When it comes to topics related to beauty, health, and fitness, the internet has so much advice! Social medial platforms that are heavily based in images such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok can be a lot of fun to scroll through, but they can also become depressing when social comparison sets in. I can’t help but feeling self-conscious about my own thighs after watching “thigh gap” challenges on Tik Tok. Disordered eating, substance misuse, relational distress, intrusive thoughts and attempts to regain control… these have only worsened for many who live with eating disorders, substance use disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The daily stressors can begin to feel overwhelming and the advice on how to cope can vary greatly. The voices of influencers can help break down stigma associated with mental health. Social media can help increase awareness, inspire, and motivate. There is a wealth of knowledge available with so many great resources. One the other hand, misinformation about mental health can quickly spread. Family, friends, and groups may have good intentions; however, it is important to check the content with reliable sources. Here are just a few good web resources that can provide more information about mental health: https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/ These are specialized for specific concerns: Eating Disorders: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ Substance Use Disorders: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disorders Domestic Violence: https://www.thehotline.org/ PTSD: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/ OCD: https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ Speaking with a mental health professional can help provide psychoeducation, effective treatment interventions, and appropriate referrals. Plus, there is an important relational component that many are missing. Coping during a global pandemic is not easy, and social isolation can make it more difficult to access supports. I am so grateful for options that increase access to services such as telehealth counseling services and online chat lines. At CARE Counseling, you get the same quality of services that you would receive from an office setting, but in the comfort of your environment. CARE Counseling accepts Medical Assistance and is in-network with all major insurance carriers. With same week appointments available, help is a click away. Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/social-media-google/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/social-media-google
0 Comments
Eating Disorder Awareness
National Eating Disorders awareness week aims to educate about the realities of eating disorders. #SeeTheChange by recognizing change within the ever-evolving eating disorders field. #BeTheChange through advocacy, awareness, and community building. How long did you wait before talking to someone about concerns of eating-related behavior for yourself or a loved one? Disordered eating is common, and it can be difficult to know what is considered an eating-disorder versus what is considered disordered eating. When can behaviors such as counting calories and working out cross the line from healthy to excessive? It is important to bring awareness to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Be aware of warning-signs-and-symptoms of an eating disorder. Keep in mind that warning signs vary, and you won’t likely have all these symptoms at once. Sone signs of an eating disorder may include:
Many individuals present with preoccupation with diet and exercise, fixation with food and body, and intense fears of gaining weight or getting “fat” that may be exacerbated by cultural expectations. Guilt and shame, disordered eating and unhealthy practices take a toll on the body as well as impact mental health. Eating disorders can lead to serious medical complications, and in some cases can-be-deadly. Eating disorders have one of the highest death rates among mental health disorders. The mortality rate of anorexia is 5.9% per year!!
Here is a free screening tool designed for ages 13+ that can help inform if it is time to seek professional help: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool Early intervention is key since the sooner one can get treatment, the faster the recovery. If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, please reach out to the National Eating Disorders Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/free-low-cost-support https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/eating-disorder-awareness/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/eating-disorder-awareness Powerful Positive Affirnmations
Positive messages that are short statements known as affirmation can encourage and motivate one to challenge negative thinking and shape beliefs to confirm these messages about oneself. Affirmations-are-important-for-children and they are also important for adults! Imagine the profound impact on one’s self-esteem and beliefs about self when repeatedly told throughout life they are special and loved. One’s own internal self-talk reinforces messaging. Now imagine the devastating consequences on one’s self-esteem and beliefs about self when repeatedly told throughout life they are a worthless piece of sh*t. One’s internal self-talk messaging reinforces the belief of being unlovable. Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors begin to reinforce these messages, leading to a core belief of being worthless. Behaviors may reinforce beliefs. One example is choosing to remain in an unhealthy relationship due to feeling unworthy of loving relationships. Even for those for have received consistent positive messaging in childhood, self-doubt, social comparison, and one’s own unhelpful messaging is powerful. Often, we tie self-worth into things that we can easily compare ourselves to others—our physical attractiveness, net worth, social circle, career, and personal achievement. We can begin to feel not [pretty, successful, smart, or popular] enough. There are often overlaps with other areas of stress, with common themes at various stages-of-psychosocial-development. School-aged children may struggle with feeling of inferiority, impacting self-confidence. Adolescents may struggle with identity and social relationships, impacting feelings of belonging. Adults may struggle with intimacy within relationships, impacting feelings of security. No matter your current age, stage, or situation in life, know that you are accepted and valued for who you are. Here are examples of affirmations that can help build self-esteem & self-worth:
CARE Counseling is here for me as a resource. Written By: Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/power-of-postive-affirmations/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/power-of-postive-affirmations Valentine’s DayAs an elementary age child, I remember making Valentine’s Day mailboxes out of Kleenex boxes. It was fun to give and receive valentine messages along with special treats like candies and p encils. Some messages were generic such as “You are sweet” or “You are cool”, signed by the recipient. Some valentines were handmade, with customized messages. These were extra special. Occasionally a kid would alter a positive message by crossing out or writing in words that changed the message to something not so nice. My heart would sink. It is important to model kindness to children so that they can also in turn demonstrate kindness to others. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of another person. School valentines were meant to be distributed to all children in the class, not only children that you “liked” or belonged to the same group. Spending time with people who are different from you and building relationship is a great way to help build empathy. School and work settings is a good place to start building positive relationships. We all have basic emotional needs—to feel special, valued, loved, and appreciated. Words of affirmation is one of the love languages. Others include acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. Yes, I know that many people hate Valentine’s Day. That Valentines is overrated and being single on Valentines may trigger strong feelings. Even those who are in a partnered relationship can become triggered when there are unmet expectations and relational conflict. This Valentine’s Day, instead of focusing solely on a partner(s), try thinking about relationships from a broader perspective. I encourage you to share positive messages with people in your life that you value and appreciate. Take time to write an extra special message to the people that you love most. This is one big area that I consider underrated. Written By : Charlotte Johnson, MA, LPCC We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/valentines-day/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/valentines-day CARE HIRES TREVOR MULVEY FOR NEW DIRECTOR OF FINANCE ROLECARE counseling of Minnesota announces the hiring of Trevor Mulvey to ll the newly-created role of Director of Finance. After nearly ten years of operating CARE, co-founders Dr. Andrea Hutchinson and John Hutchinson, MBA, understood their growth plans necessitated the creation of a new position: Director of Finance. “We knew it was time. Our growth plans mean I can only take the CARE financial piece so far while also handling business development and office management. In order to be true to our mission of building a community to strengthen the community, we needed a dedicated person to take CARE to the next level in terms of our financial vision. That person is Trevor Mulvey,” John Hutchinson stated. With CARE scheduling over 1,500 counseling appointments each week and facilitating nearly thirty dierent clinician trainings each year, the need to grow was everpresent. A Director of Finance role was key to continuing to deliver award-winning counseling services based on a model that cares for clinicians who care for the community.
Mulvey started his career with Cargill and came to CARE from Ecolab in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he was in charge of the global financial planning and analysis of one of their multi-million dollar clients. “Working with finances is more than just presenting numbers…you need someone who can make sense of where an organization is and where the possibilities are in terms of their financial landscape.” Part of Mulvey’s mission with CARE will be to guide business decisions with a thoughtful growth mindset. “There is a common misunderstanding about those of us in finance which is that we only care about numbers. Numbers are just marks on a page until you can shape them into a meaninful, actionable story others can care about. I tell stories with numbers,” Mulvey said, “and when a story is understood, the numbers have new meaning.” Part of the story he will continue to build upon is CARE’s unique approach among counseling models to actively invest in their employees. Mulvey is positioned to ensure CARE employees are compensated higher than market rates, their physical workspace is modern and welcoming, there is exibility for remote work, benefits packages are excellent and training is ongoing and of the highest caliber. “CARE is truly impacting our communities for good. I am honored to be the new Director of Finance. My work at CARE is more than simply a job–it fullls the words my father always said to me, ‘The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’” ## CARE operates out of four locations in the Twin Cities and virtually serves the entire state of Minnesota. They sta nearly 100 highly-trained counselors, serving the mental health needs of the community with hour-long therapy sessions. Learn more about CARE and the services they provide: care-clinics.com 612-223-8898. ![]() We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/care-hires-trevor-mulvey-for-new-director-of-finance-role/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/care-hires-trevor-mulvey-for-new-director-of-finance-role Super Bowl SundayI’ll admit it. I am not a huge football fan, but for some reason, I get excited about the Super Bowl. Whether it is cheering on your favorite team, watching the commercials, enjoying the half-time show, or eating your favorite munchies, there are a number of great reasons why the super-bowl-matters. Did you know that there are actually mental health benefits of being a diehard-sports-fan? In addition there are some great social aspects. Check out these five awesome benefits: Sense of Identity: Having a sense of belonging through group affiliation with a favorite team can feel to fans like an extension of their own self. Devoted fans personally experience the wins and losses. They feel a personal connectedness to the team. Wearing your team’s colors or favorite jersey is one way to represent shared identity and express loyalty. Fandom builds camaraderie. Increased Self-Esteem: Sharing in the team’s success can help build self-esteem through feelings of emotional connectedness by bonding with the players and fans. In addition, the community aspect serves as a protective factor for things such as depression, low-self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness, and isolation. Positive Stress: The anticipation of a team’s victory or loss can bring up a variety of strong emotions commonly experienced during competitions–elation, joy, and satisfaction to envy, anger, and dejection. The feelings of arousal in your body can make you experience feelings of pleasure and anxiety are known as eustress. Escape from Daily Life: Checking on stats and watching your favorite sports team can be a pleasurable distraction from daily life as well as a source of entertainment. Travelling to events is just another part of the experience and provides an outlet for stress-relief. Strengthen Bonds with Family/ Friends: Watching the Super Bowl is a fun way to spend time with those who are important to you and share similar loyalties to the team (or at least enjoy sharing in the overall experience). Fans create emotional connections through their consistent and devout interactions such as watching all the games, knowing all the stats of the game and its players, and investment in purchases that support the team. When you are surrounded by a community of others you feel connected to, it feels good. Life can feel more fulfilling when rooting for your favorite team and sharing in the event with others. We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/super-bowl-sunday/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/super-bowl-sunday Support School Counselors During National School Counseling Week – February 7-11, 2022
School counselors have a significant role in student’s lives, making impacts on school and future success. Having worked as a school-based therapist for more than 10 years in the public-school systems, I have a tremendous appreciation for school counselors. Minnesota-school-counselors have some of the greatest demands compared to other schools in the nation. Did you know that the national averages are 1 school counselor per 470 students? Data from The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) research state ratios report revealed that Minnesota’s school counselor to student ratio was one of the worst in the nation at 1 counselor per 734 students! This far exceeds the ASCA recommendations of 1 counselor per 250 students. Check out some of the things you might find a school counselor doing:
Please take time this week to thank a school counselor who has been an impact in your life. A special note to school counselors, we would love to fill your bucket to help provide support in a therapeutic space. As you care for others, we also CARE about you. If you or someone you know is struggling we urge you to reach out for help. CARE Counseling, offers one hour talk therapy services in Minnesota for all ages. You can schedule online by visiting care-clinics.com or by calling (612)223-8898. We’re Here to helpOur wellness experts will be happy to take care of you. You can CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment now or call (612)223-8898. Meet CliniciansWe’re united by our commitment to providing effective, relevant, and innovative mental health support at all stages of your journey. Click Here to find out more about who we are, where we come from, and how we live out CARE’s mission every day. The professionals at CARE are actively collecting and creating resources to help with what you need. We’re Here for You. from https://care-clinics.com/support-school-counselors-during-national-school-counseling-week/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/support-school-counselors-during-national-school-counseling-week |
AuthorHello its me Lisa Johnson i am 32 years old from Mission, TX. I am professional family therapist and i also deals in adult therapy and children’s therapy. Archives
April 2023
Categories |