No one is immune to experiencing stress, trauma, or other challenging situations that shakes our foundation of safety and security. Reflecting on the last year, many have experienced serious medical and mental health problems or have been impacted by conditions affecting loved ones. Stressors affecting finances and relationships have been prevalent. Suffering is inevitable as it is part of the human condition. Yet during times suffering, there can also be tremendous growth through healing and rebuilding. One of my favorite strengths is resiliency. Despite all the challenges that people face, resiliency can help give strength to overcome hardship. “The process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress” is how psychologists define resilience. One of the awesome CARE Vault Resources is the 4’s of Resiliency https://care-clinics.com/the-four-ss-of-resiliency/ This strategy can be used to help reflect on past events that were challenging for you and identify the supportive people, strategies, sagacity “sage advice” and solutions that have been helpful. As we enter the winter months and holiday season, this strategy can also be utilized as a proactive measure to create a Resiliency Plan. This is something that can be created with your therapist as you prepare to enter into a challenging season of life. Here is How to Get Started: 1. Identify Supportive People Think about people that you can count on, those who can help support you during times of difficulty. Make sure that you have their current contact information accessible in your phone. If you are struggling to identify supportive family or friends, add in the names of professional supports. This includes your local crisis number or hotlines. Mental Health Crisis Services: Call **CRISIS (274747) or Text: MN to 741741 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 2. Identify Coping Strategies Think about what strategies have helped in the past to figure out what would be effective in the future. Some examples include relaxation, distraction, self-soothing strategies, mindfulness, and finding an outlet to process emotions. 3. Sagacity “Sage Advice” or “Words of Wisdom” Write down saying that are meaningful to you. They can come from a loved one, a poet or author, psychologist, spiritual leader, etc. Think about words and insight that is meaningful and personalized to you. Try keeping a journal of inspirational quotes that you can go back to during times of struggle. 4. Solution Seeking Write down some possible solutions that can help get through challenging situations. Perhaps exploring options with one of your supportive persons may lead to asking questions that reveal possible solutions. Maybe learning new skills can help if you are searching for new strategies. What about creating an action plan? 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/the-4-ss-of-resiliency/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/the-4-ss-of-resiliency
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Who needs a little extra tender loving care during the holiday season?Can you think of something who is a bit “pricky”? Maybe their attitude is not very attractive.
What about those who are isolated and feeling lonely? Older adults can be especially prone to loneliness.
Is there a friendship that you have cherished but have found yourself too busy lately to have any meaningful connection?
Does your relationship with your parents, sibling(s), or child/ children need a little extra attending to?
Spending some extra focused attention on you, your pet(s), and/ or taking care of your plants…A little CARE can go a long way to increasing wellness and growth. The results can transform to something beautiful. This blog was inspired by a classic movie, “A Charlie-Brown-Christmas”. 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.
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from https://care-clinics.com/who-needs-a-little-extra-tender-loving-care-during-the-holiday-season/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/who-needs-a-little-extra-tender-loving-care-during-the-holiday-season NAMED THE FACE OF COUNSELING BY MPLS | ST. PAUL MAGAZINE![]() ![]()
Leading transformations throughout the mental healthcare industry, CARE Counseling is set apart because we invest in each individual clinician. Ensuring CARE counselors have excellent training and authentic experiences means our retention rate was an amazing 94% for 2020. CARE Counseling is woman-owned and woman-operated–a core pillar of our business model. Since 80% of healthcare workers are women, yet fewer than 20% of women hold key leadership roles in the industry, CARE is flipping the script by demanding leadership equity for women in all facets of the organization. To our clients, CARE clinicians are the experts in talk therapy, speaking the truth: “Because, adulting is hard.” The value of having a professional bear witness to your story is preciously what humanity requires. CARE Counseling can help. Click Here to see all the FACES OF MINNEAPOLIS | ST. PAUL 2020 from https://care-clinics.com/named-the-face-of-counseling-by-mpls-st-paul-magazine-for-2nd-year-in-a-row/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/named-the-face-of-counseling-by-mpls-st-paul-magazine-for-2nd-year-in-a-row Communication in Therapy
Who was your early role model for behavior? For most people, it was a parent or primary caretaker. Young children learn through observation and imitating responses within play and language. They may “pretend” to do similar things as grownups such as “dress up” or “go to work”. Children pick up on language used within the home. They may show similar emotional responses such as fear and even display similar personality-traits. Of course, there are also other important factors as the environment and genetics as these both shape personality. As children get older, parents continue to play importance as role models. As adults, the things that we pay special attention to and remember, as well at the behavioral patterns that we learn and are reinforced tend to be most prominent. Understanding social (or observational) learning and social-learning-theory can help clients in therapy by exploring how environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence learning and behavioral patterns into adulthood. According to social learning theory, we do not learn solely be reward and punishment but by observing and imitating others. Attention, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement are four behavioral and cognitive processes that are part of social learning. Here is an example of how these concepts may be applied in therapy. Let’s say you and your partner struggle with communication. One partner tends to shut down and avoid conflict whereas the other becomes reactive. In individual therapy, you may explore the influence of early attachment figures and social learning to better understand relational dynamics. You may also focus on learning new skills in individual and/ or family therapy such as effective communication skills. The therapist may start off by utilizing psychoeducation to provide information about communication skills and model specific skills such as active listening for the individual or couple to practice during and outside of session. These are then reinforcement by positive reinforcement such as praise. Over time, with practice and repetition new communication patterns can be learned. It is exciting to know that new skills can always be learned (or re-learned). 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/communication-in-therapy/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/communication-in-therapy Journaling with CARE Counseling
During the holiday season, you will most likely be observing behaviors of your family and friends and may begin to reflect more on how these experiences have shaped your sense of self. Journaling can be a helpful tool to help you reflect your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. While this may be something to consider on your own, it can be especially powerful as part of the therapeutic process. Here are some prompts to get your started. You might pick one of two to start and bring these to therapy to explore further.
Taking some time for inner reflection through journaling is a great practice that can help with prioritizing your needs. By reflecting on emotions, thoughts, and behavioral patterns, you can gain insight into next steps on your journey. Happy journaling, CARE 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/journaling-with-care-counseling/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/journaling-with-care-counseling Creating a Calming Corner
Getting Started: You do not need to have a large space. A small corner, closet or entire room may be used, creating a mini room within a room such as using drapes for adults or a play tent/ fort area for children is another option. The corner can then be customized to meet the specific needs of the individual who will be using the space. Add lights: Twinkling white string lights, a soft lamp, a calming LED light projector, or colorful calming light in your favorite color are options. Some people may also opt for total darkness. Add items to sit, lie down, and/ or relax. For example:
Add sensory calming features for senses of sound and smell
Add supplies to keep hands busy and serve as a distraction
Add supplies to eat/ drink
You may also want to add visually pleasing items that you enjoy looking at such as plants or artwork. Bonus: Some of these ideas may also serve as gift options! A calming corner is a great strategy that is used as a resource to be used whenever a break is needed to help with self-regulation. It is not to be used as a punishment, but rather a tool that is available when experiencing strong emotions and needing a break to calm. 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/creating-a-calming-corner/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/creating-a-calming-corner Emotions are Contagious
As I think about significant relationships that have been part of my life, I am drawn to those who bring out the best in me. It feels good to be around others who are happy and positive. I feel a renewed sense of energy to support, encourage, and motivate. We can laugh together, cry together, and share in the highs and lows in life. It does not feel so good to be around those who bring you down. It can feel emotionally draining to be constantly responding to the “fires” of drama and chaos that can result from emotional instability, recklessness, and self-sabotaging behaviors. I have intentionally created good boundaries for those whose I would consider “toxic” and add to the negativity that disrupts the flow of positivity and gratitude. I often hear from friends, family, and clients that they are cutting out “toxic” people from their life as they are working on bettering their own mental health. One big factor is that emotions are contagious and there is a desire to be around positive energy within friendships. Can emotions REALLY be contagious? Yes. Researchers call this emotional-contagion. Emotional contagion occurs when one begins to mimic the emotions and expressions of those that they surround themselves with. This happens naturally, usually without conscious effort. When my friends are celebrating important milestones, or even just simple daily pleasures I share in their excitement. When they are suffering, I feel their pain. When they smile, I also find myself smiling. When I am in the company of misery, I start to feel miserable. When living with or spending considerable time with someone who is [anxious, depressed, angry, etc.] I can be hard to stay immune. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Do you have good friends that you seek to surround yourself with? Are you able to laugh, have fun, and enjoy the people and things that are currently present in your life? How are friends responding to your emotional energy? What are your emotional expressions saying about you? Are you spreading positivity or negativity? 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/emotions-are-contagious/ from https://careclinics.weebly.com/blog/emotions-are-contagious |
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
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