Counseling for individuals, couples, adults and teens in Crystal Lake, Algonquin and McHenry County,
I consider emotionally healthy living as understanding who our authentic self is, identifying the negative thoughts we have of ourselves and transforming it into positive truths, reprocessing painful/traumatic experiences and living as an integrated person. On the topic of emotionally healthy living…here are a couple of quotes and concepts I refer to frequently. Here […]
The term “dysfunctional family” has been thrown around alot, joked about, but not always taken seriously or understood. At it’s base, it is a family in which there is invalidation, neglect, and often some form of abuse. The children can be negated, put down, ignored and not raised to their full potential. There is […]
I get asked…how can I do what I do? Don’t I get tired of peoples’ problems? Actually no. When I sit down with someone, I feel like each person is a puzzle, with a new combination I need to figure out: who they are, what they need and where they are stuck. I think everybody’s […]
This story of a Chinese farmer reflects that perspective and attitude is everything. (An old Chinese proberb story) A farmer and his son had a beloved horse who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbours exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe […]
5 SIGNS YOU’RE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A NARCISSIST (This post is from the Amen Clinics, October 16, 2019, and not my original copy. Please see the link at the end of this article.) Is someone in your life constantly bragging in their social media posts, exaggerating about everything, and talking about all the […]
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), can cause people to be stuck and overwhelmed by the thoughts and feelings that occur from trauma that has occurred in the past. It can either be a “Big T” (a huge trauma) but life can also bring many “small t’s” (smaller, accumulative traumas) that can similarly have a devastating […]
When is it time to consider a medication? While my preference is to try counseling and practical tools first, then natural/dietary and supplemental approaches second, there are times when a prescribed medication is needed. Professional help can take two forms. One is in therapy, either individual, couples or family therapy, to sort through […]
