Completing the Stress Cycle
Jennifer Acker , M.A.
Strategies to Manage Symptoms of Depression
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
Living with depression can be incredibly challenging, but there are effective strategies that can make a significant difference in managing its symptoms. First, establishing a routine can provide stability and a sense of control, which can be helpful with...
How to Support Emotional Regulation in Your Teens
Jessica Gross , M.A.
What is emotional regulation you might ask? Emotional regulation is the “ability to exert control over one’s own emotional state.” It is quite common for teens to struggle with emotional dysregulation due to the flood of hormones rushing through...
Thriving Through Seasons: Navigating Emotions and Goals at Work
Jason Howard , M.A.
As winter blooms into spring, and spring turns to summer, the world awakens with vibrant energy and numerous possibilities. Beyond the chirping birds and blooming flowers lies a business landscape ripe for growth. As a former sales and marketing...
Five Quick Tools to Alleviate Stress at Work
Jason Howard , M.A.
In today’s fast-paced work environment, it’s crucial to have quick and effective strategies to alleviate stress. Below are five tools you can use in around ten minutes to improve your mental health during a work break, starting with STOP,...
Preparing for Finals
Maddie McGarrah , M.Ed.
As finals are approaching, it is a common time where students might get overly stressed and burnt out. Here are some tips to help prevent burnout and reduce stress. Since this is a higher-pressure time, it’s unreasonable to think...
Embracing Connection: A Guide to Overcoming Holiday Loneliness
Alexa Mellman , M.S.W.
The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy, warmth, and togetherness. However, for many, it can also be a period of intense loneliness. Whether you’re physically distant from loved ones, coping with loss, or simply feeling...
Self-Esteem and Self-Actualization versus the Transcendent Self
Alice D. Hoag , Ed.D.
In my counseling practice, I am often asked about the importance of a healthy self-esteem, and how to get a “better” one: “My performance (in school, in sports, in social situations) suffers because I don’t have enough self-confidence. How...
A Hole in Your Heart: Living with Grief and Loss
Alice D. Hoag , Ed.D.
I was talking with a client the other day, let’s call her Julie (not her real name), about the recent loss of a relationship which had affected her deeply. Our conversation went something like this: Me: The final stage of...
Resiliency for Adults
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
Resiliency can be a buzzword for many. What does it mean? Well, Webster defines resiliency as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to adversity or change.” In counseling, we look at things like resiliency factors for our...
Rethinking Emotions
“I feel too much. That’s what’s going on.’ ‘Do you think one can feel too much? Or just feel in the wrong ways?’ ‘My insides don’t match up with my outsides.’ ‘Do anyone’s insides and outsides match up?’ ‘I...
Caring for Yourself
We constantly hear about self-care and how important it is. At times you may hear about it so much that it just becomes cliché’. So how important is self-care really? I say, very. According to the National Institute of...
Help to Control Test Anxiety
When a big test is coming up it is normal to feel nervous, especially if you know that the test is going to count for a huge percentage of your final grade. When we feel anxious, we may experience...
Burnout: Maintaining a Healthy Work Life Amidst Pandemic-Level Stress
Bailey Smith , M.Ed.
One result of the ongoing pandemic is an increase in the number of workers reporting burnout. It’s not just the frontline doctors and nurses who are reporting increased levels of burnout at work; it’s teachers, school counselors, restaurant workers,...
Stress vs. Anxiety
Many people in their daily lives deal with both stress and anxiety, but what is the difference between the two? Stress is generally a response to an external issue, such as taking an exam or having a busy-scheduled day....
Reclaiming 2022 – Part I: Control
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
We have experienced two long years with 2020 and 2021. I remember when 2020 started. I thought the biggest part of my year was turning 40, having no idea I would experience events that would forever change our lives....
Stress on Kids During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise in March 2020. It was a new journey for everyone. Parents had to wear many hats during this time- full-time parent, teacher, and employee. We had nationwide lockdowns, schools became virtual,...
Coping With Back-to-School Anxiety: Back to School Checklist for Parents
Going back to school can be anxiety provoking for many children. These 12 steps can help with reducing feelings of anxiety and help your child feel prepared and less anxious about starting the school year. One week before school...
Managing Stress: Part 2 – Know Your Limits
Kate Smith , M.A.
Today’s society seems to value being busy, sometimes even overwhelmingly so. Do you know someone who tells you about all the places they had to go in one day? All the errands they ran, going back and forth because...
Managing Stress: Part 1 – Getting Organized
Kate Smith , M.A.
Stress can be difficult to manage. We try to make time for things we enjoy, like hobbies, spending time with friends and family, or traveling. But even those activities can be stressful when our schedules are already packed. Sometimes...