What resolutions have you thought about making this new year? The new year is a great time to take stock, reevaluate goals, and take positive action to resolve unsettled concerns or to work on improved wellbeing. It’s also a great time to begin counseling! Whether you’ve benefitted from counseling in the past or are considering... Continue Reading →
In the first blog of this series, we explored how Getting Our Bodies Back by Chrstine Cadlwell brings awareness to our bodies and how incorporating our bodies is essential to our wellbeing. Our bodies carry stories, adaptations, and wisdom shaped by living experience. In the following post, we will explore the Moving Cycle, which is... Continue Reading →
In mental health, the primary focus is often placed on the mind, our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Yet this causes us to overlook the powerful role the body plays in our mental health. Our bodies are constantly communicating with us through sensations, tension, and movement, offering important clues about where emotions may be held or... Continue Reading →
Hello, I am new here at Olive Branch Counseling Associates. I have the privilege to conduct my undergrad internship here and learn from whom I believe are the best counselors in the area. I currently attend Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights as an accelerated senior. If you have not heard, my beloved College is... Continue Reading →
In a society that enforces positivity and Good Vibes Only and Stay Positive, it makes it difficult to make room for emotions that are seen as "unpleasant," “bad,” or “unwanted. Susan David's TED Talk. “The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage” offers profound insights into why embracing all of our emotions, not just the good... Continue Reading →
Part 3: Writing for Strength - How Positive Psychology Uses Writing to Build Well-Being Welcome to the final part in our series on therapeutic writing. Parts 1 and 2 explored how writing helps us process difficult emotions and make sense of our life story. Part 3 focuses on writing for self-development. Positive psychology writing exercises... Continue Reading →
Grief is a complicated and complex process that often shows up in subtle, unconscious emotions and, at other times, in more direct, noticeable ways. A feeling that can linger is guilt. Guilt can be confusing, heavy, and isolating. Yet guilt in grief is common, and understanding it can be an important step to understanding your... Continue Reading →
Part 2: Different Ways to Write - From Emotional Expression to Life Stories Welcome to Part 2 of this series on the therapeutic benefits of writing. In Part 1, we explored why writing heals. We learned that it can help us process emotions, regulate thought, and gain perspective. In Part 2, we’ll consider how writing... Continue Reading →
Part 1: Writing Can Heal - Understanding the Therapeutic Power of Putting Words on Paper In my recent blog, Handwriting Literally Rewires Your Brain, I explained how the process of handwriting can enhance comprehension, increase recall of information, sharpen cognition, and literally, reshape the brain. In this new 3-part blog series, I will expand on... Continue Reading →
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