Mental Health Blog: Mindful Insights
Suicide Awareness
By: Carol Briggs, Clinical InternSeptember is suicide prevention month. Suicide doesn’t just impact individuals, its effects stretch to families, schools, and communities. With all of life’s added stressors and traumas, we’ve seen suicide rates rise. We must all play...
National Recovery Month
By: Carol Briggs, Clinical InternIn the world of mental wellness and recovery, September is marked as the month to educate people about substance use and the mental health services that improve the lives of individuals and families. It is also an...
Women’s Equality Day
By: Carol Briggs, Clinical Intern On August 26th we commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, however, Black women, some of the first suffragists, faced continued barriers to voting for decades...
Back to School with COVID-19
By: Carol Briggs, Clinical InternBack in March, we were all looking ahead with hope that by the end of summer, the pandemic would be over, and life would feel normal again. But here we are in August and our back-to-school planning looks a lot different than it did a...
The Role of Psychology in Genetic Counseling
My name is Lindsay and I am an upcoming senior at the University of Illinois studying Interdisciplinary Health Sciences with a minor in Psychology. This summer I am interning at Owens and Associates with the hopes of gaining more experience in counseling and...
Signs of Depression
Many people experience feelings of sadness once in a while, however, when these feelings don’t go away after an extended period of time this might mean you are experiencing clinical depression. Someone who is depressed may not even realize they have it. By...
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
By: Syd Schertzer There have been numerous accounts of death on behalf of a drunk or impaired driver. As a result, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was created as an organization designed to help spread awareness and to prevent further drunk driving incidents from...
Managing Holiday Stress – Part 2
Managing home, work, and social lives can be hard enough without adding in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Tension levels are often at their highest during the holidays which can increase the physical and emotional symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety....
What is ADHD?!
By: Rachel DeGrane Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the more well-known mental disorders. A person with ADHD has a brain that developed a little differently that the normal brain. The area of the brain that is most affected by ADHD is the...
Myths & Facts About Mental Illness
Myths & Facts About Mental Illness by Allison Hadley, Clinical Intern at Owens & Associates May is Mental Health Awareness Month! We’d like to celebrate this month by sharing with you a list of common of myths and facts about various mental illnesses to help...
Why Play Therapy Works
by Allison Hadley, Clinical Intern for Owens & Associates’ blog One of my favorite playtime memories is from when I was about 6- or 7-years old. I had always loved dogs, and I had a new favorite movie that just came out: Homeward Bound, the lovable story about two...
hi i’m sampson
Today's post is by our therapy dog Sampson. He wouldn't stop begging until I promised to post this interview with him and his friends at Fydoland. (he was the VIP - Very Important Puppy - of the week there, and pretty proud of it). He says he would've done it himself...
Lead with Love
Understanding is something we all crave, and those suffering from mental illness are no different. They don’t know how to explain what they are experiencing. Often they are asked what they have to be sad about, or someone battling anxiety is told to just "let it go"....
Redirecting Thoughts
I don’t know about you, but my mornings usually go something like this: ughhh. Snooze. Do I have to get out of bed today? Snooze. Crap. I really do have to get up now. Snooze. Oh, shoot I’m late!! I finally roll (or shoot out of bed depending on how many...
Slowing Down
In our fast-paced, productive-oriented culture it can be really challenging to take a break or slow down. Maybe there are feelings of guilt in the form of a nagging voice in your head saying, “you...
Connections
Sometimes we say things like, "This is probably for the best" when something is going wrong in our lives. I am here to tell you that you do not have to accept that what is happening in this moment is for the best. You just have to accept that it is happening....
Raise Your Vibe
Sometimes we say things like, "This is probably for the best" when something is going wrong in our lives. I am here to tell you that you do not have to accept that what is happening in this moment is for the best. You just have to accept that it is...
Setting Goals, Taking Action
What if you lived the same day over and over again? This is a reality for many of us, as we have developed habits and routines that can become monotonous and keep us stagnant. Routine when implemented with purpose, promotes motivation and helps us to achieve our...
2018: Giving Over Your Struggles
Who is losing weight for the new year? Quitting sugar? Doing a full body cleanse and eight day yoga challenge? Joining an iron man competition? Do not worry if you are not doing any of those things! I am not here to push them! If you are doing any of those...
I Am Still Learning
This Therapy Thursday is brought to you by Alan Tsang, Clinical Intern. “Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement. I’m still learning, for learning is boundless.” – Bruce Lee Throughout my time here at Owens & Associates, I...
Mood Boosters
Mood Boosters I’m a huge advocate of self-care and I think it needs to be a part of every person’s routine. I am also aware that it can sometimes be difficult to go to an hour (or longer) yoga class or take time away from your family to read a good book for 30...
A Sad State of Affairs
A Sad State of Affairs By Jon Difatta LPC, CDVP, PAIP Studies have shown that 1 out of 2 marriages will end in divorce. No one gets married thinking they will be part of that statistic. But yet, this cycle persists. I counsel couples experiencing difficulties...
Social Media – Helping or Hurting?
Social Media: Helping or Hurting? By Brandy Hanson, LPC The original concept for the purpose of social media was to bring people together. And it did. Social media made communicating with family and friends anywhere in the world instantaneously possible. People...
It’s Pride Month!
This post is brought to you by Heather Holly, MA, Clinical Intern: This month is LGBT pride month, a month dedicated to celebrating and promoting equal rights and acceptance for all. Pride month means many things to many people, but one part of pride month is...
Do You Want Peace?
This post is brought to you by Elizabeth Cermak, LCPC: “I want the peace of God.” A Course in Miracles Lesson 185 Do you want peace? A Course in Miracles says that to SAY the above words is nothing. “But to mean these words is everything.” Remember you can substitute...
Choosing STAR Instead of Scream
This post is brought to you by Shannon Olson, LSCW: Tempers are flaring everywhere, and, it seems, patience is wearing thin. Whether it's a long rant on social media, people fighting on a plane, or frustration with a partner or child, a few skills can really go a...
A Reminder About May
This post is brought to you by Shannon Olson, LSCW. May begins the month with May Day, which began in 1886 when laborers gathered to demand 8 hour work days. Leading up to that protest laborers were being forced to work ten, twelve even sixteen hour days, or risk...
The Importance of Communication and Listening
This post is brought to you by Shannon Olson, LSCW. Relationships are vital to our existence and when they aren't going well our joy can be difficult to find. Two things that seem to impact our relationships deeply are communication and listening. I liken...
The Strength Behind Asking for Help
Robert Allanson, LPC, CADC wrote this wonderful post for his personal blog and has given us permission to share it with you all: I have a friend, Larry, who seems to constantly get the flu. I can’t stand it because when he gets sick he decides that he is going to...
A lesson in “Self Care”
Today I have chosen to share a blog post that one of my colleagues, Elizabeth Cermak. Elizabeth originally wrote this for her personal blog. After reading what she wrote, I was granted permission to repost it here on the Owens & Associates blog. I hope you find...
What is the Point of Play Therapy?
This post is brought to you by Shannon Olson, LCSW: What is the point of play therapy? The short answer? The point is to communicate with a child in a language they know. As human beings we are not born speaking in full sentences, rather our vocabulary is built over...
Acceptance!
Acceptance Acceptance is a gift we can give to ourselves. We often struggle with wishing we had made a different choice. Or, sometimes wishing our partner was different - maybe just a little nicer, a little more attentive, a little less pre-occupied. All the...
Closing the year 2016!
The end of another year. This is often the time when we begin thinking of the New Year and we begin the arduous task of creating “New Year’s resolutions. Asking ourselves what we want to have different moving forward can be an exercise in good mental health. However,...
The Importance of Self-Care
We talk to our clients a lot about the importance of balance in our lives in order for us as individuals to be happy and function effectively. Self-care is a crucial component in finding that balance. What does self-care look like? Well, self-care looks different for...
The Power of Music
A friend recently reintroduced me to a song from long ago. It brought back emotions and memories and I found myself contemplating the power that music has on our lives. How music brings us back to times in our life where we were excited and full of hope or burdened...
Want a Clean Break?
Starting on January 18th, 2017, Elizabeth Cermak, LCPC, NCC will guide you through a four week hypnotherapy course to help you quit smoking! The group will be held from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at 1118 E. Main Street- St. Charles, 60174 REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY JANUARY...
The Concept of Change
The purpose of a good counselor is to support change. By traveling with our client on a journey, teaching skills, or encouraging the journey itself. The concept of change is often discussed in counseling and therapy. Change makes me think of butterflies. Consider the...