Therapy can be an effective treatment for mental and emotional problems. But in order to reap its benefits, it’s important to choose the right therapist—someone you trust who makes you feel cared for and has the experience to help you make changes for the better in your life. A good therapist helps you to become stronger and more self-aware. But your therapist cannot do the work for you. In order to make the most of your sessions, you must be an active participant.

How therapy and counseling can help

Talking about your thoughts and feelings with a supportive person makes you feel better. It can be very healing, in and of itself, to voice your worries or talk about something that’s weighing on your mind. And it feels good to be listened to—to know that someone else cares about you and wants to help.

It can be very helpful to talk about your problems to close friends and family members. But sometimes, we need help that the people around us aren’t able to provide. When you need extra support, an outside perspective, or some expert guidance, talking to a therapist or counselor can help. While the support of friends and family is important, therapy is different. Therapists are professionally-trained listeners who can help you get to the root of your problems, overcome emotional challenges, and make positive changes in your life.

You don’t have to be diagnosed with a mental health problem to benefit from therapy. Many people in therapy seek help for everyday concerns: relationship problems, job stress, anxiety or self-doubt, for example. Others turn to therapy during difficult times, such as a divorce.

The persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest that characterizes major depression can lead to a range of emotional and physical conditions. These include inability to sleep or concentrate on tasks. Changes in appetite, decreased energy level, and thoughts of suicide are also seen.

People may experience:

Mood: anxiety, apathy, general discontent, guilt, hopelessness, inability to feel pleasure, loss of interest, mood swings, or sadness

Sleep: early awakening, excess sleepiness, insomnia, or restless sleep

Whole body: excessive hunger, fatigue, loss of appetite, or restlessness

Behavioral: agitation, excessive crying, irritability, or social isolation

Cognitive: lack of concentration, slowness in activity and thought, or thoughts of suicide

Weight: weight gain or weight loss
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Also common: poor appetite or repeatedly going over thoughts

Kim G. Sherman, MA, LCPC at Des Plaines Wellness located in Des Plaines, Illinois offers a multitude of Person-Centered Therapy services available, assisting individuals, couples and families in need of guidance, direction and support through life transitions as well as mental health issues.

If you’ve had a traumatic experience, you may be struggling with disturbing emotions, frightening memories or a sense that something bad is going to happen. You might also feel numb, disconnected and unable to trust others. Emotional trauma results from extremely stressful events that shatter your sense of security, leaving you feeling helpless and vulnerable.
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an outcome of psychological trauma. This can happen when someone has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to his or her own physical integrity. In PTSD, the person responds with intense fear, helplessness or horror. (Children may respond with disorganized or agitated behavior.)
People with PTSD may re-experience the trauma through flashbacks or recurring nightmares. They may avoid people, places or things that remind them of the stressful event. People with PTSD may also experience some of these symptoms:

• Efforts to avoid the thoughts, feelings, places or people associated with the trauma
• Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
• Marked decrease in interest in significant activities
• Feeling estranged from others
• Unable to love or have other feelings
• Feelings of doom
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Outbursts of anger
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling overanxious
• Exaggerated startle response

Contact Kim G. Sherman, LCPC at Des Plaines Wellness today for Sexual Assault & Abuse Treatment Recovery.

Professional counseling is a mental health field that it focuses on helping individuals, couples and families with a variety of problems, and focuses solely on counseling. One of the main functions of a professional counselor is to work with client's to help identify goals and potential solutions to problems causing emotional turmoil.

Professional counselors work to improve communication and coping skills, increase self-esteem and promote behavior change and the mental health of their clients, according to the American Counseling Association.

What are the differences between a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)? 

This is a distinction based on schooling. An LCPC is a person who received a Master's degree in psychology, whereby an LCSW is a person who received a Masters degree in social work.

There are many different types of anxiety disorders—and many effective treatments and self-help strategies. Once you understand your anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to reduce your symptoms and regain control of your life.
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If you identify with several of the following signs and symptoms, and they just won’t go away, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder:

• Are you constantly tense, worried, or on edge?
• Does your anxiety interfere with your work, school, or family responsibilities?
• Are you plagued by fears that you know are irrational, but can’t shake?
• Do you believe that something bad will happen if certain things aren’t done a certain way?
• Do you avoid everyday situations or activities because they cause you anxiety?
• Do you experience sudden, unexpected attacks of heart-pounding panic?
• Do you feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner?

A variety of medications, including benzodiazepines and antidepressants, are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. But medication is most effective when combined with behavioral therapy and anxiety self-help strategies. Medication may sometimes be used in the short-term to relieve severe anxiety symptoms so that other forms of therapy can be pursued.

Here is a good article that discusses how to make your relationship work by following these 5 basic principles.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201203/5-principles-effective-couples-therapy

Kim G. Sherman, MA, LCPC at Des Plaines Wellness located in Des Plaines, Illinois offers a multitude of Person-Centered Therapy services available, assisting individuals, couples and families in need of guidance, direction and support through life transitions as well as mental health issues.

When you feel stress, your body secretes hormones called adrenaline and cortisone which lead to an increase in blood pressure, high blood sugar levels and in the worst case may lead to major organ damage. So, it is important to fight against stress before it bogs you down.

Here's a list of some of the effective natural stress reducers:

Music Therapy
Outdoor Walking
Meditation
Massage
Sleep Well
Exercise
Eating Habits
No Social Networking or Cellphones
Laugh Out Loud, Smile

Some good tips for improving your mental health in 2016!

http://metro.co.uk/2015/12/30/20-new-years-resolutions-for-better-mental-health-in-2016-5592329/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-improve-mental-health_56684e10e4b0f290e52154ba