Counseling & Coaching
Self-care topics have never been more popular on social media platforms, but many influencers share tips and advice that they aren’t qualified to give. This misleads their followers, acting as an ineffective replacement for real self-care practices. Toxic self-care tips may tell us we need to cancel plans or take…
Manipulation can come from a lot of sources, but it hurts most when it comes from our loved ones. Intimate partners with dark personality traits may use a variety of subversive tactics to exercise control and achieve their own goals. Gaslighting, emotional blackmail, and the weaponization of love can all…
You probably don’t think twice about turning on the news or reading the latest stories online about what’s happening in the world. But did you know that too much news exposure can seriously harm your mental health and wellbeing? People are consuming more media than ever before. Even before COVID,…
According to Mental Health America (MHA), women experience depression about twice as often as men. That said, several studies and surveys have also shown that men are less likely to seek help for things like depression—which might create a false idea that women are more likely to struggle with this mental health problem. The…
Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hello. My name is Laney Stenquist. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Therapist. I work at the Thriveworks location in Alexandria, Virginia. I am here to answer a question and the question is, “is it normal to have a meltdown amid COVID-19?” Short…
Food cravings can strike at any moment, leaving you with an important decision: to give in or to conquer those cravings. It’s okay to indulge, but if you’d rather defeat those food cravings, there are a few important strategies that can help you do so, of which involve transforming your…
When we find ourselves in frustrating situations, we might experience an emotional meltdown, which results from difficult feelings. Fortunately, there are healthy ways to respond to an emotional meltdown, of which include understanding one’s frustrations, tuning into one’s physical self, and breathing. If you’re feeling frustrated and on the verge…
Traumatic stress leaves you feeling terrible. When you’re experiencing traumatic stress, your body tenses and gives in to physiological changes that can lead to digestive issues and headaches. When children experience this kind of overwhelming emotion, it limits their ability to engage positively in learning. Curiosity is a result of…
One of the most powerful ways to express oneself involves taking pen to paper or fingers to keyboard as emotions spill out. For people seeking mental health treatment, journaling their thoughts is often a lifeline. I was spending time with a client not too long ago, and I felt myself…
Matt opens the fridge for a beer after a long day. He has an overwhelming desire for the good feeling that the first sip brings him. It’s an urge that doesn’t assist Matt down the road, as it is harmful to his well-being and the relationships that mean the most…
One of my past clients had a history of bullying back in high school. He said that terrifying other kids was one of the few times he felt empowered and tough. This particular client was abused by his father, and in order to alleviate the pain he felt, he took…
The majority of us aren’t too comfortable with our emotions, which can be accredited to being raised in a society scared to show our feelings. We aren’t properly instructed on the biology of emotions and the brain. And as much as we’re told that we should monitor and regulate our…