Northeast Psychological Wellness

Celebrating the holiday season can be difficult for those who have lost loved ones, particularly if the loss happened shortly before the holidays. But there are ways to manage the mourning process and nurture your own mental well-being during this difficult time of year. Here are a few suggestions to help handle grief and, hopefully, spend some time commemorating the lives and memories of absent loved ones during the holiday season. Don’t try to get away from grief or happiness Grief is a natural part of healing, according to a piece in Inc. magazine. Trying to avoid it entirely during …

While formal stay-at-home orders are largely in the rearview mirror, many reopening processes have been slow-moving. Mask mandates have returned in some areas, making some people anxious about heading to stores or workplaces. Additionally, the lack of social connection during quarantine has many people feeling uncertain as they reengage with people in their community. For many, it seems like re-entering the world is going to be challenging. However, by using the right strategies, you can boost your confidence, allowing you to relaunch your life with greater ease. If you aren’t sure where to begin, Northeast Psychological Wellness offers some tips. Commit to …

The coronavirus global pandemic has generated additional stress on our bodies, making it difficult for us to manage daily life tasks. Our bodies have become storehouses for unresolved and dysregulated emotions. The psychological and emotional weight of loneliness, anxiety, depression, grief and loss continue to threaten our body’s healthy biological and behavioral processes. When left unaddressed, these emotions can become toxic to both our physical and emotional health.  During these difficult times, it is essential to remember that our emotions matter, and we are not alone. The following coping strategies provide practical steps to lessen the stress and emotional weights we have …

The term body image refers to the mental picture an individual creates of their own body. Body image is not about how a person looks. It has to do with how a person feels about their appearance. For some of us, that mental picture may or may not align with the reality of our appearance. Thus, any misalignments in perception is called a distortion. Body image distortions occur based on several external and internal factors. External factors include: culture, our friends and families’ opinions, verbal, and non-verbal expressions about our physical appearance, and media’s portrayal of the perfect body. In addition, …

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functioning and activities within our daily lives. This is especially true for children who have had to quickly transition to remote learning. With social distancing, remote learning, and homeschooling, those in quarantine have reported experiencing irritability, anxiety, fear, frustration, boredom, confusion, anger, loneliness, helplessness, and insomnia. Since children and teens are also adjusting to the new reality of spending more time at home and engaging in fewer social interactions with their peers, the stress of these changes could impact their relationships, academic performance, communication skills, and overall well-being. Parents/guardians may notice changes in …

What is teletherapy? Teletherapy (also known as virtual therapy, video therapy, telehealth, e-therapy, web therapy, distance therapy, online therapy, or e-counseling) has not always been the norm. However, our world changed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are multiple benefits of teletherapy. For example, accessing mental health services is much easier. In fact, one can do so within the comfort of their own home using an electronic device such as a laptop or smartphone. After all, if we’re able to pay bills and take classes online, why not get therapy online? Imagine how drastically your life …

There are different types of anxiety disorders that are important to understand. They vary depending on the specific situations or objects that cause anxiety or fear. Anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with each other, which means that one individual can have more than one type of anxiety disorder at the same time. Most anxiety disorders develop during childhood and may persist into adulthood if left untreated. Having a general idea of which situations cause you anxiety, based on the distinctions below, can be helpful when seeking treatment. Like anxiety disorders, not all clinicians are the same. Therefore, if you have …

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a well-researched and highly effective behavioral therapy for young children (ages 2-8) with behavioral problems, such as noncompliance, opposition, defiance, and aggression. PCIT includes the child as well as the parents/guardians in treatment. The treatment is conducted in two phases. The first phase focuses on improving the parent-child interaction through various positive reinforcement techniques. The second phase of treatment teaches the parents/guardians specific skills to improve their child’s compliance and effectively and consistently manage behavioral difficulties.  By learning specific techniques, caregivers can build a better relationship with their child, and the child may start to …

Psychodynamic therapy aims to delve beneath the surface of a client’s current symptoms or problems, such as ongoing conflict with a partner or general sadness about one’s present life situation, to uncover the deeper underlying issues and events that may contribute to those problems. It is the belief among psychodynamic therapists that a client’s current problems are, at least in part, a reflection of some unconscious drives (e.g., desires or fears). These unconscious drives are presumed to be related to an individual’s early life experiences, and they continue to affect present-day functioning. Psychodynamic therapy utilizes talk therapy to identify the …