Beyond Cramps and Cravings: Understanding the Difference Between Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Throughout history, the medical field has had a complicated and often contradictory relationship with reproductive mental health. While accounts of symptoms related to the menstrual cycle date back to ancient times, their existence was often met with irrational skepticism. Mood fluctuations were frequently attributed to a wandering uterus or the toxic and healing properties of…

Flexibility of the Mind: The Present of Presence

In Part 1 of this webzine series, we defined psychological flexibility, asked some hard-hitting questions to see if we lean more toward psychological inflexibility, and began to explore how our thoughts, feelings, and ongoing pursuit of happiness may leave us feeling disconnected from what matters to us most – here, right now. If you need…

Myth Busting Grief and Taking Ownership of Your Healing

Grief can be one of the heaviest experiences, and it is often experienced as a myriad of emotions. In my experience of working with people who are navigating grief, I have discovered that they often are not well-equipped to cope with grief, through no fault of their own. Grief is a subject that is frequently…

How Psychological Flexibility Can Help You Live Your Best Life

  When you hear the word flexible, what comes to mind? A quick Google Image search will show you pictures of people in yoga pants posing in various positions, stretching and lengthening their limbs and bodies. We often associate the word flexible with exactly this – the body. What we don’t usually consider in this…

Preventive Measures for Seasonal Depression

What is seasonal depression (seasonal affective disorder)? As the end of January arrives, we find ourselves in the doldrums of winter. The winter blues are a common experience for many people living in certain climates, and the lack of sunlight, limited time outside, and potential disdain for cold weather create the perfect winter storm that…

Seasonal Depression – Is it more than just the winter blues?

For some, the change in season from fall to winter is a welcome one––the air is crisp, the snow is beautiful, winter sports season begins, the world quiets. Others experience a shift in their mood, perhaps feeling sadder or more tired or more withdrawn than usual. And for some, the intensity and severity of the…

Negative Automatic Thoughts: How to Reframe Them and Take Back Your Power

Source: Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash What are automatic thoughts? Automatic thoughts are something you may or may not be aware of when going about your daily life. These come up when your mind naturally takes in stimuli throughout your day and makes an attempt to interpret that information. There tend to be many…

Therapist Spotlight: Hillary Urban, PsyD, PMH-C

As a psychotherapist, Hillary believes therapy should be a collaborative process and considers her clients to be experts on themselves. Hillary is passionate about working with adolescents and adults with a variety of presentations, including anxiety, mood disorders, personality disorders, psychosis, and trauma. Hillary obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Michigan State…

Therapist Spotlight: Elizabeth Aljets, MA, LCPC

Elizabeth is a psychotherapist and works with individuals and couples who are looking to make meaningful change in their life, whatever that means for them. Elizabeth has clinical experience in working with anxiety, depression, struggles surrounding prenatal and postpartum mental health issues, grief and loss, complex trauma, sexuality and relationship issues. Elizabeth obtained her Bachelor’s…

Therapist Spotlight: Reyna Schwartz, PsyD

Reyna is a psychotherapist and believes her role as a therapist is to act as a guide in helping individuals work toward living a meaningful life in accordance with their values. Her clinical work focuses on the treatment of anxiety, depression, grief and loss, life transitions, relationship concerns, and women’s health issues. Reyna obtained her…