The holidays are always somewhat of a mixed bag. For many people, this is a challenging time without a pandemic. For others, the pandemic, along with the associated shutdowns and quarantines, is dampening their much-anticipated frivolity....

How we approach challenging situations, especially when they seem to pile up, can make all the difference in our health and wellbeing. One not-so-secret weapon, hope, just might be the key to greater happiness and less anxiety. But, how do...

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modality developed in the late 1970s by Dr. Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington. DBT became the gold star treatment for borderline personality disorder, which had always been resistant...

With all the uncertainty and upheaval most people are experiencing as a result of COVID-19, anxiety is a word that comes up a lot. But, what is anxiety, really?...

“Unprecedented” is the word most often used to describe the current crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19. This event has touched everyone and all areas of daily life look different as we continue to adjust to new routines and...

Along with all the physical changes of pregnancy and childbirth come a host of emotional changes, from euphoria to sadness. That sadness also has a spectrum, from a ...

The holidays can be a wonderful time full of fun and magic. Lights and candy canes. Parties and presents. Family and friends. Sometimes, or for some people, however, this time of year brings unpleasant or difficult feelings. Stress, anxiety, fear,...

Celal Aydemir, MA, LPC The Turkish word “arkadaş” means a friend, the rock behind your back, as well as someone you are willing to be there for through thick and thin. We may strive to be that kind of friend to...

The public revelations about Harvey Weinstein last fall and the subsequent rise of the #MeToo movement brought the little-talked-about and rarely prosecuted systemic culture of sexual harassment, abuse and assault by powerful men fully into the open. Women and men...

*Thank you to Laura Pentoney, MA, LPC, for her contributions to this blog post. To contact Laura directly, visit her profile here. Consistently, one of the top resolutions made on January 1 is to get healthy, and getting healthy typically...

“Why are you drinking?” demanded the little prince. “So that I may forget,” replied the tippler. “Forget what?” inquired the little prince, who already was sorry for him. “Forget that I am ashamed,” the tippler confessed, hanging his head. “Ashamed...

September is National Suicide Prevention Month.  This week we take a look at another aspect of this serious mental health issue. Suicide.  The word evokes emotions ranging from sadness to guilt to anger.  Most of us can’t imagine what might...

The oldest baby boomers (the generation born between 1946 and 1964) are turning 70 this year. With an estimated 76 million total boomers, the issues around aging are about to take center stage like no other time in history.  In...

Please enjoy this blog written by Karin Bustamante, MA, LPC, one of our therapists here at Maria Droste Counseling Center. Karin works with clients on a number of issues and areas, including life transitions, grief, anxiety, depression, emotional and/or physical...

This story went around the Internet a while ago:  A Harvard psychology professor gave a lecture.  She started by holding up a glass of water.  The students assumed she would ask the obvious question, is the glass half full or...

Having a baby is one of the most natural and universal experiences human beings have – unless you are struggling with infertility. For millions of people, the inability to have this most common experience can lead to a heightened sense...

Self-harm Adolescence, that complex time of sorting out what it means to be an adult when you’re still a kid, can feel like a long string of missteps with, perhaps, a few intermittent successes.  This is often when we first...

What is mindfulness? “Mindfulness is a state of relaxed and alert attention of the present moment. It involves focusing just on what’s happening now,” writes clinical psychologist Sophie Henshaw. A lack of mindfulness manifests in several ways: constant racing thoughts,...

It’s a common theme these days: I have everything I need and things are generally okay, but I have an ongoing sense of unease… Something is missing or preventing me from fully experiencing life… I want to feel that there...

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 18 with a...

In our third and final post for the Media Coverage and Mental Health series, we explored how the news stigmatizes mental illness and misrepresents the vast majority of those who seek mental health care. Most Americans had likely never heard...

 This is the second of a series of three posts looking at how incessant media coverage in this day and age of sensational, and too often disturbing headlines, can impact your mental health. In our first post, we explored the...

Over the next three posts, we’re going to look at media coverage in relation to mental health through the following questions: What are the general effects of the deluge of information media coverage feeds to the public? How does the...

by Marta Oko-Riebau “I can’t get to sleep, I think about the implications of diving in too deep, and possibly the complications… Especially at night – I worry over situations I know will be all right, perhaps it’s just imagination…...

by Dawn Goers, MA  As I was lying in bed earlier this week, before the sun came up, I began lamenting the idea of getting out of bed while it was still dark, and for a brief moment I got...

If you’re feeling sad or depressed while everyone else around you seems to be singing along to Christmas carols, excitedly buying presents, or planning for the holiday party at work, you aren’t alone. It’s not unusual to feel this way...

by Chris Lewis Ed.S., LPC Airplanes. Flight. Flying. Those are just a few of the words that for a good chunk of my life would have sent my heart rate soaring just upon hearing or seeing them. In fact, the...

by Chris Lewis Ed.S., LPC Anxiety is by far the most common mental health condition, affecting over 90% of the population of the United States at one time or another in our lifetimes. Anxiety can span from a mild case...

by Hazel Field Melmed, LCSW When we hear these words our hearts start to race and we might feel a knot in our stomach or experience some other stress reaction. Holidays are often difficult for some of us. This might...

October is National Depression Education and Awareness Month. After decades of being a “hidden illness,” depression is now recognized as a legitimate health risk that affects 21 million people worldwide [World Health Organization]. It is disabling and can be characterized...