Recognizing when it's time to seek therapy is an important step in prioritizing your mental health and well-being. Therapy can provide valuable support, guidance, and tools to help you navigate life's challenges and promote personal growth. In this blog post, we will discuss key indicators that suggest it may be beneficial to start therapy and offer insights to help you make an informed decision about seeking professional help.

Seeking therapy can be a transformative step towards improving your mental health and well-being. However, finding the right therapist who is a good fit for your unique needs and preferences is essential for a successful therapeutic journey. In this blog post, we will discuss important considerations and practical steps to help you navigate the process of choosing a therapist who can support you on your path to healing and personal growth.

Summer, with its longer days, vibrant colors, and gentle warmth, has a way of uplifting our spirits and invigorating our senses. It's a season that offers numerous opportunities to enhance our mental well-being and embrace a more balanced and joyful life. In this blog post, we will explore the connection between summer and mental health, and discuss practical ways to harness the power of this season for our overall well-being.

Fireworks are a common sight during celebratory events, such as holidays and festivals. For many people, they evoke feelings of excitement and joy. However, it's essential to recognize that for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fireworks can trigger distressing symptoms and exacerbate their condition. In this blog post, we will explore the impact of fireworks on individuals with PTSD, shed light on their experiences, and discuss potential solutions to create a more inclusive and understanding environment during fireworks displays.

Our emotions are a fundamental part of being human. They color our experiences, shape our perceptions, and influence our actions. However, sometimes emotions can become overwhelming and unmanageable, negatively impacting our mental health. The good news is that we have the ability to regulate our emotions, allowing us to navigate life's challenges with greater resilience and well-being. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of emotion regulation for mental health and discuss practical strategies that can help us cultivate emotional balance.

Anger is a common emotion. We all experience it; from mild frustration to rage. One of the keys to managing anger to allow it run its course without being harmful to others or self destructive. Remember that allowing any emotion to control your behavior is not the most effective choice and emotional states are nearly always irrational.

Everything changes. Throughout life your view with change may alter. Some changes are welcomed, joyous, and invigorating while others are dismal, full of fear and grief. Learn to anticipate changes in your life, mood, career, relationships and partnerships.

“Sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go.”

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that aims to improve mental health. CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. It is often participated in via “talk therapy.”

We all get stressed out and overwhelmed. Some days are better than others. In times of stress, it is easy to let our emotions take the drivers seat and steer our behavior especially during extreme emotional reactions.

Happy International Women’s Day! Are you the wonder woman in your own life or do you have a wonder woman in your family, friends or mentors? Today is a great day to celebrate those phenomenal women in your life and community that rise to challenges everyday even when they cannot find their capes!

There is always time to set a new goal for yourself, dream a new dream or start a new adventure. Once you reach an accomplishment…celebrate!

Irrational thoughts are persistent, untrue internal messages that you tell yourself. Even though these thoughts are untrue, they can feel very real and can even contribute to your underlaying belief system about yourself, others and the world. It is very common in mental health therapy that we work together to undo old maladaptive irrational thoughts and replace them with healthy, accurate messages.

Northern Star Counseling is turning 10 years old in February 2021! We want to take moment to say thank you for your support over the past 10 years. You have helped grow Northern Star Counseling to 9 licensed mental health staff, 4 psychiatric nurse practitioners, and numerous amazing support staff.

According to the World Health Organization, mental wellness is defined as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

We all make mistakes. Taking responsibility for our missteps is difficult but is always needed. Resolution, course correction and healing can only begin once we acknowledge our responsibility in the mistake and take sincere ownership of our own actions.

So many times, I hear people talking about always putting everyone else first. Some even wear this trait a badge of pride, but often times this constant focus outwards leads to burnout, irritability, imbalance and resentment. You are busy.

As we enter 2021, many begin to think about how to improve and reach new goals in the new year. Some call this process setting New Year’s resolutions but a refreshed way of looking at it centers around intention. Be intentional with your time, your money, your health, your relationships, your reactions and your habits.

The New Year is typically ushered in with fresh goals from a new perceptive. It is a natural start to a new chapter in your story. I believe that we all agree that 2020 presented many unique and unprecedented challenges. However, opportunity lies in every difficult situation.

Anxiety is a characterized by frequent intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).