Articles Of Interest

By: Crystal Maxwell, PMHNP-BC, PMH-C   Perinatal mental health—the emotional and psychological well-being of individuals during pregnancy and the first year postpartum—is a critical yet often overlooked area of care. As a psychiatric clinic, we recognize that...

The harm that is caused by emotional and mental control is causing a broken spirit that does not heal. It is simply interpersonal violence. It is an assault on a person’s self-concept and esteem. Likewise, it can be the major contributing factor to the worst kind of...

Every year there is a lot of criticism among Christians by the attempts of the world to make Christmas a worldly and commercial event rather than looking at the true significance of the Holy Day of Christmas. One morning I was up early, and I turned on the Christmas...

At Christmastime, almost everyone is more likely to be reunited with family members and friends that we do not see very often. Some of these people may carry painful memories for you, and you may fear and/or dread seeing them. It is possible that you may choose to...

One of the most heartbreaking discoveries I made during my first year working at the Department of Human Services was that there were mothers out there who almost hate their own daughters. I am so fortunate to have had a wonderful mother. I am an only child, and I...

Not everyone with ADD or ADHD will find they face the same challenges at work. Many people struggle with distractions, which may be internal, external or both. Internal distractions may include random thoughts popping into your head while trying to focus on a task,...

The role of sexuality in the symptoms of patients/clients is far greater than dysfunction, abuse, and addiction. We live in a highly sexual culture, as evidenced by the media and especially the entertainment industry. It is ironic that at the same time, open, intimate...

When we think of a psychopath, most of us get an image of a violent killer or an over the top villain. What most people don’t realize is that we are probably dealing with someone or more than one person who demonstrates the criteria for this disorder several times a...

It is about disrupting the process of pleasure Addiction is such a harmful behavior that it should have been eliminated a long time ago. However, humans seem to be determined to experiment with things that make them feel good, if only for a short duration of time with...

How we feel about ourselves affects every aspect of our life. Our responses to events are shaped by who and what we think we are. The dramas of our lives are the reflections of our most private visions of ourselves and others. Self-esteem is the key to success or...

Stress. It is inescapable and unavoidable. Small amounts of stress are beneficial to the body, urging us to adapt to our environment. However, higher stress levels, if left unchecked, can lead to serious illnesses of the body, such as high blood pressure, heart...

An article written by my granddaughter, Bailey Ebersole: “To start this off, I want to be clear, I am not the skinniest person on the planet, nor am I the heaviest, but I think we all have those days when we  “feel fat.” You know those mornings when you wake up and...

Personal Growth Counselors choose evidence based treatment interventions. These interventions need to be based on the client’s needs, and the goals for treatment need to be based on a variety of things. Some of the individual’s needs to consider include, but are not...

Most of us parents have kissed our kids good-night, tucked them in bed, turned out the light and instructed them to be quiet and go to sleep. Right? Ok, that works for some children, especially if they are really tired. However, for many children this strategy simply...

Stress. It is inescapable and unavoidable. Small amounts of stress are beneficial to the body, urging us to adapt to our environment. However, higher stress levels, if left unchecked, can lead to serious illnesses of the body, such as high blood pressure, heart...

Our goal is to have a strong, positive self-concept and to be able to maintain it regardless our expertise or lack of it in any particular area. This needs to happen regardless of the approval or disapproval of any other person. The way you think about your behavior...

Emotional Brain Everyone has at one time or another (maybe many times or most of the time) had the experience of being controlled by his/her emotions. I frequently refer to Emotional Brain as EB or “the Energizer Bunny.” Sometimes this makes us angry or frustrated or...

When bad things happen in your life (and they do to everyone) don’t allow yourself to be a victim. Only losers constantly blame others for things that go wrong in their life. I have found that rather than blaming someone else for bad decisions, lack of preparation,...

Far too often, people let problems overwhelm them before they seek help. This could be due to a number of factors, perhaps most often the stigma associated with seeking assistance with mental health issues. In therapy, we often use the “broken arm” analogy- if your...

Parental alienation (PA) is a serious mental condition that affects hundreds of thousands of children and families in the United States. It is a mental condition in which a child-usually one whose parents are engaged in a high conflict separation or divorce, allies...

Many of us grew up thinking that everybody’s needs are more important than our own. We often cling to old baggage from the negative childhood belief that we are not, nor will we ever be good enough, strong or pretty enough or do enough to be accepted. We keep trying...