How Understanding Desire Can Help You Connect with Your Sexual Self

Source: Joanna Nix-Walkup on Unsplash What is desire? Typically in popular culture, we see sexual desire depicted in a binary way; there are people with high sex drives and people with low sex drives, and there are a multitude of messages about what being in either of these two groups may mean. Mismatch or misunderstanding…

Being a Psychotherapist in a Post-2020 World

Source: Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash  What does it mean to be a psychotherapist in a post-2020 world? What does it mean to work in reproductive mental health at a time when rights are being systematically attacked and birthing people lack bodily autonomy and the resources to parent? In the past months, this probably…

Shining the Light of Togetherness on the Mental Health Awareness Month

Source: Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash Whether it be during May for Mental Health Awareness month or at any time during the year, there are many ways to help promote awareness and acceptance of mental health issues and care. Now more than ever, we are seeing the prevalence and importance of mental health issues…

Learning About Therapeutic Modalities: What Is the Unified Protocol (UP)?

Source: photo by Eneko Uruñuela on Unsplash Psychotherapy is a rich and vibrant field that is continually evolving. This means there is a great variety of therapeutic approaches practiced by mental health professionals. Some, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, are well-known and widely researched. Today we’d like to introduce you to a promising, newer modality…

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: Courtney Collins, MA

  Courtney is a psychotherapist at Wildflower Center for Emotional Health. She earned her Master’s Degree from Northwestern University in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Courtney holds certifications in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Integrative Medicine (Nutrition) for Mental Health Clinicians, and Clinical Trauma Practitioner Training. Her clinical experience includes working with adults and adolescents facing anxiety, depression,…

Making Your Grief Your Own

Source: Photo by whoislimos on Unsplash  Grief can feel like such a weighty word and heavy concept. Simultaneously, living through a time in which we have all lost so much, grief can also feel like an impossibly small word that cannot begin to describe how we feel about the experiences we have suffered. Burnout, isolation,…

Self-Care and Boundary Setting After Giving Birth

Source: Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash Whether this is your first child or your fifth, life undoubtedly looks different after welcoming your new baby into the world. During this transition, you might find that you are putting pressure on yourself to do everything just as you did before baby arrived. Unhelpful societal expectations with…

Therapist Spotlight: Haley Moles, MSW, MA, LSW

Haley is a psychotherapist at Wildflower. Haley’s approach to therapy is based in recognition of every client’s unique needs, identity, and goals. Her clinical focus spans a wife variety of issues such as anxiety, depression, perinatal mental health, and trauma. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from DePaul University, as well as a dual…

Insights from Couples Therapy: Family Logistics Meeting

Source: Photo by Laura Margarita Cedeño Peralta on Unsplash  Successful relationships are built on effective communication and working together. Unfortunately, the stresses and pressures from daily life can get in the way, resulting in both of the individuals feeling like they are not getting the support they need. However, the time when we feel busiest…