Why It’s Okay to Be Tired: Black Women, Rest, and Healing
There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that many Black women carry. It’s not just about being overworked or underappreciated—though that’s often true. It’s a deeper kind of tiredness. The kind that sinks into your bones. The kind that doesn’t go away after a good night’s sleep.
Body Image During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Pregnancy and postpartum is a time where your body is rapidly changing and is out of your control. For new mothers, there is lots of pressure to meet societal expectations of how their body should transform and adapt during such a significant transition. During pregnancy your body undergoes a myriad of fluctuations: weight gain, shifts in your center of gravity, swollen feet, changes to your face and even hair thickening or loss. These rapid transformations can be jarring and are often not experienced as positive especially when they oppose Western beauty ideals.
A Hidden Legacy in Post-Communist Balkan Societies
Addiction is often seen as a condition rooted in biology, trauma, or social environment. Yet one of the most overlooked emotional drivers behind addiction, especially in post-communist Balkan societies, is guilt. Guilt, when internalized over generations and reinforced by cultural norms, can silently fuel the emotional turmoil that leads many individuals to seek relief in addictive behaviors. Guilt is a complex psychological emotion. In its healthy form, it serves as a moral compass, helping us recognize when we’ve hurt others and prompting us to make amends. However, when guilt becomes excessive, chronic, or instilled from external pressures rather than internal values, it can distort one’s self-perception. Instead of serving growth, it becomes a source of shame, self-punishment, and emotional paralysis.
Holding Space for What Hurts
Addiction rarely exists in a vacuum. Beneath the behaviors—whether it’s alcohol, substances, gambling, or compulsive scrolling—there often lies a complex inner world shaped by pain, unmet needs, and deep emotional conflict. And one of the most powerful emotional undercurrents I see in my work with people struggling with addiction is guilt.
When Love Meets Mental Health: How partners’ struggles shape and can deepen the connection
Relationships thrive on emotional intimacy, trust, and mutual support. But what happens when one partner is grappling with mental health challenges—depression, anxiety, trauma, or other struggles? The impact can be profound, reshaping communication, emotional availability, and even the daily rhythm of the relationship. Yet, while mental health struggles can strain a couple’s connection, they can also become a powerful catalyst for deeper understanding, resilience, and even unexpected growth.
Distress About the Body and Body In Distress – Psychodynamic Approaches to Struggles with Body-Image and Body-Functioning
One of the primary concerns that bring individuals from all walks of life into therapy is a problematic, at times painful relationship with their physical self. In some cases we may hate our bodies, or parts of it, subjecting them to harsh criticism, restrictions, and exhausting demands for performance; in others, people may feel betrayed by the body’s capricious states, or by its aging, sickness, injury, “grossness,” and so on. Some of us become anxious, even panicked, when thinking about the physicality of our being, becoming unbearably aware of life and death.
Understanding your role in relationship conflict
Conflict is a natural part of relationships, but how couples handle it can deepen connection or drive couples further apart. Oftentimes couples come into counseling with a long list of problems focused on their partner. If my partner wasn’t so critical, if my partner wasn’t so sensitive, if my partner gave me more affection… we wouldn’t have these conflicts. Conflict is typically co-created and in some cases maintained because it serves some function in the relationship. From a psychodynamic view, resolving conflict starts with understanding how each partner contributes to the dynamic.
Moving towards anxiety: why avoidance keeps you stuck
Anxiety is uncomfortable. It tightens your chest, quickens your breath, and fills your mind with an endless loop of “what-ifs.” Naturally, the instinctive response is to avoid whatever is triggering the anxiety. If a social gathering makes you uneasy, you cancel. If a challenging project at work fills you with dread, you procrastinate. If an important conversation feels overwhelming, you put it off.
How to Cope With Work-Related Stress and Anxiety
At our practice, we understand how job stress and anxiety can disrupt not only your career but your overall quality of life. Whether you're navigating a toxic work culture, facing burnout, or simply trying to keep up, it’s important to recognize when you need support. Our compassionate Chicago anxiety therapists are here to help you reclaim your peace of mind and develop healthy, effective ways to manage workplace stress.