Most individuals are fairly good about seeing their physician or dentist for routine health care or when they experience an injury or illness. Unfortunately, it can be much more challenging to have the courage to seek mental health treatment due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. Individuals often worry about being judged by family or [...]
Trigger Warning: This post will address the topic of trauma and names specific eating disorder behaviors. You may have heard people say that eating disorders are not just about food, but instead, a way to cope with some form of significant distress. This distress can show up in a number of ways, but for many, [...]
The past few months of life with COVID-19 in our midst has given new meaning to the word “challenging.” Adjusting to isolation and all the changes we are experiencing has not been easy for most of us, but particularly impacted are those most important to us, our children. COVID-19 increases stress, mood disturbances, and fears [...]
It’s hard to talk about alcohol awareness without first talking about shame. Unfortunately, shame continues to be one of the most significant barriers to people struggling with alcohol abuse getting the treatment that they may desperately need. Shame takes so many forms and can be sneaky and pervasive in how it shows up. Shame for [...]
It’s no secret that divorce will change family dynamics. Although you may be looking forward to a fresh start, your children may be unable to handle the transition without help. In therapy, a compassionate counselor who specializes in child and adolescent mental health can teach your children how to cope with the stress and anxiety they feel surrounding [...]
A Letter From a Therapist to a Human with Suicidal Thoughts: You Are Worth So Much More Than Your Thoughts are Trying to Convince You By Kristin Canan, LICSW Dear Fellow Human, I want to start off by apologizing, not from a place of pity, but from a place of genuine sorrow that so many [...]
It’s the planning for every scenario. It’s the fear. It’s the hypervigilance. It’s the jumpiness. It’s the dread that she may leave too. It’s the overwhelming feeling of emptiness, like you are a shell of a human being. It’s the self-blame. It’s the shame over what happened and what that means about you. It’s the [...]
The holidays are no longer simply approaching quickly, they are here. For many, the holidays are a time of celebration with family and friends, and for many others, it can be a time of grief or strife. If you are struggling during the holiday season, below are some tips and tricks to help get you [...]
History tells us that Thanksgiving was created as a day to celebrate and express gratitude for the bounty of the earth, for neighbors, for abundance. Over time, as families and communities develop their own traditions, it appears to have grown to become a day to celebrate good food and good relationships amidst sharing laughs and [...]
As a clinician who works with eating disorders, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the same question posed over and over again by clients and their loved ones: “Kristin, what caused this eating disorder?” There is normally a sense of desperation in this question hoping that I will somehow have the [...]
