Estimated: 3 minutes to read

Music that Carries Us

Staff Favorites has been a monthly installation of 2019 featuring the mental health and self-care picks of LifeWorks’ staff. Thank you for being on this human journey with us, and for sharing the various experiences, objects, books, music, art and more…. Your contributions have helped cultivate change and offer paths to relief and soothing during […] Read more “Music that Carries Us”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

8 Ways to Love Yourself thru the Holidays

This is your life and your holiday experience. You get to design it, enjoy savor it, and exercise the power of loving yourself, and the holidays are no different. Try out 8 embodied ways you can love and take good care yourself through the holidays: 1. Align Yourself to Your Desired State of Being What would you […] Read more “8 Ways to Love Yourself thru the Holidays”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Is Your Partner Guessing?

Have you ever noticed that rather than communicate directly, you make your partner guess about what you want? Certain conversations can be difficult to begin. Strong emotions can keep us from getting started. Fear of conflict escalating may hold us back. Unspoken signals can confuse us and make it less safe to proceed. Not trusting […] Read more “Is Your Partner Guessing?”

Estimated: 6 minutes to read

Relationship Reset

This article is a guest post from Candice Wu, LCPC. She is an intuitive coach and holistic healing facilitator who helps people through the power of love, self-forgiveness, empowerment and body wisdom.    Have you ever felt like you wanted to just reset or reboot the relationship? The Outdated Default Relationship Dynamic Recently, I noticed […] Read more “Relationship Reset”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Infidelity as a Growth Opportunity

Santiago Delboy is a colleague and friend to LifeWorks who brings insight and thoughtfulness to his work, writing and collaboration. We are pleased to share some of his thougths about infidelity. This post appears in Santiago’s blog, which can be found here.   This afternoon, I watched a TED talk by therapist and author Esther Perel about infidelity. I read her book Mating […] Read more “Infidelity as a Growth Opportunity”

Estimated: 6 minutes to read

Navigating the Relationship Journey

Santiago Delboy is a colleague and friend to LifeWorks who brings insight and thoughtfulness to his work and collaboration. We are pleased to share some of his writing. This post appears in Santiago Delboy’s blog, which can be found here. Just to state the obvious, relationships are not easy. While we are “wired” to be in relationships and they […] Read more “Navigating the Relationship Journey”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Misgendering: When You Make a Mistake

Understanding Misgendering Misgendering is the act of attributing the wrong gender to someone. Using the wrong pronoun when talking about someone in the third person is a form of misgendering. The verb misgender can also describe any reference to a person in which they are gendered incorrectly. For example, saying “yes sir” to someone who […] Read more “Misgendering: When You Make a Mistake”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Caring in Uncertain Times

We are pleased to share this post by Jacqueline Boyd from The Care Plan.  Jacqueline is a tireless advocate for healthcare needs of the elderly and LGBTQ+ community providing guidance and planning for her clients.  by Jacqueline Boyd “How will changes to the Affordable Care Act affect my insurance coverage?” “Will my 85-year-old parent be […] Read more “Caring in Uncertain Times”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Why Do Sex Workers Need Our Support?

by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. and Cassandra Damm, LCSW In a previous article, we introduced the topic of sex work, considered its history and politics, and explored some identifying attributes of the diverse population of individuals sometimes referred to as sex workers. In this article, we would like to offer a few guidelines about the many […] Read more “Why Do Sex Workers Need Our Support?”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Your Best Friend Tells You They Are Kinky

So, your best friend tells you they are kinky and/or they practice BDSM (Bondage and Discipline [BD], Dominance and Submission [Ds], Sadism and Masochism [SM]). Whether it is your best friend, a sibling, parent, or child,  you may want to be an ally, but simply don’t know what to do or say. Before you go […] Read more “Your Best Friend Tells You They Are Kinky”

Estimated: 1 minute to read

Take Heart, Heroes

We vote with every moment, With every choice. With our attitudes we elect our reality and the world we yearn to share. We long for heroes to hold our hope and express our power, Our rage, our pain, our kindness, To make our struggle righteous, To champion our smallness. Yet, We are never larger than […] Read more “Take Heart, Heroes”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Sex Work & Sex Workers 101

by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D. & Cassandra Damm, LCSW It has been a pleasure and very enriching to be working with the folks at SWOP Chicago, the local Sex Worker Outreach Project, to develop a support group for sex workers. Cassandra Damm is a social worker who volunteers with SWOP Chicago and co-authored this blog post which […] Read more “Sex Work & Sex Workers 101”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

Pull the Next One Up

by Marc Kelly Smith When you get to the top of the mountain Pull the next one up. Then there’ll be two of you Roped together at the waist Tired and proud, knowing the mountain, Knowing the human force it took To bring both of you there. And when the second one has finished Taking […] Read more “Pull the Next One Up”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

The Pain is Our Pain

  The pain is our pain. It is the wound in the world and we are of the world. I know that all moments, across the whole of humanity, are occasions of suffering and joy, beyond my scope. I suppose that when a blow lands so close to heart and home, the perimeter I hold […] Read more “The Pain is Our Pain”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

In the Shadow of Disney World

ORLANDO SHOOTING JUNE 11, 2016 When I think Orlando, I think of sun filled days,  blue skies, parents and grandparents offering up days of fun and excitement, showering their children with the time of their lives at Disney World. But from  yesterday on, I will think of Orlando in a different way.  I will think […] Read more “In the Shadow of Disney World”

Estimated: 9 minutes to read

Bad Dreams Have Meaning

In honor of the season, we are looking at things that scare or frighten us and why that is.  Our colleague and process worker, David Bedrick, helps us understand how inner critics sometimes appear in bad dreams and how we can make use of the messages they bring. The following article originally appeared in Psychology […] Read more “Bad Dreams Have Meaning”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Becoming a Polyamory Ally: How to Start

This blog was inspired by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) blog How to Be a LGBTQ Ally. I am grateful to HRC for their groundbreaking leadership in the fight for the rights of LGBT people in US and around the world. To read the original HRC blog, click http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/how-to-be-an-lgbt-ally For a lot of people, learning […] Read more “Becoming a Polyamory Ally: How to Start”

Estimated: 5 minutes to read

Returning to Therapy — A Profound Act of Self-care

by Cindy Trawinski, Psy.D., Dipl. PW & Rami Henrich, LCSW, Dipl. PW “I can’t believe I’m here… again.” Some people returning to therapy for the second, third, or fifth time often wonder “why do I need to go back to therapy?” “was there something I should have handled the last time around?” “maybe I am […] Read more “Returning to Therapy — A Profound Act of Self-care”

Estimated: 2 minutes to read

Five Steps to Mindfulness Meditation

Basic meditation is the practice of doing nothing and being tuned in to your own mind at the same time. At first, it can be frustrating, but research shows meditation reduces stress and increases focus. Mindfulness is an exercise in training the mind to notice thoughts, sensations and emotions, and not get too attached to them […] Read more “Five Steps to Mindfulness Meditation”

Estimated: 4 minutes to read

Meditation Is Not What You Think: Meditation Practice Tips

Often, when we take up meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness practices, we inadvertently create obstacles for ourselves. We fall into assumptions, believing there is a “right way” to meditate. If you are struggling with meditation in any form, here are a few practice tips gathered over time that may help you. 1. Relax When you are working […] Read more “Meditation Is Not What You Think: Meditation Practice Tips”