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SpanishWelcome Bridgid O’Connell, LSW
How did you learn about the Green House? I discovered the Green House program while researching internship opportunities for my last year of graduate school. I am a recent graduate of the Jane Addams College of Social Work program at the University of Illinois, at Chicago. I received my Masters of Social Work degree, with
Read MoreWelcome Dinah Hudson, MA, NCC
How did you learn about the Green House? A therapist from LifeWorks made quite an impression on me when she recommended the Green House program during a seminar given in my Couples and Families Counseling course. My graduate program did not offer a diverse selection of courses related to cultural competency, clinical skills, and psychotherapeutic
Read MorePLACES TO MOVE YOUR BODY — LIFEWORKS STAFF FAVORITES
The darkness and cold of winter make exercise and being outside extra challenging, which can adversely impact our mental health. So, this month LifeWorks staff is talking about places we like to move our bodies around Chicago during these chilly months! Although we recognize that not all of are favorites are accessible to every body,
Read MoreMental Health Apps: LifeWorks Staff Favorites
Staff Favorites is a monthly installation for 2019 featuring the mental health and self care picks of our very own LifeWorkers. Favorites in 2019 will highlight apps, books, self-soothing items, blogs/instagrams, places to move your body around Chicago, and more personally endorsed by LifeWorks staff. Our thanks to Elizabeth Duke for organizing this new installation!
Read More8 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 MoreWelcome Ariel Gaines, Psy.D.
Ariel Gaines, Psy.D joined LifeWorks Psychotherapy Center in August of this year as a Post-doctoral Fellow. We are very glad to have them on our team. Ariel holds a doctorate degree in clinical psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. They also earned a master’s degree in the social sciences at The University of Chicago,
Read MoreBecoming the Gateway
LifeWorks therapist, Brandon Haydon, submitted this quote from #virginiarosenberg for our reflection and yours. “Presence is a practice. At times, the work of presence is so deeply uncomfortable. And then there are these moments, these cellular sighs of relief, when we quit resistance. We exit fight/flight/freeze, and simply belong to the time we’re inhabiting. In
Read More“What’s in a Label?” — Being Non-Binary with a History of Trauma
There are reasons for using labels. They can be very useful, in an elemental way. To label something is to identify it and categorize it, which makes it easier to talk about, and therefore easier to share. Labels can promote intimacy and community, and when more and more people agree on the usefulness of a
Read MoreLoving and Gentle Communication in Relationships
Even when I thought I was loving in communicating in my love relationships, I had often been challenged and told by my partners that I was not! I had learned all the tricks and words through my study of psychology and communication, but I was somehow still getting into hurtful arguments and repeated conflicts. It
Read MoreIs 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 MoreAn Interview With Elisabeth Sheff, Ph.D., CASA, CSE
Eli Sheff is a leading expert on polyamory and has conducted groundbreaking research on polyamorous families with children. In the past, she has contributed her findings to the LifeWorks blog. This summer, Eli is traveling the country for her Practical NonMonogamy workshop tour, which is bringing her here to Chicago. On Saturday July 7, 2018,
Read MoreRelationship 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 MoreConstructing a Queer Life: On the Choice to Parent, or Be Child-Free
Many people grow up following a cultural life script: you go to school, get a job, marry your one true love and start a family. Happily Ever After! At least, that’s a common scenario many cultures, based on heteronormativity, have historically supported. But as many of us grow up, we realize that that version of
Read MoreMy One Problem
It is always foolish to oversimplify complex problems. Nonetheless from the viewpoint of the Dreaming, regardless of the complexity of your life, you can have only one problem – ignoring the Dreaming background to reality. Ignoring the Dreaming means marginalizing the deepest unformulated experiences that create your actions in everyday life. Every time you ignore
Read MoreInfidelity 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 MoreSailing Into Therapeutic Parenting
This article is a guest post from parenting expert Billy Kaplan, LCSW. He is the President and Clinical Director at House Calls Counseling, which develops and promotes healthy family relationships by encouraging the emotional, behavioral and mental health of children, teenagers, adults, couples and families. This post on therapeutic parenting first appeared here. I learned to
Read MoreMeet Our Intake Coordinator, Greenlee Brown
Greenlee moved from Buffalo, NY in August 2017, and began working with LifeWorks in October in an administrative capacity. They are a writer, a musician, and a community organizer. Before moving to Chicago, they received their MA in English and taught writing classes and led gender and sexuality workshops at both the high school and
Read MoreWhen Relationships Fall Apart
This article was written by Lisa Blair, M.A. and David Bedrick, J.D., who are both Certified Process Work Diplomats. It first appeared here and is reposted with permission. Every relationship has two handshakes: one above the table and one below. The first handshake is a conscious agreement between the two people, saying “We’re going to support each
Read MoreMeet Cassandra Damm, LCSW
Cassandra Damm, LCSW, is a graduate of Loyola University with a passion for working with those who identify as LGBTQ, as well as those who are in the kink, polyamory/consensual non-monogamy and sex work communities. She is also a board member of Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) – Chicago and runs the Sex Worker Support Group as a partnership co-sponsored by SWOP and Lifeworks.
Read MoreElemental Human Experiences — Getting in Touch
Feeling divorced from the world or alienated from neighbors who are all around us are common complaints. It’s nothing new. People have lamented the rush of modern life at least since the Industrial Revolution pulled them to factory work. When reliable electric lighting became pervasive we began losing our connection to the natural rhythms of
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