GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It can be difficult for clients who suffer from emotional issues like depression and anxiety to keep from falling into bad habits, like isolating and cutting off things that bring them joy. With such mental health challenges, it can be difficult for a client to enjoy the moment without having to deal with uncomfortable symptoms. […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Managing a client in crisis can be challenging for a therapist. When confronted with a situation in which a client is expressing that they are in danger of causing harm to themselves or is in danger of being harmed by someone else, it is important that a therapist does all they can do to keep […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
One of the most important responsibilities a therapist has is knowing how and when to screen clients for indicators that their safety may be compromised. As professionals, therapists do this to make sure their clients stay safe between sessions and have a plan in place when needed. While not every client will require safety planning, […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Sometimes when people suffer from low self-esteem, low confidence, or mood disorders like anxiety and depression, it is easy to focus on the negative and forget about the things that they appreciate in their lives. When clients focus only on the challenging or painful parts of their life, it is hard to imagine a life […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When a substance user first starts therapy it is important for both the therapist and client to have a full understanding of the history and progression of their substance use. Details about the client’s history of substance use can help with understanding the purpose the substance use behaviors serves for the client and the difficulties […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
People who are suffering from mental health challenges can often feel discouraged from being able to achieve their goals. Sometimes their ambitions and efforts to make progress toward their goals are overshadowed by defeating thoughts, like “why bother?”, “it’s too much, I won’t be able to do it” or “I will start tomorrow”. Having an […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Many clients seek therapy because they struggle with regulating their moods. They go through mood swings that may cause them to easily feel stressed. People who struggle with managing their moods can often feel overwhelmed, which makes it difficult for them to understand and manage what they are feeling throughout the week. A weekly mood […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
In therapy, a client learns a lot about their emotions and gain perspective on their life challenges. Through self-exploration, they learn different ways to cope with the challenges they face. Therapy teaches coping skills that help clients relieve their symptoms in real-life situations. They learn valuable life skills in sessions, but sometimes it can be […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A major challenge that comes with depression is the way it affects a person’s motivation. When a person is depressed, they may find themselves struggling to stay motivated to achieve their goals. This, in turn, can cause feelings of self-doubt and helplessness, which can fuel feelings of depression. Depression has a way of getting people […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Fears can hold us back in many ways. It can develop for different reasons and can cause us to react with unhealthy behaviors, like overcompensating, avoiding, and resisting things that may be good for us. Facing fears is an important part of personal growth, so learning how to overcome your fears can make a difference […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Core beliefs are the strong and withstanding beliefs that a person has about themselves and how they relate to others, the world, and their future. These beliefs are based on what a person has learned through life experiences and begin being formed during childhood. The way a person sees each aspect of their life is […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Treatment for substance use can be challenging. The experience is different for everyone, and people enter treatment with different levels of motivation for recovery. Knowing how motivated someone is in treatment for substance use is an important part of treatment planning. In order to set someone up for success, it is important to understand their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A major factor in the success of achieving a goal is how a person plans for a goal. Oftentimes people set goals that are not realistic, but they do not realize that until they are overwhelmed with work. Because of this, it is important to develop proper goal-setting skills when creating a plan for the […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Change takes time. Change can be challenging for people to accomplish, and it is often something that people resist. Change is scary, but can also be exciting, healthy, and liberating. Some changes cause pain while others cause relief. Whatever the need is for change, it can be difficult for a client to facilitate change in […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
People in therapy often face challenges when they are not in touch with how their thoughts affect their behavior. Without understanding the connection between these two things, clients can struggle to understand how to reflect on themselves to become healthier individuals. Both thoughts and behaviors should be challenged when working to build a healthy lifestyle. […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Setting life goals is an excellent way to set a path for a client in therapy. When a client has a goal they are trying to achieve, the feel a sense of purpose. A goal can give direction and motivation in a client’s day. It can also help them identify and modify their own behaviors […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Children in therapy can often struggle with expressing how they feel. For a number of reasons, a child can struggle with expressing their feelings and needs, even with their parents and friends. When a child is struggling to talk about how they feel, it can be helpful to think about other means of expression. A […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Self-image is an important part of understanding who you are as a person. Many people who seek therapy struggle because they do not have a good relationship with themselves. They do not understand who they are, and that can be for many reasons. Sometimes people are so distracted with who they want to be they […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Exploring values can help a great deal in therapy. When a client understands their values, they can gain a better understanding of their goals and what they want from life. They also learn about the type of person they want to be, and how they want to behave. When a person does not have a […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Cognitive distortions (thinking errors) are a huge contributing factor to many people’s mental health issues. Cognitive distortions are erroneous patterns in thinking that lead to negative thoughts, bad feelings and poor behavior. When someone suffers from a cognitive distortion, they are not able to perceive tough situations in a healthy way. That is why it […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients cope with their triggers is teaching them about cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are patterns of thinking errors, and they affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions to upsetting situations. It is not uncommon for a person in therapy to turn to cognitive distortions like […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Emotions can be challenging to understand. Sometimes they have concrete reasons for being felt, and sometimes we are not sure why we are feeling a certain way. When we feel emotions we do not understand, we can struggle to understand how to cope. People who struggle to understand how to identify and cope with their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is not uncommon for a person to get stuck on the past, present or future. Each frame of time is important to consider when planning goals or the best way to move forward with life. When a person focus too much on the past they can get stuck because they don’t know how to […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Many people in therapy struggle to see their daily lives from a healthy perspective. It can be a challenge for people in therapy to remove the lens of negativity that causes them to feel anxious, depressed, or angry. While it is unrealistic to expect someone always to see things positively, it can help to balance […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Reinforcement exercises are a helpful tool when teaching children healthy communication and behavior habits. With positive reinforcement, a child learns what types of behaviors elicit positive reactions from people. Through using positive reinforcement techniques children can learn how to behave well in school, at home, and in counseling. A great technique is incorporating a reward […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
At some point in a client’s journey, he or she will need to take a step back to evaluate how he or she is managing self-care. It is important for a client to be well-aware of what he or she needs to be able to maintain self-care, and to understand a hierarchy in which the […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Building self-esteem is an essential part of child development. Without developing a high self-esteem, a child has a higher risk of struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, body image and many other challenges. These challenges will affect the quality of how the child lives his or her life. In order to be able to develop […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is important to have a list of goals and objectives for the client and therapist to work toward when beginning a new therapeutic relationship. Setting goals creates a foundation that helps the client and therapist stay on track when helping a client feel better. Setting goals also empowers a client to stay on track […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
In recent studies, it has been found that practicing gratitude exercises and positive affirmations have been effective in helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and an array of other types of mental health disorders. Teaching a client how to practice gratitude exercises helps him or her learn how to acknowledge and appreciate the good. This […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When working with clients on how to modify behavior, it is important to teach how to be self-reflective and aware of his or her behavior in reaction to the people places and things around them. When clients learn how to be self-reflective, they are able to learn how to slow down reactions, think situations through, […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Sometimes we have clients who struggle with finding motivation. They may struggle to find motivation in developing a career, accomplishing a goal, or moving on to the next phase in life. There are a number of reasons why a person may struggle with achieving a goal. This is why it is important that the client […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Cravings to engage in dangerous or indulgent behaviors like drinking, using drugs, overeating, or sex are a difficult thing for a patient to work through. Each time a patient experiences a craving or a trigger to engage in something they know is not good for them they are confronted with the conflict between doing what […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A major reason why patients suffer from low self-esteem or emotional issues is a poor sense-of-self. There are many reasons for a person to develop a poor sense-of-self, but one common reason being aware of or understanding the things they value in life. Helping a patient discover what is important to them and their moral […]
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