Therapy

There are many people that seek therapy because they’re in the middle of some immense struggling. They’re unable to manage their life while challenged with severe anxiety, depression, and other conditions that make it very difficult to function. But there are many others that do not quite fit this description. They have anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, or other issues, but on a day to day basis they’re able to manage their life in some way.…

There are different types of mental health conditions and ways that people can experience mental health issues. Personality disorders can be especially challenging. Unlike conditions such as anxiety and depression, those with personality disorders often do not know that they have these conditions, because it is a part of their “normal” – their reality. Often, as therapists, we use a person’s own insight into themselves to know more about them and help them get a…

So much of the discussion around mental health in veterans revolves around post-traumatic stress disorder. Those that serve can experience significant trauma, and that trauma does have the potential to cause issues like PTSD. But the military’s affect on a person’s mental health extends far beyond PTSD. There are so many issues that can arise because of a person’s time serving – and what happens after – that can lead to mental health issues unique…

Long Island Counseling Services has expanded! We are thrilled to announce that we have opened up two new offices, to make it easier for those on Long Island to find a therapist near them. Only a few years ago we operated an office in Melville and an office in Bellmore, though we moved our Bellmore office to East Meadow. Now, we have offices in two new locations: Rockville Centre, NY Huntington, NY Some of our…

Within our brain are chemicals, called neurotransmitters, that affect mood and mental health. When they’re functioning properly, we typically feel decent, we can cope with stress, and we respond properly to different emotional experiences. But many of us have neurotransmitters – especially serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine – that are not balanced properly. You may have too many of one, you may have not enough of another, but they are out of balance to what your…

We talk about mental health in terms of conditions – anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. These conditions correspond to official diagnoses that many people receive in the context of their care. But the mental health world is also moving away from diagnoses. We still use them here in many situations, but we also believe that diagnoses can be inhibiting as well, both for treatment and for the patient. We might use the words “anxiety” and “depression”…

We are on the cusp of back to school season, and that means that many families are preparing for the year ahead. They’re buying clothes. They’re picking up supplies. They’re navigating schedules. They’re trying their best to figure out how to make sure their child succeeds, and how to do so in a way that doesn’t impact their own lives. Even for those that are *more* than ready for back to school season to happen,…

We typically talk about seasonal depression as a winter-disorder and, in some ways, that’s true. It has been linked to issues like isolation, light exposure, and much more. But “seasonal depression” is a more complicated than that, and a person can have season depression at any time – even during the summer months. These days, many people are having a different form of seasonal depression – not one caused by a lack of sunlight, but…

Studies have consistently shown that our happiness, health, and longevity is directly related to the social connections that we have. We are more likely to live longer and in better mental health when we have people that we feel connected to – people that we can spend time with, laugh with, and make us feel like we’re part of a community. Many people find that that changes after retirement. Retirement is already a major life…

Long Island Counseling Services Offers Counseling and Support for Those in the Medical Profession with High Stress Careers Most jobs are stressful. The very act of working – waking up every day, logging on or heading somewhere else to work for 8+ hours all while dealing with the needs of the profession all day can, perhaps unsurprisingly, cause a considerable amount of stress that takes its toll on our mental health. When we work in…