Sycamore Counseling & Coaching

Exciting things are happening at Sycamore in 2024 and this is the first of those big things. We are so thrilled to have this incredible intern joining our team. If you or your children are looking for a great counselor with immediate availability, give us a call at (734) 237-7989. Virtual appointments and in-person (Troy location, on Fridays) availability are open now! Welcome Brittany!

Invest in yourself, by investing in others

No matter your age, shape, color, strength, or size, your body is seriously amazing. Start the week by paying attention to what it needs and giving it some love. Thank your body for all that it does for you every single day. Stretch, relax, and move your muscles. Self-care doesn't have to be long or complicated; little efforts go a long way.

The past can have a way of sneaking back up on us and taking up a lot of real estate in our minds. One technique that can help if your brain keeps replaying events of the past is to have a brief 1-2 sentence grounding statement that you can mindfully focus on that is true and present-focused. "I cannot change the past. I can figure out how to navigate today"

Spending three hours per day on something is the equivalent of about 20% of your waking life.

Time is a resource.
We get to choose how we spend it.

Today's tip: Go to your phone settings, select "screen time", set a daily limit on social. Start living outside your devices.

Sycamore Counseling is thrilled to serve clients in and throughout the State of We are committed to providing continued excellence of care to our clients and to the communities we serve. As part of those efforts, we have recently added a new office location in and are excited to welcome our newest therapist, Beth Freeman, LLMSW!

As you begin this new week, be sure to check in with yourself and pay attention to how you are doing. It's easy to lose track of ourselves as our to-do lists and worries pile up in our minds, but small moments of self-care matter. Take just one minute, literally just 60-seconds, to see what you and your body need from you today.

Intentionally carve out space in your schedule for your own needs. It matters.

Sycamore is excited to announce the opening of our new practice location in Troy, Michigan! If you are ready to take the next step toward healing and to invest in your well-being, we invite you to schedule an appointment at our new therapy office location. We look forward to supporting you on your journey!

Sycamore Counseling Services values your physical and mental health and we are here to support you during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to remind all of our clients and prospective clients that we offer teletherapy services through a HIPAA-compliant platform. As of last week, we are no longer scheduling in-person sessions for an undetermined period of time, but are available for video sessions. If you are in need of support, please call to schedule an appointment. Our prayers go out to every member of our community at this time.

We are still in the first week of the new year when all of the goals we have feel fresh and obtainable. Sometimes, though, the fade of motivation and follow-through happens quickly and almost goes unnoticed. Here are three tips to increase likelihood of success:

1) Break it down. (Look at your goal in incremental steps)
2) Write it down. (Science shows that actually writing out our goals increases the odds that we will complete them. Put those goals to paper!)
3) Talk it Through. (Voicing our goals to others helps us feel driven toward them. Even better, verbalize your goals with a couple of safe, trusted others that will hold you accountable)

This year brings a lot of 20/20 vision jokes and is a leap year (to leap means to go to great heights with great force). What a great reminder to FOCUS on our goals and only move toward the ones that are intentional and then to LEAP towards that purpose with force. Use the tips above, set clear and purposeful goals, and take a .

Happy New Year! It's a new year and a new decade. Starting today you have 366 days in 2020 (leap year!), each one an opportunity to be more you! Not a NEW you, but MORE you...

Embrace your gifts, your quirks, your passions. Take the risk to be more authentic and show us all the you that is no longer hidden behind doubt...the you that is less distracted, less fearful, less tired from no longer trying to be something you're not...

You are the only one in the world with your unique personality and story. You have value and a contribution to make to the world. How will you be MORE YOU in 2020?

As many of you prepare for New Year's resolutions, it is important to remember to set REALISTIC goals. Set yourself up for success. Build habits over time and celebrate small victories!

It can be scary to reach out for help. It can feel uncomfortable to change and grow. But if where we are isn’t good, and what we are doing currently isn’t working, then it is brave to get started on a new path.

StreetShares Foundation | Vote for a Veteran Small Business

We are humbled and excited to announce that we have been chosen as a finalist for a veteran-owned business grant through the StreetShares Foundation! We, however, need your help so that we can win this award and use this grant to expand our locations and services to our clients! Please go to the link below, enter your name and email and then on the following page, click "Vote for Jamie McNally" and Sycamore Counseling. Your vote can help us to win so that we can save lives and help more people to experience joy and freedom in their lives. THANK YOU! https://go.streetshares.com/streetshares-foundation-veteran-small-business-award-vote-form?hsCtaTracking=28149668-f73e-48e0-8a38-e272a68fdf33%7C3771eea6-6928-4d47-a820-6a56b0800202

go.streetshares.com Three Veteran Small Business Awards for up to $15,000 will be awarded. Cast your vote now!

Did you know that we have a logical brain (left hemisphere) and an emotional brain (right hemisphere)? Did you know that both sides of our brain are constantly working together to allow us to function in healthy ways? Sometimes problems can arise because we get "stuck" in one side of our brain. We end up behaving in an overly intellectual manner without appropriate feeling or, conversely, we end up acting out of emotion without executive functioning/logic.

EMDR is an evidence-based approach that helps the two sides of your brain to become more integrated. It has tremendous benefits for PTSD/trauma, phobias, panic, somatic symptoms and more. If you are stuggling, know that there is support. Therapy in general, and EMDR in particular, can help.

If you are looking for an EMDR trained clinician in the Metro Detroit area consider our very own Zhela Bennett, MA, LLPC, CATP, EMDR at Sycamore in Livonia. She is amazing and her clients are experiencing incredible results. No matter where you are or who you reach out to, remember, that reaching out for help can be scary, but you are worth it and there are people that care.

Our culture inundates us with messages about love and relationships that are unhealthy and impairing. BUT it is possible to learn new ways to communicate, to experience TRUE love in a healthy relationship, to feel safe being vulnerable, to heal past hurts to grow closer to your partner and so.much.more! Let's spread more messages about the kind of love represented here by talented cartoonist Chris Hallbeck. Maximumble

You can check out Chris' work and support him here: https://chrishallbeckstore.com/ or here: https://www.patreon.com/chrishallbeck/overview

Sometimes being strong can feel exhausting...

Freshpractice.design

What an honor to be featured by April McDowell, Ph.D. LMFT on freshpractice.design! Thank you for seeing the beauty in our space and for sharing it and our story with others!

Michigan representing! 🙂

Check out Sycamore Counseling & Coaching beautifully calming space, made by husband and wife team Jamie & Sean McNally! 👏💑

The Mystery of the Sycamore is a perfect touch!

5 Myths About Therapy, Debunked by Mental Health Professionals

What preconceived notions do you have about therapy? Let’s make talking about therapy more acceptable. For someone who has never been to therapy, it can be helpful to know a little bit about what to expect. This article is a great place to start to address some common myths. http://www.healthination.com/health/therapy-myths

healthination.com #1: Nope, you don’t need to lie down on that couch.

Symptoms Of OCD Most People Don’t Know

When you stumble across an article you didn't know you were quoted in four months ago. This article focuses on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and I am a huge advocate of educating people about the difference between this disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). What is a major difference between the two, you wonder? Well, obsessions in OCD are unwanted. Obsessive thoughts in OCPD are based more on a strict moral code or belief system and a "right" way of doing things and therefore these thoughts are much more welcome and almost comforting to an individual with OCPD.

https://www.healthyway.com/content/symptoms-of-ocd-most-people-dont-know/

healthyway.com OCD is more than color-coding your closet or being a perfectionist. Here’s what people who live with the disorder want you to know.

Engaged couples: traditional vows say that you will comfort, honor, and keep your spouse in sickness and in health. Do you know what your spouse wants most when they are sick? What are their preferences? How was sickness handled and responded to when they were a child? If you don’t know, consider asking them and learn more about your partner’s experiences and desires!

Want to learn more about how to grow closer before your marriage starts? Join us January 19th from 12:00-3:30 for a pre-marital workshop at our office in Livonia. Only $100 per couple if you register by Friday! Call (734) 818-5434 for more information or to reserve your place in the workshop.

Three weeks from today, Sycamore will be hosting a one-day pre-marital workshop! If you are engaged, or know someone who is, make sure that you check this out. Couples will benefit from learning research-backed, evidenced-based skills and strategies to help them improve communication and strengthen their marriage before it even begins. Even if a couple is already going through a pre-marital curriculum, this workshop will provide additional knowledge and empirically-supported techniques. Plus, our trained and licensed therapists are engaging and fun so couples will have a great time! The cost is only $100 per couple if registered before January 12. Beginning January 12, the late registration cost will be $150 per couple. Limited spots available. To register, call Stephanie Hyden at (734) 818-5434

Relationship Minefields

Avoid landmines in your relationship. Build a foundation of honesty and trust.

https://sycamorecc.com/blog/f/relationship-minefields

sycamorecc.com