Montgomery County Counseling Center

Kerry's story of playing fantasy baseball teaches us how to manage election emotions like election anxiety and regret.

What fantasy sports can teach us about election emotions Kerry's story of playing fantasy baseball teaches us how to manage election emotions like election anxiety and regret.

We are thrilled to announce our new collaboration with Rachel Bailey, renowned Parenting Specialist with over a decade of experience helping families reduce stress and foster responsibility in their children!

To kick off this exciting partnership we have invited Rachel to join our Less Stress Parenting Webinar this month, where she will help you navigate one of the most common sources of conflict between parents and children — homework.

As much as we want to have positive interactions with our children, homework can often lead to power struggles, frustration, and negativity. But these battles don’t have to be inevitable!

In this webinar, Rachel will explore the underlying causes of kids’ resistance to homework (hint: it’s probably not what you think!) and share strategies that address the root of the problem.

You’ll learn how to:

✏️ Understand the real reasons behind your child’s homework resistance.

✏️ Foster more responsible academic behavior without the usual conflict.

✏️ Create a peaceful home environment while encouraging your child to take ownership of their work.

With Rachel’s expert guidance, you’ll walk away with actionable tools to turn homework time into an opportunity for growth, not struggle.

👉🏽 Register now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/less-stress-parenting-avoid-homework-battles-with-expert-rachel-bailey-tickets-1022194460147 .

Rachel Bailey's "Your Parenting Long Game" Podcast Community

This made me reflect on my own childhood…and on the fact that I haven’t said, or even thought, “I’m bored,” in a long, long time. I don’t know the last time that I thought it.

That’s not because I’m never acting, well, bored. It’s just because I have much more advanced vocabulary to describe what’s going on inside of my head these days.

“I’m so completely out of resources for the day. I wish that I could engage in my favorite hobby but I’m feeling too worn out to even summon up the brainpower it would take to do that. I’ll try lying here and reading a book on my phone for a few minutes…nope, I can’t even focus on a book. I’ll read some fun, lighthearted stuff on a social media website instead.”

“I’m so stressed about this meeting that I showed up fifteen minutes early for. I’m finding it hard to even get out of the car and walk into the building until the last second. I’m going to open my self-care app Finch on my phone and follow the deep breathing exercise…okay, now I’m going to do one minute of stretches…okay, now my body is already moving so I can follow my momentum and get out.”

“I wish I could hang out with my friend, but time zone differences mean that they’re not available right now. I’ll scroll through my phone and see if there’s anyone good I could text…nope, nobody who I feel like chatting with since my preferred person is unavailable…all right, I guess I’ll turn on a favorite podcast and listen to people chatter and laugh. Hmm, it feels too tricky to even start the podcast. Okay, well, I can listen to my music playlist. If I notice myself getting bored of the music, maybe I can open my phone to pause it and switch to the podcast in the future.”

These are in-depth, complicated, reflective observations of what’s going on inside my head, running through a list of available strategies that I know and have worked in the past, and even then I’m still trial-and-erroring exactly what it is that I need. No wonder my child has a much more limited repertoire of how to help themselves and comes to me to express their need for help. They still need me to help be their external support framework for a lot of these more complex interpretations and solutions.

[Image description:
A dark blue square field with white text on it that reads,
“I’m Bored! Could actually mean…
My anxiety is high and I need something to block it out.
I’m too overwhelmed to focus on a task.
I’m in need of some sensory input in order to function.
I’m too low on energy/dopamine to initiate an activity/task.
I’m feeling disconnected and need you.
My head is too busy and I need help making it stop.
I’m not sure what I am feeling but I’m hoping by saying ‘I’m bored’ you can help me.”
The image was made by www.jodieclarke.co.uk.
Jodie Clarke, Children's Well-being Practitioner & Autism Specialist
https://www.facebook.com/JodieSmittenWiltshire/photos/a.608354219498404/1577113782622438?type=3]

What Masking Looks Like In School...

[Image of a perfectly folded origami creation made of blue paper. Text reads, 'Perfectly put together, well behaved'. Below is a crumpled ball of blue paper. Text reads, 'Upset, anger, unable to cope.'] Credit: Lucy Roth (Educational Mental Health Practitioner)

See comments below for deeper dive resources. Many adults might relate to this experience as well.

Still space in our free Galentines Day event!!! Email [email protected] to save your spot :)

Yup

Happy birthday to our clinical director Sara Varga LCSW-C! MCCC is BEYOND lucky to have a human this compassionate smart and dedicated as a leader both for our clients and our staff!! 🫶🏼
📸:

Big exciting things coming for Montgomery County Counseling Center and SOOOOO grateful to Interplan for shepherding us through the exciting process!!

Our passion lies in the design process, and the real satisfaction comes when our Clients find genuine happiness in our work. Our team is all about digging deep into understanding our Client's unique requirements and crafting tailored solutions that align with their goals. Yesterday, our efforts were acknowledged during a design meeting with Montgomery County Counseling Center, as the Client expressed pure joy and enthusiasm in seeing the design of their therapy space taking shape. It's about more than just work for us; it's about delivering results that resonate.

Our Parenting Groups are always accepting new members!

Parents of LGBTQIA+ Youth can be from Maryland or Pennsylvania https://mccounselingcenter.com/groups-and-workshops/parentinglgbtqiayouth/

Parents of Neurodivergent Youth can be from Maryland or Washington State https://mccounselingcenter.com/groups-and-workshops/parenting-neurodivergent-kids/

Discover the key differences between DBT adherent and DBT informed therapy in our latest blog post!

Co-authored by MCCC therapists Laura Goldstein, LCMFT and Diana Gomez, LGPC, gain insights into the comprehensive approach versus the informed approach, and understand which may be more suitable for your therapeutic needs.

Adherent DBT vs. DBT-Informed Treatment - Montgomery County Counseling Center Differences between Adherent DBT and DBT-Informed Treatment to help you make better informed decisions about therapy/treatment options.

Laura’s mastermind plan to turn the whole mccc staff into swifties is as close complete as it’ll probably get! What a fun autumn staff outing 🫶🏼

Montgomery County Counseling Center executive director Laura and clinical director Sara prepping for our Christmas photo 🤪. But actually… celebrating an amazing Foundation that is near and dear to both of our hearts, but especially Sara’s:

EMOTIONAL TETRIS
I try to keep my feelings in order.
So when a new one comes…
I know how to handle it.
But when so many happen at once…
They stop making sense.

Credit: Grant Snider Incidental Comics

Check out this virtual support group for the partner(s) of ADHDers offered by our friend Dr. Eddie Lomash LCPC, PhD at Magothy River Counseling LLC!

To find out or inquire more about this group, you can visit Magothy River Counseling's site: https://www.magothyrivercounseling.com/groups

Check out our latest blog written by our very own Lauren Smith, LCPC!!!

The 8 Phases of EMDR: An Adventure to Emotional Healing & Recovery

Phases of EMDR: An Adventure to Emotional Healing & Recovery Understanding the 8 phases of EMDR as an adventure or journey of personal growth with the guidance of a skilled therapist.