Wildwood Counseling Services

"Many people think of gratitude as a trait. But if you practice it, focusing on the positive things in life can become a habit and eventually come naturally to you.

The best way to form a mindset of gratitude is to slip it in throughout the day. You can incorporate more gratitude in your life by:

1. Writing it down: Take time either at night or in the morning to write down something that went well. Dedicate a notebook or journal to gratitude so you can reflect and remind yourself of those moments.

2. Hitting pause: Many of us reflexively say, “thanks” often. Next time you hear yourself say it, stop and pinpoint precisely what you are thankful for.

3. Redirecting your thoughts: You may feel negative or frustrated during the day. When that happens, step back and shift your focus to a positive aspect of the situation.

4. Sharing your gratitude: Send a quick note telling someone why you are thankful for them or encourage your family to share something they’re grateful for each night at dinner."

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/health-benefits-gratitude

Men's mental health and wellness are areas of practice that many of our Clinicians specialize in, with a holistic understanding of the concerns that our current/future clients are looking for support with.

Reach out to our office by email at [email protected], or to our main line at (419) 405-1000.

Let's talk, because we promise, you are not alone. 🩶

Reminder-

"If we don't say yes authentically, we say yes resentfully, and that leads to far more problems than if we'd said no in the first place."

- Natalie Lue

✨Therapist Tuesdays✨

Meet Latoya!

Looking for a therapist who prioritizes a judgment-free, relatable and healing therapeutic space?

Latoya is one of our many LGBTQIA+ affirming therapists here at Wildwood Counseling Services. Latoya is specifically trained and experienced in working with children, teens, and adults seeking therapeutic support.

Her areas of specialty include, but are not limited to:
+Prenatal, Postpartum, Pregnancy
+Women's Issues
+Anxiety, Depression
+Trauma-Related Concerns

Contact us by email at [email protected], or by our main phone line at (419) 410-1000 to ask about scheduling with Latoya!

All means ✨ALL ✨

.seaman

"Mental health problems don't define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain." Matt Haig 🤍🟤✨

Let's practice kindness for self...🦋✨

Repeat after me:
+"My body deserves respect for all that it is and it does."
+"My self-worth is not tied to my appearance."
+"My body is allowed to change."
+"My body is allowed to rest."
+"I will listen to my body and what it needs from me."
+"My body is my home."

Just checking in...🗣🌪

Are you noticing any of these signs of burnout showing up in your day-to-day? There can be a variety of reasons that individuals experience the following symptoms, but we often see for our Clients that toxic stress and burnout are chronic reasons for changes in our functioning.

Crisis Center Information
In addition to the 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline, the following resources are available if you, or someone you know, need help:

Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, press Option 1

Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 1-877-330-6366 (Canada)
The Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer-support service for trans and questioning individuals in crisis. All operators are trans-identified.

Trevor Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386 The only national 24/7 crisis intervention and su***de prevention lifeline for LGBTQ young people under 25.
TrevorText: A free, confidential, secure service in which LGBTQ young people can text a trained Trevor counselor for support and crisis intervention, available Monday–Friday from 3–10pm ET / Noon–7pm PT by texting START to 678678.

Crisis Text Line: Crisis Text Line is a crisis-intervention hotline that conducts conversations exclusively by text message. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day.

Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 - SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7 crisis counseling to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.

Today is ***dePreventionDay. If you or someone you know are struggling, remember that you’re not alone and there are resources available to help you.

https://bit.ly/3AU0NgW

✨Therapist Tuesdays✨

Meet Ashley!

Looking for a therapist who offers a welcoming, relatable healing environment, both in-person and virtually?

Ashley is one of our many LGBTQIA+ affirming therapists here at Wildwood Counseling Services. Ashley is an inviting, curious and mindful therapist, who works with teens, adults and senior clients (65+).

Her areas of specialty include, but are not limited to:
+Trauma Therapy
+Bariatric Assessments
+Anxiety, Depression
+Workplace Burnout

Contact us by email at [email protected], or by our main phone line at (419) 410-1000 to ask about scheduling with Ashley!

Let us know what you've got in your favorite mug this morning☕🍂

Just a few days left until this Sunday! Get ready to spread the word and show your support for mental health and su***de prevention.

Check out our 988 Day website, with English & Spanish materials, for last-minute ideas, check out: samhsa.gov/988Day

Find yourself identifying with any (and or) all of these?

You're not alone.

Fear of abandonment and other areas of attachment wounding, or trauma, are areas of therapeutic practice that our therapists are well-acquainted and trained to work with.

Healing is possible. You deserve to experience it. 💜

📷original post:

Dialectical Thinking is a practice used in therapy to encourage ourselves to hold more than one perspective, truth, or idea in existence.

Often times, our brains want to label, catastrophize, overgeneralize, or go black-and-white on us... but in reality, everything about our world is so complex.

We can begin to accept peace when we acknowledge more than one fact to be true!

We've got this. 🌍✨

Meet Kaitlin✨

Therapist Spotlight of the Week:

+Kaitlin Mallery, LSW (she/her)

Looking for an approachable therapist who offers telehealth sessions and meets you where you're at in your life? We got you.

Kaitlin brings over 9 years of experience to her current and potential clients.

Her compassionate and professional approach provide clients with the space they need on their individual healing journey.

Areas of specialty include working with adults & couples in the areas of:
+LGBTQIA+ support
+ADHD
+Eating Disorders

Contact us at Wildwood Counseling Services if you're interested in working with Kaitlin, or any of our other clinicians, by emailing us at [email protected], or by calling our office line at (419) 410-1000.

We all are familiar with this one...😔
Finding yourself stuck in the boat of comparing yourself to others?

Self-compassion and self-love are practices that we can take to allow ourselves the same kindness that we so easily extend to others.

Life is hard... let's show ourselves some much deserved compassion.

Podcast Recommendation 🔥🧠

"Take a second to think of all the things in your life you’ve been told you “should” do. I should eat more healthy. I should be a better mom. I should have a partner. Now, imagine how much freer you could be by transforming those shoulds into cans, allowing you the ability to pursue your desires without shame.

To talk with me today about why women should stop should-ing themselves is returning guest Dr. Melissa Robinson Brown. Dr. Mel is a licensed clinical psychologist, health & wellness enthusiast, and multi-passionate entrepreneur. During our conversation, we discussed how to notice when you’ve developed a pattern of should-ing on yourself or others, the importance of having a strong group of friends who can help you combat negative self-talk, and how parents can stop the cycle of “should-ing” by embracing grace and compassion."

https://therapyforblackgirls.com/2024/05/01/session-357-shedding-the-shoulds/

✨It's Friday ya'll✨

Let us know what you like to do to get those 'feel good' vibes going into the weekend.

What even is C-PTSD 🧠🗣❔

Over the last few years, you may have heard this term flying around on your social media, in your lunch rooms at work, or from a loved one who is on their own journey of healing.

We wanted to take a moment to share a few common signs/symptoms of this diagnosis and also what all those letters mean.

Complex-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop if you experience chronic (long-term) trauma (i.e., various forms of neglect, abuse, etc.)

Often times, C-PTSD gets confused with traditional PTSD that we typically associate with single-episodes/events. The main difference between these diagnoses are the length of the trauma and symptoms you experience.

"Traditionally, experts thought PTSD generally developed from short-term trauma, such as a vehicle accident or a natural disaster. With research, they realized that people who experience long-term, repeated trauma tend to have other symptoms in addition to the symptoms of PTSD.

Both CPTSD and PTSD involve symptoms of psychological and behavioral stress responses, such as flashbacks, hypervigilance and efforts to avoid distressing reminders of the traumatic event(s)."

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24881-cptsd-complex-ptsd

While we know that it's something that impacts all of us in one way or another, we know that grief is something that cares little for the impact that it has on our daily routines, busy jobs, social lives, ability to keep up with friends, our attempts at eating healthier, kid's soccer games, and our sleep.

When you find a moment, check out this podcast from The Dougy Center with Licensed Therapist Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC to listen to her message on Conscious Grieving and the importance that it has in recognizing grief and honoring it with the with the space it needs.

https://www.dougy.org/news-media/podcasts/conscious-grieving-claire-bidwell-smith-lcpc

No matter where you may be at in the healing process...

Celebrate how very far you have come in your journey, already. 🌿🪴

⚠️ Feeling like you can't catch your breath, shaky, or panicked?

Try this mindful technique on your Monday morning:

S ➡️ Interrupt your thoughts with the command ‘stop!’ and pause whatever
you’re doing.

T ➡️ Notice your breathing for a second. Breathe in slowly through the nose,
expanding the belly, and exhale slowly and deeply through pursed lips.

O ➡️ Become the observer of your thoughts, emotions and physical reactions.
What thoughts do you notice? What emotions are present? How does
your body feel? Tune in and sit with whatever arises for a few moments.

P ➡️ Mindfully consider how you’d like to respond. What’s one thing you can
focus on right now? What’s your most important and urgent priority?
Narrow down your focus and take it one small step at a time.

A few frequently asked questions that we receive.

Please don't hesitate to dm, email, or call us to ask more!

Periodically, we will be posting these FAQ's in hopes of reducing some of the fear that we have ALL felt about connecting with therapy.

Let us help dispel some of the negative that you might be hearing about therapy.

It's actually pretty great here. ✨❔

Clinician Spotlight:

Ashley Thomas, LISW

Ashley offers individual therapy to teens (13+) and adults.

​She specializes in working with clients who have symptoms of anxiety, depression, grief or PTSD, as well as clients who are in the process or have gone through bariatric surgery and are looking for ongoing support.

She offers in person and virtual sessions, and is located at 3454 Oak Alley Court, Suite 505, Toledo, OH.

She accepts most major commercial insurances and offers a sliding fee scale for self-paying clients.

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with Ashley:

Call / text: (419) 405 1000
Email: [email protected]
Request an appointment online: https://meetmonarch.com/therapist/ashley-thomas-licsw-toledo-oh-1

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ashley-thomas-toledo-oh/1087288

Ashley Thomas LICSW | (Book Now) - Anxiety Therapy Ashley Thomas LICSW is a therapist specializing in Anxiety Therapy. Book your appointment today on Monarch®.