The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC Fear is a normal part of childhood – learning how to manage it is an important part of growing up. Everyone feels fear. From six years old to sixty people worry and feel afraid. There are classic symptoms all children face, ( listed below),  which are indicators of the levels of anxiety a child may be facing. And did you know fear is such a common theme that the Bible has over 300 verses dedicated to facing fear and not staying afraid? Emotional maturity takes place when a child learns to face their fears by managing these negative emotions through talking, praying, writing them out in words, drawings or other expressive arts. The more a child can learn to  ‘replace’  their fears with facts or faith, the more confidence she will gain, and when she can learn the power of deep truth, like,  “ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear... for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you”.(Deuteronomy 31:6 ...

By: Christine Hammond, LMHC The word “dependent” is the perfect descriptive word to summarize the personality trait.   Dependents are dependent on others for all areas of emotional support and affirmation and are usually dependent on one person in particular such as a spouse or parent.   Often their dependence is in direct contrast to the person they are dependent on who is very much independent.   Dependents as a general rule of thumb don’t like others to be dependent on them but are comfortable being dependent on others. So what is Dependent?   Well, according to the new DSM-V, dependent is no longer a personality disorder in and of itself rather it is now classified under Personality Disorder Trait Specified (PDTS).   This means that there was not enough research to properly classify dependents as having a named personality disorder but there is evidence enough that it does exist.   So the traits of dependent are still classifiable and quali...

By Matt W Sandford, LMHC At the beginning I hated the idea of going to counseling. It felt like an insult that someone had suggested it to me. I was sure that what they meant was, “there’s something wrong with you, something that you can’t fix on your own and you need help.” I had never thought of such a thing for myself, because I knew I was not in that category; meaning the group of people who are screw ups or losers who can’t make their life work or can’t fix themselves. It doesn’t mean that I did not think I had problems - oh no! Of many of those I was keenly aware (sort of). You see, I was a perfectionist. And that, unfortunately for me, doesn’t mean that you are more perfect than other people. It rather means that you are keenly aware of your imperfections and that you loathe every one of them. The reason the perfectionist loathes them is because they see their weaknesses and mistakes as representative of their defectiveness. And so they are driven in two ways – t...

  By Dwight Bain   Face it. All people have problems, not just women. Yet, the research shows the majority of people who seek professional counseling are female. In fact the majority of counselors are now women, (over 60%). ·          Does this mean women have more problems than men? ·          Does it mean women really are the “weaker” sex? Or does it mean women are just more honest because they are being healthier by working on problems instead of ignoring them? This process may explain why men tend to struggle with addictions to sports, alcohol, pornography, gambling, violence or drugs more than women do. Simply put a healthy person seeks out wise counsel when facing a challenge and an unhealthy person tries to figure it out by themselves. Here are the most common reasons men avoid counseling situations. 1.        Pride, “I’m...

  By Laura Hull, LMFT   Back in the late 1980s, Bobby McFerrin had a smash hit song proclaiming the notion that when life throws everything including the kitchen sink at us, we should adopt the mindset of “don’t worry, be happy”.   Uh-huh.   This catchy little ditty puts a smile on the face, taking me in my mind to my worry-free, happy place (the one that exists only in my mind) where I am sitting on a beach, whistling along with Bobby under an umbrella with a fruity beverage.   Lost in that momentary thought, I am brought crashing back to reality with the sounds of real life.   My hubby and I have six kids to support…to put through college, to fit with braces, health issues to address, careers to pursue, and the list goes on and on.   With life comes worry.   Sorry Mr. McFerrin, your notion of “don’t worry, be happy” is a lovely one, but much easier said than done.   Everyone who lives long enough experiences worry and fea...

By: Brian Murray LMHC, NCC Anxiety is a very common part of everyday life. This time of year in Florida approaching hurricanes can cause a lot of anxiety. It would appear that some people handle it in different ways by celebrating all the way down to being down right scared and hunkered down. So what is this all about? How come some people are very afraid and others are not? Some underlying factors are at play and very legitimate. If a person has ever been exposed to a natural disaster and witnessed or experienced what is perceived as a life threatening situation, then they have good reason to feel anxiety during an approaching storm. These survivors can be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder commonly known as PTSD. Now, some anxiety before a storm is a pretty typical response. However, if the anxiety reaches a point where a person begins to recall memories of past traumatic events into the present one then it can warrant taking a better look at what is going on. The...

By: Matt W. Sandford, LMHC What is self care? Self care means attending to your self – increasing and/or maintaining your personal emotional well being. An objection to self care that I’ve heard people say is that it seems self indulgent. This objection is commonly rooted in the Christian understanding that our calling is to serve and focus on others. There are, in fact, scriptures that seem at first to be in support of this viewpoint. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be serve d, but to serve , and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Phil 2:3-4 There are actually plenty of passages we could reference to support this idea. But I want to consider a few other passages to help us to gain balance as to the intention of the passages on serving. “Whatever y...