The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By Megan Brewer IMH Transitions are often difficult for many people. Whether we are changing jobs, moving to a new city, moving up in a grade or changing schools, the transitions we experience impact us. These transitions impact us on many levels, but most of us only pay attention to a fraction of the change happening around us and inside of us during these times. What makes transitions feel so difficult has to do in part with how we learned to function in our space previous to the transition. Our body and brain were designed to adapt and mold around our environment, including our relationships, roles and everyday schedules. The longer we spend in an environment, the more our brain wires to the experiences we have there. Our bodies also adjust to the new wiring of our brain and learn to navigate our surroundings as a result. When we leave that familiar environment and transition to a new one permanently, it takes time for our brain and body to rework itself around our...

By: Christine Hammond, LMHC Sam and Blake have been married for 12 years. Their blended marriage includes a child from a previous relationship for both of them and two of their own. Both parents have shared custody of their child so scheduling anything can be very difficult depending on the reasonableness of the ex-partner. Between the soccer practices, dance classes, and piano lessons, just finding time to come to counseling without the kids was a struggle. But they did it because their marriage was falling apart. The fighting had escalated into threats of divorce, the kids were withdrawing for fear of another divorce, and the tension in the house was unbearable. As a result, Sam and Blake, both professionals, found tons of excuses to avoid home and remain at work longer. They were literally two ships that might pass in the night but definitely would avoid even passing if they could. Strangely enough, they agreed on all the major issues in life, including paren...

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...

By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH “I can’t ever do anything right.”   While this seems to be an overgeneralization and certainly there is some evidence to the contrary, there really are people who do believe that they can’t to do anything right.   Perhaps you are married to someone like this, have a friend who says this frequently, a coworker who complains that nothing they do is ever right or you catch yourself saying those words.   And while arguing the points of the matter is unproductive, what does make sense is trying to understand where such thoughts may be coming from and how they can be changed. The fourth stage of Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development is Industry vs. Inferiority which occurs during the prime school age of six to twelve.   During this time, most learning is root memorization and children have an amazing ability to grasp large quantities of information.   This is why the show, “Are You Smarted Then a Fifth Grader” is so interesting. ...