Skip to main content

Tag: mental health

“Hold On While I place This Order!” Do’s and Don’ts for Online Therapy

Written by The Village Institute on . Posted in Blog, Featured, Lifestyle, Mental Health.

If you were in therapy before the pandemic, you may remember actually going to your therapist’s office; a place that was designed to be a safe, quiet and secure environment. You would take the time to get yourself ready and then travel to that environment, to meet your therapist who had a time set aside to focus on you.  The commute itself was an opportunity to mentally prepare yourself for the session ahead. Once physically in the office, you had to sit up in a chair… and wear pants.

Even though it is not possible for all of us to have this same quiet environment, especially in crowded homes or small apartments, we should make an effort to follow those previously unspoken guidelines. This goes for therapists as much as for the clients.

We should make it a point to bring some of the unspoken rules, courtesies and formalities of in-person therapy into the online-therapy style. This is true for clients as well as for therapists. While you will see a bit of humor in this post, you will also see that the main point is this: Therapy, online or in person, is your time and it deserves to be prioritized and, when possible, uninterrupted.

Talking with your therapist about a childhood trauma while merging into traffic? Don’t.

Getting ready for the rest of your day during a therapy session? Don’t.

Asking your therapist to hold so you can order fast food? Nope.

Even though it is not possible for all of us to have this same quiet environment, especially in crowded homes or small apartments, we should make an effort to follow those previously unspoken guidelines. This goes for therapists as much as for the clients.

DO’s:

Present yourself like you would in the office.

Try your best to choose a good place for your appointment and stay there for the duration. Is a closet or bathroom your only private space? That’s okay.

Turn your ringer off, or better yet put your phone away. Everyone knows when you are texting.

Get up and out of bed.

Take a few moments before and after your session, like you would during a commute, before re-entering your workspace or family-life; pause, reflect, resonate.

This is still YOUR time. Treat it as a priority.

Get Back Into The Swing Of Things This Fall

Written by The Village Institute on . Posted in Blog, Lifestyle, Mental Health.

Let’s face it. More often than not, when the seasons shift we are overwhelmingly inspired to make grand changes and to “re-align” our lifestyles. Well, here’s a post to help you along the way, one step at a time. Below are 5 helpful lifestyle changes to consider this Fall to get you feeling more grounded and refreshed than ever. 

  1. Build A Strong Foundation. There will always be things that excite us and upset us. Those things may also induce intensive or anxious feelings. But, the ability to rely on a strong foundation to come back to is key to feeling more stable and rooted. Reflect on what can make you feel more rooted this season such as morning journaling, tuning into your senses, meditation, or connecting with nature each day. 
  1. Detox and Let Go. As the trees shed their dead weight later this season- we can do the same. It takes time to identify and to break old, hindering habits or to stop taking part in things that no longer serve us. After reflecting on this, ask yourself  “Why aren’t these things serving me, and what will?” 
  1. Change Up the Routine. You know that thing you’ve been putting off because it feels too ‘indulgent’, or there’s never enough time? Schedule it! This will create some excitement and things to look forward to this season. Looking at where you can fit in your new gym routine, therapy hour or hobby and putting it on a calendar goes a long way. Now is the time to create some space in your schedule for the self-care and excitement that often takes a back burner in your life. 
  1. Live with Purpose and Patience. Feeling purposeful is fundamental to the idea of fulfillment. Nature has a distinct purpose in the Fall – the trees shed, the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer. How can you live with purpose this Fall? Taking the time to address and reflect on where you are now with your goals, and where you’d like to be in the future is key to achieving them. Maybe that includes a career change or a new hobby for you. Don’t let goals feel too big or daunting by feeling the urgency to master life overnight. You have time, but it takes both patience and action to get there.
  1. Transformation. Everything we do begins and ends with the lens in which we are viewing the world. Is yours helping or hindering you? With mental health awareness and therapy on the rise, use this time to dive into some insight and change of your own that you’ve been avoiding or putting off. You don’t have to feel depressed or have experienced trauma in order to seek therapy-but we all have our struggles. Don’t be afraid to tune into your mental health this season! 

Check out our group psychotherapy opportunities and weekly meditations below! We’re excited to be a part of the mental health process- and have a lot to offer! 

https://villageinstitute.com/events/

Is Your Job Killing Your Soul?

Written by Josh Jonas on . Posted in Blog, Career.

Sometimes a relationship runs its course and so the same can be said about a career. I’m not saying that we should treat our careers the way a kid eats candy canes – a few licks and then onto the next one. In fact, a meaningless job can become meaningful the moment it begins to subsidize the other parts of your life. But there can be a litmus test- is your work killing your soul? If it is, just like a relationship, it may be time to cut bait, break up, and start exploring.

– Josh Jonas

Know Your Anger

Written by Josh Jonas on . Posted in Blog, Featured, Mental Health.

Know your anger – it’s a good thing. To know it, kiss it on the mouth even. If you don’t learn to become intimate with your anger you will ascribe it not to you but to the world outside. That is setting up a lifetime of hell. To live in a world as furious, stagnant, and unyielding as you are.

– Josh Jonas
TVI-OpenGraph

Knowing What You Want Is Not Enough

Written by Josh Jonas on . Posted in Blog, Mental Health.

Knowing what you want is crucial to living a good life, but it’s not enough. There are many people who get everything they want and remain miserable. The key is learning what you want in order to feel fulfilled. And that is how you can make your life your own work of art. Because figuring that out is much more of an art than a science. 

– Josh Jonas
Therapy

Stop Pregaming Therapy

Written by The Village Institute on . Posted in Blog, Career, Featured.

If you attended college in the U.S., then I’ll bet you’ve heard of pregaming. It’s when friends or students might load up on cheap drinks before visiting that expensive bar downtown. Pregaming made us feel smart and feel like we had outsmarted the system. Today as I begin a new journey here as a clinician at the Village Institute, I’m discovering that patients are trying to do the same and pregame therapy. By coming up with answers before we’ve even figured out the true problem, our patients think that they can skate around some of the requirements of therapy, like having honest, tough, and intimate conversations that might be uncomfortable at first.

The act of avoiding discomfort presents itself regularly. One patient had asked me before we had even met for our first session, “How many sessions will it take before I start seeing results?” She had already skipped to the end of our time together before we had even had the chance to meet. The problem in both of these circumstances is that too much time is being spent on the answer, and not enough time was being allotted to the question. Luckily, the need for immediate gratification is often broken down in therapy- and is usually indicative of other issues and defenses at hand.

More recently, a friend of mine was considering therapy to work through procrastination and avoidance habits. He pre-diagnosed himself with Adult ADHD to ‘get ahead of the game.’ He was pregaming therapy! This was his attempt to have the satisfaction of having a self-hypothesis confirmed, because the ambiguity of walking in and having no idea where a session could take him was overwhelming. It became quickly apparent that the issue here wasn’t a diagnosis of ADHD, but the anxiety behind relinquishing control and being vulnerable to a stranger. The fear was based upon the possibility of not having his avoidance tool at his immediate usage in the therapy room, so if he was able to walk in with some type of all-knowing powers already, he could somehow get around the discomfort. Ironically, the best work in therapy is done within the discomfort.

Whatever the appeal is for you in beginning therapy- allow this to be, but embrace the possibility of therapy being a journey, not a destination. More possibilities always come from the wisdom of knowing what we don’t know.

Group Therapy

Five Benefits of Group Therapy

Written by The Village Institute on . Posted in Blog, Featured, Mental Health.

What is Group Therapy?

On the first day of our Women’s Psychotherapy Group at The Village Institute, I had asked the group, “Who here had no idea of what they were walking in to today?” Unanimously, each woman raised their hand nervously and laughed. Already, there was a sense of connectivity in the room. It turns out, most people, even those who take the step and join group, do not really know what group therapy is, or what it can offer!

“Thank you for bringing me into this positive experience- it was one I didn’t even know I was missing.” – Group member

According to the APA (American Psychological Association), group members often are surprised at how rewarding a group experience can be.

In this article I’ll be giving you the inside scoop on what Group Therapy is and will also answer some fundamental group questions, so that you can determine if this is a form of therapy that would work for you.

Five Benefits of Group Therapy

1. Validation

Sometimes we need reminders that we’re not completely alone in our feelings and experiences. Members are able to support and validate your experiences by perhaps even sharing their own.

2. Interpersonal learning

How are you relating to others? In group, members have the opportunity to engage with other members, and often how they are relating to others is indicative of how they are relating to people out there in the world. More often than not, having a group experience may even provide information on how you are relating to yourself.

3. Feedback

The feedback in group is different from the feedback you’ll get in individual therapy. Often in group you’ll find that members are genuinely there to listen, share, explore barriers with each other, process their thoughts or fears, and support one another. How often do you have the opportunity to be that vulnerable and open with a group of unbiased people?

4. Affordability

Typically individual therapy can differ in terms of sliding scales, insurance practices, and set fees. Navigating the mental health system certainly isn’t easy. Make your search a little bit easier by considering group therapy as a lower fee option. Groups generally meet weekly, as one would for individual sessions. Consistency is key for any change to happen!

5. New Experiences

After her first group session, I received a message from a group member stating “Thank you for bringing me into this positive experience- it was one I didn’t even know I was missing.” According to the APA, group members often are surprised at how rewarding a group experience can be. Wondering what your experience can be like? Reach out to us and ask us about The Village Institutes upcoming therapy groups this year!

And just so you’re feeling super prepared in your consideration of group therapy I’ve listed some frequently asked questions and answers:

Q: Is group psychotherapy a “support group”?

A: While some groups are created for support, Psychotherapy Groups meet to explore internal processes, mental health, and process feelings in a way that is proactive toward change. Typically the group leader is a psychotherapist who has been trained in the realm of mental health and navigating a group experience.

Q: Are there expectations when you join a group?

A: Yes! Group rules are implemented for the consistency and growth of the group, such as: regular attendance, confidentiality, no meeting outside of group, etc.

Q: How many members will there be?

A: This varies in dependence of what group your joining, where, and what you’re looking for. At The Village Institute, we have groups ranging from more intimate interpersonal groups, to larger ones all within 5-12 people.

Q: How long does it last?

A: At The Village Institute, one group session lasts an hour and a half. Some groups are indefinite but others have an end date.

Q: What if I don’t fit in to the group and want to stop?

A: Like anything else, practice creates growth, understanding and mastery. While giving group an opportunity to be something that could work for you by showing up a few weeks in a row is encouraged, The Village Institute takes on an individualized and genuine approach with their patient population. Ask your group therapist how you can get the most out of your experience, and discuss what might be holding you back from it. You will never be forced to stay in group!

Top 5 Tips for Tackling Men’s Mental Health Concerns

Written by The Village Institute on . Posted in Blog, Featured, Mental Health.

Facing mental health challenges can be overwhelming, especially when you’re not sure where to start. To help you navigate these difficult times, we’ve compiled five essential tips that can make a difference. From acknowledging your struggles to seeking professional support, these steps are designed to guide you toward healing and resilience. Whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, or simply feeling off, these practical strategies can help you regain control and move forward with confidence.

  1. Acknowledge that you are struggling. Just accepting it may help alleviate the pain it is causing.
  2. Men tend to rage at and push away the part of them that is struggling. Have compassion with yourself for going through a tough time.
  3. Be aware of when you are numbing yourself to what’s really going on. Even zoning out in front of the television when something needs to be done can be numbing.
  4. Find one thing in your life that you can stay consistent with and do it everyday to provide some normalcy to your life. The discipline will build confidence – even if it is just going for a 20 minute walk each day.
  5. Reach out to a professional who can help with the inner work that many people need to begin healing.