What is Mental Health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
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Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
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Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
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Family history of mental health problems
How can NIU Therapeutic Solution Help you today?
Early Warning Signs
Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:
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Eating or sleeping too much or too little
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Pulling away from people and usual activities
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Having low or no energy
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Feeling numb or like nothing matters
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Having unexplained aches and pains
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Feeling helpless or hopeless
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Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
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Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
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Yelling or fighting with family and friends
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Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
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Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
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Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
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Thinking of harming yourself or others
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Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
What Is Recovery?
Recovery from mental disorders is a process of change through which individuals:
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Improve their health and wellness
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Live a self-directed life
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Strive to achieve their full potential
Four Dimensions of Recovery
Four major dimensions support a life in recovery:
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Overcoming or managing one’s disease(s) or symptoms and making informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional well-being.
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Have a stable and safe place to live.
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Engage in meaningful daily activities, such as a job or school, volunteering, caring for your family, or being creative. Work for independence, income, and resources to participate in society.
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Build relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope.
About Elizabeth
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Elizabeth Sanchez is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist with 9 years of experience. As your therapist, I will bring years of clinical experience and education. It is my responsibility to provide a safe, non-judgemental and compassionate space for us to work in. As appropriate, I will offer my clients my perspective, as well as evidence-based interventions and information tailored to their needs.
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I specialize in anxiety disorders, depression, boundaries, and codependency issues. I speak English and Spanish
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What to Expect from Therapy
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As your therapist, it is my honor and privilege to see you.
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A collaboration between the client and myself.
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An opportunity to support clients in reaching their goals.
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Often focused on helping clients to recognize that they deserve to be loved, respected, cherished and protected — and that in life they don’t need to be perfect to be “good enough,” but rather they only need to be perfectly themselves – with all of their disappointments, triumphs, strengths and vulnerabilities.
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A place to educate and normalize my client’s reactions and/or symptoms, so that they can get a handle on what it is they are dealing with, what they might expect and strategies they might wish to consider to help them to better manage their distress.
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A place in time where clients do not have to wear masks or say they are “OK” when they are not.