See No, Hear No, Fear No Spiders
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is the fear of the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft I like to think of October as the most haunted time of the year and the month that contains my favorite holiday, Halloween. This whole month is about listening to…
Read MoreBetter Balance Makes For Better Gaming
The first game that really grabbed me was The Legend of Zelda. I am part of the gaming generation that played the original eight-bit version on the first Nintendo. I remember losing an entire Saturday morning, playing with my brother solving puzzles, and conquering level bosses. Of course, that is until the Nintendo would freeze,…
Read MoreWant a Better Night Sleep? These Tips Will Help
Sleep has never come easily to me. I remember nights when I was in high school where my mind would chase dozens of thought rabbits down their holes. I remember the frustration and sitting awake wide-eyed when the first hints of sunlight would brighten the morning sky. As an adult, I feel that I had…
Read MorePandemic Pounds a Problem? Take These 3 Steps to Reclaim Your Waistline
The pandemic has not been kind to our waistlines. In fact, the “APA’s survey of U.S. adults, conducted in late February 2021 by The Harris Poll, shows that a majority of adults (61%) experienced undesired weight changes—weight gain or loss—since the pandemic started, with 42% reporting they gained more weight than they intended. Of those,…
Read MoreWhat Simone Biles Tells us About Putting Our Mental Health First
The camera zooms in on Simone Bile’s face. She is the picture of concentration and focus. She is lined up for the beat board and launches herself down the mat. She hits the vault, tucks tight, and stumbles a bit on her landing but recovers into a solid finish. Suddenly she walks away. Not only…
Read MorePerforming Like a Gold Medalist Under Pressure
In 1996 Muhammad Ali was several years into his fight with Parkinson’s Disease when he was given the honor to light the Olympic torch. The image of him summoning all of his strength and shakily igniting the flame for the games sends chills down my spine. Olympic athletes are a testament to discipline and focus…
Read MoreHow Does Midlife Crisis Affect Men and Families?
PsychCentral writer Jon Patrick Hatcher interviewed Sarah Suzuki on male midlife crisis (Check out the full interview here): Licensed Social Worker and owner of Chicago Compass Counseling Sarah Suzuki shares, “What I often hear from men is, ‘I’m already halfway dead, so what’s the point of going on?’ They feel as though their purpose is…
Read MoreAn Interview with Clinical Director Alexandra Backis of Chicago Compass Counseling
Spotlight on Alexandra Backis, Therapist and Clinical Director in Chicago, IL What does anti-racist practice look like in psychotherapy? Today, we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Backis, LCSW. As Clinical Director, Alexandra draws on over a decade of experience incorporating anti-oppressive practice in her work as a therapist and supervisor in how she guides…
Read MoreFounder and Group Practice Owner Sarah Suzuki Explains How the “Mass Shooter Mental Illness Myth” Perpetuates White Supremacy
Check out Sarah Suzuki’s widely shared article on how psychological profiles of mass shooters perpetuate White Supremacy (You can find the full article here): “And so, already — the media is pushing the false story that the Atlanta-area perpetrator was driven by “mental illness” — not racism. (See Reuters, Sex addiction, not racial hatred, may…
Read MoreWhat Makes Interracial Couples Different?
On our second date, we went to the Chicago History Museum. They were running an exhibit on race and I wanted to suss out how this White Guy from Wisconsin would react to it. If this wasn’t going to work out, the earlier I knew, the better. Plus, they were free on Tuesdays. Fast forward…
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