Mindcology Blog

The LifeStance Health Mindcology Blog

Read insightful articles, written by our clinicians and designed to help people on their journey to sound mental health.

LifeStance Health acquires Acuity Counseling

LifeStance Health acquires Acuity Counseling, the boutique practice that raised the standard on quality mental health. We are excited to announce the acquisition of Acuity Counseling, founded and led by CEO Colleen Hilton.Acuity Counseling started in 2016 from humble...

Challenging Our Perspectives With a “Therapy” Approach

One of the results of doing inner work in therapy is a newfound awareness of things you never thought of before. It seems that once you become an observer of self, it’s impossible not to confront parts of your identity that might have gone unnoticed for decades. Not...

Connect and Find a New Normal

Yesterday morning seemed like every other. The alarm went off followed by the hustle and bustle of coffee, getting the kids out of bed and ready for school, and myself out the door like any other day. I joined the masses of other working people who hit the road to...

The 5 Different Types of Touch

Did you know that there is more than just one type of touch? When we work with couple’s in sex therapy, many have developed this step-by-step process that they follow when they are going to have sex: First we kiss awhile, then I touch you here and here, you touch me here and here, then we have intercourse, some type of penetration, or oral sex until one or both people orgasm.

Finding a Therapist: Are they the Right “Fit”?

Therapy is life-changing when the relationship between you and your therapist is built on trust. If you can’t be open, honest, and vulnerable then therapy will not work. There are many factors that go into finding a therapist, and here’s a few things to think about in making your decision to start therapy, or maybe to change to a new therapist.

The Excitement and Stress of Family Life Transitions

Family Life Cycle Transitions bring excitement and stress. “Is my experience “Normal”?”

The Five Friendship Languages

You may have heard of the 5 Love Languages, a system that Gary Chapman, Ph.D., created over 25 years ago. This is a tool commonly used in couples counseling to help each partner better understand how to communicate in a way that shows love and support. Oftentimes in...

About to Burn Down? Try Combating Burnout

Combating BurnoutAt any given moment in our careers we have all felt burnout in some way. Whether it is not being able to get out of bed in the morning, struggling to feel motivated to go to work, not being productive at work, and or feeling cynical about our jobs, this is something we have all felt.

Ask Yourself “Is my Phone my Security Blanket?”

Is my Phone my Security Blanket? When adults turn to their phones – do we become more anxious? When scared, anxious, humiliated, tired, or looking for comfort—children reach for their blanket and calm down.

The Emotional Health to Physical Health Connection

We’ve all been a teenager, been madly in love, and then had our heart broken. We are all familiar with the physical pain of a heartbreak- we feel heavier, more tired, less motivated, and often a physical ache in our chest. Does this hurt us Physically? Let’s explore...

Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn? What is ‘Trauma’?

There is the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response that our ‘reptilian’ brain kicks into gear within milliseconds to give us the greatest chance to survive whatever trauma we are experiencing. When one hears the word ‘trauma’ it can evoke a response of fear,...

Depressed? Shine some Light on the Winter Blues

Living in the Pacific Northwest comes with so many advantages. There are beautiful lakes and mountains with endless possibilities of activities. It seems that most people in Washington take full advantage of the sunny and warm summers. In the winter, most people only...

Making “Luck” Work for You

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Luck is “the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual”. I think we make our own luck and view the outcomes as good or bad through the lens of our life experiences. We have all had days where nothing...

3 Tips for a happier-healthier-You this Spring

Spring is finally here! Like it or not, the weather has a huge impact on how we feel. Dark and cloudy days can make it harder to get up and out of the house, while the sun can give us new motivation to take a walk, meet up with friends or even tackle the closet clean...

A.R.E. you a good Partner? Pointers for Emotional Focus

Do you ever look at relationships on social media and think “why can’t I have a relationship like that?” Do you look at your friends’ relationships and think “how do they make it work.” We often look to others to find out how to be in a relationship or to see if our...

Socially Isolated by Social Media

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that people who use social media end up feeling more socially isolated than their non-active peers. Why would this be? More than 2 billion people have profiles on Facebook and not all of them are bots trying to thwart...

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The Straight, the Narrow: What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental illnesses in children, and it’s the reportedly one of most common psychiatric diagnosis overall. Due to the stigma and shame that...

The Pro’s of Praise: Rewarding Childrens Behavior

Rewarding Childrens Behavior Praising your Child: Managing poor behavior in youth Parenting is difficult and is made even harder when you get repeated phone calls from school and daycare about your child misbehaving. It’s difficult when your child is perfect for...

Accept you–Accept your Body

Tips on accepting the “Skin you're in” Just logging on to social media (Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, the list goes on…) and you’ll be enamored with the cultural beauty standards. Unrealistic expectations fill our screens and it makes sense why over 80% of women are...

Intentional Connection with your Partner

Put anxiety at bay and romance in the air with your Partner This time of year is often accompanied with anxiety and pressure to do something special for your partner, along with hopes that your partner will do the same for you. But why not take the pressure off both...

Surviving a Loss to Suicide

Coping with the emotional pain of loosing someone to suicide.Enduring the loss of a loved one, whether a friend, family member or even an acquaintance can have a lasting impact upon your life and wellbeing. In the short term the pain is intense and the triggers are...

Eating Disorders: Holiday Eating Recovery Tips

Eating Disorders 6 tips for making peace with your plate for those who struggle with eating disorders/disordered eating. Amidst all this joy and celebration, there is one aspect of the festivities that can cause problems for some……meals, and lots of them. During the...

Tips to Lower your Social Anxiety

Avoiding social situations is a short-term solution for coping with Social Anxiety. How do we face our fears and break the cycle? Follow these tips to lowering your social anxiety: No one particularly enjoys speaking in front of a large crowd of people. Maybe even the...

Do I have anxiety?

Everyone can relate to feeling anxious from time to time. Whether this is categorized as good anxiety, or bad anxiety is the question. It’s common, and quite frankly, useful to experience anxiety when you’re facing a large decision, such as buying a house, applying...

Coping with Life Transitions

Three ways to prepare for and navigate life’s transitions Change is inevitable, and life is a series of both expected and spontaneous changes. It is the most fundamental of natural laws and whether welcomed or shunned, there is no stopping it. Maybe you lose your job,...

How to Find a Mental Health Therapist

You’ve made the decision to find a Counselor– But whats next?How do you find a therapist? It seems cold and impersonal to just pick a name off a list provided by the insurance company. What about asking friends or family? Maybe…but what if I’m not ready to share...

3 Simple things to do today to fight depression

You may be bummed out, down in the dumps, and you just need to talk to someone but you can't. Aside from seeing your Therapist, here's 3 simple things to do today to fight depression. The interesting thing about depression is that it’s both universal and very specific...