Southside
Greenwood Location
435 E. Main St. Suite 200
Greenwood, IN 46143
Northside
Indianapolis Location
9001 N. Wesleyan Rd. Suite 205
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Generations Kids
435 E Main Street, Suite 120
Greenwood, IN 46143
Contact
[email protected]
Tel : 317-743-8202
Fax : 317-743-8276
Adverse Childhood Experiences
/by Joanna BlossAmong many other findings, this study discovered that individuals who experienced 4 or more ACE factors in childhood had a significantly increased risk for myriad health problems including substance abuse, cancer, suicidal behavior, obesity, smoking, heart disease and depression.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Part 2
/by Joanna BlossAs debilitating as OCD can be, there is hope for individuals who seek help. This usually includes a combination of medication and therapy.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Part 1
/by Joanna BlossFor the approximately 2.5 million Americans who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, ordinary bumps in the road become debilitating roadblocks.
About Dialectical Behavior Therapy
/by Joanna BlossDBT uses four skills modules to help clients cope more effectively with intense thoughts, moods, emotions and behaviors. They are mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
Hope for Borderline Personality Disorder
/by Joanna BlossExperiencing constant emotional storms is a reality of life for the millions of individuals who suffer from the symptoms associated with Borderline Personality Disorder (or BPD).
BPD is a debilitating condition that is typically diagnosed in young adulthood and is characterized by emotional instability, chaos in relationships, a sense of emptiness or or lack of identity, and difficulty communicating feelings and needs appropriately. Many individuals with BPD struggle with ongoing thoughts of suicide; they often self-injure or engage in destructive and impulsive behaviors.
Mental Health Resources
/by Joanna BlossIf you are looking for information on anxiety and depression or mental health resources either nationally or in the Indianapolis area, here are some trusted sources…
Creating a Depression-Fighting Plan
/by Joanna BlossWhile many of us think of depression as sadness, that doesn’t even begin to describe it. Although sadness can be a component of depression, individuals with major depressive disorder frequently experience a sense of emptiness and meaninglessness and often profound feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness.
How to React to Life Stressors More Effectively
/by Joanna BlossIn July 2020, Kyle Burgess was taking a run on a mountain trail in Utah when he stumbled upon some adorable baby animals. Knowing his family would enjoy a video, he pulled out his phone and started recording. At first he thought the animals were bobcats, but when their mother appeared on the path to chase him away, he quickly realized they were cougars. Amazingly, Kyle maintained his cool and kept filming while the mother pursued him for a terrifying near-six minutes…
A Three Step Strategy for Managing Anxiety
/by Joanna BlossMorning after morning I woke up with a hard-to-describe feeling that started deep in my abdomen and swelled through my chest. I would lay in bed, miserably waiting for this unwelcome and never-tardy intruder to show up and temporarily paralyze me with a mixture of fear, dread, and self-recrimination.
Celebrate!
/by Joanna BlossWhen we take time to celebrate the little and the big events in our lives and the lives of people we care for, it creates a domino effect of all kinds of good things.
A celebration is a perfect example of a positive emotional experience, and we know that filling our lives with positive emotional experiences is essential for good mental health.
Creating Positive Emotional Experiences
/by Joanna BlossAllowing yourself to experience positive emotions — even temporarily — can give your mind and body a much-needed break from feeling sadness, fear or anxiety. Research done by Barbara Fredrickson has shown that positive emotions can help us think more flexibly and become more resilient.
Why Bother Being Mindful?
/by Joanna BlossThere are many benefits to practicing mindfulness and living a more mindful life, but in case you aren’t totally convinced why it could be good for you, here are some encouraging reasons to spend more time practicing the skill of mindfulness.
How Does Therapy Work?
/by Joanna BlossWhen I was in grad school, an instructor told our class it would be a good idea for us to get our own therapy so that we could better understand how the process worked.
A classmate raised her hand.
“But how does it work?” she asked.
My instructor shrugged her shoulders and said simply, “It’s magic.”
How to Get the Most Out of Therapy
/by Joanna BlossGood therapy is “we” — a collaboration between client and therapist. The therapist is responsible for creating an environment for change to happen. This is an intentional practice that requires a foundation of formal education and years of supervised experience in order to be effective. The client is responsible for showing up and being willing to change and grow.
Therapist Green Flags
/by Joanna BlossI’m never afraid to tell my clients that I have been in therapy. Being in therapy with the right person at the right time changed my life.
Someone You Can Talk To
/by Joanna BlossAssuming your therapist possesses at least a basic level of training and competency in their chosen field, it turns out that “being someone you can talk to” is essentially one of the most important factors of all in finding the right therapist.
How to Know if You Need Therapy
/by Joanna BlossPeople come to therapy for lots of reasons, but many wait until a crisis is looming. If you really want therapy to be effective, I highly recommend coming in sooner rather than later. Rather than thinking of therapy as a way to deal with crises, think of it as a tool that can help you avoid crisis situations. When you can’t avoid them, therapy can help you prepare and cope more effectively when one does arise.
Therapy Guidebooks
/by Joanna BlossYears ago we took a family trip to Yellowstone. A couple months before the trip I stopped by the public library and checked out a park guide written by an experienced Yellowstone traveler. This book led me to the best hiking paths for families with young kids, the least crowded time of day to visit Old Faithful, and unearthed a whole list of “can’t miss sights.”
Meet Tanya Thompson!
/by Joanna BlossTanya Thompson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who joined Generations in November 2021 and is a welcomed member of our team. She works out of our northwest Indianapolis office, located at 9001 N Wesleyan Road in the Parkstone office complex. Let’s get to know Tanya! Tanya is native to Indiana, though she spent several […]
Meet Vinnie Butler!
/by Joanna BlossWhat to Do With Problems You Can’t Fix
/by Joanna BlossA few years ago, I was on the standby list trying to catch a flight home from Las Vegas to Chicago. My chances didn’t look good, so I decided to go through San Francisco, hoping for a few more options. It was a LONG day. I’d missed several flights, but finally my name was called […]
Six Ways to Protect Your Psychological Health During a Pandemic
/by Joanna BlossIf I’d have asked you in December what you were going to be doing in April, what are the odds you’d have said “making masks, washing off my groceries and Googling DIY haircuts”? And yet, here we are. While some are faring better than others, regardless of our circumstances, COVID-19 has impacted all of us […]
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
/by Joanna BlossThe Bottom Line Very simply, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, is about learning to live a balanced life. More technically, it is an evidence-based therapy designed to help people manage intense emotions, impulsive behaviors and difficult relationships. It was originally developed to help individuals who were suicidal or self-injured, but since then we have learned […]
Quick Question: What’s the Difference Between Depression and a Down Mood?
/by Joanna BlossAs the weather changes and the days get a little darker, a lot of people seem to notice a dip in their mood. Sometimes it can be a fine line between having a down mood and being clinically depressed. Here are some important distinctions: Types of symptoms – A down mood is generally a temporary […]
Does Your Child Need Counseling?
/by Joanna BlossAs parents we want to make all the right decisions for our children. We find the best schools, the most knowledgeable doctors, we try to feed them the healthiest foods, and we can’t forget to outfit them with the “coolest” clothes. But how do we know it’s the right time to take them to counseling? […]
How Do I Pay for Counseling?
/by Joanna BlossCounseling isn’t free, and there are good reasons for this (read more about that here). But how will you pay for it? You typically have one of two options. Pay out of pocket (called self-pay). Use your health insurance benefits. If you are one of the approximately 300 million Americans who has health insurance coverage, […]
All About Health Insurance
/by Joanna BlossYou finally decided you need a counselor. You’ve done your research and found someone that seems like a good fit. The next step is to make an appointment and dive in, right? Not exactly. There’s one more step that is easy to skip, but if you take the time to do it now, I promise […]
Why Isn’t Therapy Free?
/by Joanna BlossA few years into my career, I was chatting with an acquaintance about another acquaintance that had gone through a horrible tragedy. Knowing that I was a therapist, she said, “You need to help her.” Then, “And you shouldn’t make it about the money.” She went on to say how a lot of counselors are […]
8 Signs You Might Need Help With Boundaries
/by Joanna Bloss“I can’t do it any more. I’m done. No matter how much I do for him, there’s always more. Always a need, a request, or a crisis. I’m exhausted.” Joe is a loving father and caring husband. He works long hours and provides for his family. He is in therapy to get help in his […]
Let’s Talk: the Last of our Five Part Series on Better Communication
/by Joanna Bloss“I have never told anyone this before…” “I’ve always wondered if it was my fault.” “I didn’t think it was a big deal.” “I wasn’t sure anyone would believe me.” “I was ashamed…” “I was embarrassed…” “I can’t imagine anyone finding out about this…” It may or may not surprise you to know how often […]
Two Questions You Must Answer In Order to Improve Your Communication (Communication, Part 4/5)
/by Joanna BlossWhat’s your goal? This is an important question, and one that typically comes up early in therapy. I’m a big fan of defining goals, early and often. My most successful clients typically answer this question with something to the effect of: “I need to learn how to…” or “I want to be better at…” They […]
Another Simple Thing You Can Do to Have Less Conflict & Better Relationships (Communication, 3/5)
/by Joanna BlossHave you ever found yourself in a ridiculous conversation that devolved into a completely irrelevant topic — so much so that you couldn’t even remember what you were arguing about in the first place? Yes. Yes you have. Joe: I told you on Tuesday that we had this dinner appointment — you never listen to […]
1 Simple Thing You Can Do to Have Less Conflict and Better Relationships (Communication, Part 2/5)
/by Joanna BlossKim — a bright and spunky teenager — had a long history of fighting with her mom. After a couple sessions with them together, I requested to meet with Kim’s mom one on one. She launched right in to tell me how prickly Kim was. “It never fails. We sit down to have a normal […]
Stop Fighting. Start Communicating: #1 in a 5 Part-Series on Really Improving Your Communication
/by Joanna BlossJoe and Suzy have been married for 15 years. Lately, Joe has been spending more and more time at work, and Suzy says he’s being a selfish workaholic. She even wonders if he is having an affair. Joe agrees — he has been spending more time at the office — but he says Suzy’s nagging […]
Transitions are hard
/by Joanna BlossI cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be living and working in the Greenwood/Indianapolis area. I enjoyed attending the State Fair this past weekend (I may or may not have had my share of a warm funnel cake…), and I’m very excited about all the cool antique stores and flea markets in my […]