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Each week, we post the latest articles and new blog content across a variety of categories. Browse our latest.
Parenting Teens About Performance-Based Stress
People are often surprised when I tell them how much pressure many kids in DuPage County face. They picture the area as quiet and idyllic, a welcome break from the noise of Chicago. In some ways, they’re right. There are wonderful communities here filled with families and parents who try as best they can. But at the same time, I regularly talk with classrooms filled with middle schoolers and high [...]
5 Musts for Any Parent of a Depressed Child
It’s so difficult to be the parent of child who battles depression. On top of the pain associated with the knowledge that they’re in pain, many parents also feel personal shame that their child is not “normal,” or that they might have failed them in some way. To cope with those feelings, parents sometimes minimize the mental illness or try to look on the bright side. I urge you [...]
Advice for Introverts: Be You
People often think introverts are shy and don’t speak up much, but that’s not entirely accurate. An introvert is actually someone who recharges during solo time, whereas extroverts are filled up by being with people. Often, introverted people wish they could be a bit louder, more outgoing. But as Grant Stenzel says in this video, all you need to do is be genuine to who you are. If you [...]
The 5 C’s of Parenting a Child with Behavior Issues
By Grant Stenzel, MS Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor When you buy a lawn mower, what comes with it? A manual. New car? Have a manual. Coffee machine for your house? You guessed it. Manual. Know what doesn’t come with one? A new baby. Parents are given this tiny, beautiful new being and expected to raise it up. Parenting books are plentiful and helpful, but parents of young kids are often [...]
Spiders, Snakes, and Dealing with Irrational Fears
By: Michael Hayes MS Licensed Professional Counselor Several years ago, my wife Jain and I were relaxing on the back porch when I went inside to fetch an extra pillow for the hammock. As I rounded the foyer of our home, I was confronted by a 4-foot-long blacksnake stretched out on the stairway leading up to our bedroom. This was no skinny rubber snake placed as a practical joke; he [...]
The Biggest Problem Christians Don’t Talk About
By Grant Stenzel, MS Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor As a general rule, addictions are pretty much equal opportunity. Men and women are equally susceptible to them. And process addictions (gambling, eating, spending, sex) are no exception. Marnie Ferree, a pioneer in the treatment of female sex and relationship addicts, calls sex the fastest growing addiction in the country, and the addiction of choice among Christians. Check out what she has to [...]