I’m Not for Everyone
I saw this sweatshirt on a social media ad, and I HAD to have it. I loved it! Anyone who knows me would probably be surprised that I’m enamored of…
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Founder’s Therapy Podcast Featuring Derek Bylsma | Therapy in the Windy City
I had the opportunity to be a guest on The Founder’s Therapy Podcast with Matt Wunderli to discuss Therapy in the Windy City. As a former athlete that struggled with my own…
Navigating Queer Identity Labels
The glossary of sexual and gender identity labels is extensive and ever-increasing. In just the past few years, we have seen our acronyms lengthen from LGBT to LGBTQIA to LGBTGEQIAP+,…
Does Too Much Empathy Cloud Your Judgement?
I’m sure you’re thinking What the What? How can there be too much empathy? Isn’t it the compassionate person’s superpower? Well, the answer to this is yes and no. “The…
The “S” Word: Surrender is Not a Dirty Word
You are pushed to the utter limits of your emotional and physical tolerance until you can no longer carry the weight. Here, in this small space pushed up against an…
Seven Signs Fantasy Thinking Might Be Sabotaging Your Relationships
Our imagination is remarkable. We use it to envision new possibilities, create, invent and even help someone survive the unbearable. Imagination and fantasy are often confused and intertwined, but there…
Humorous Medicine: PCD (Present COVID Disorder)
It’s hard to believe we are at the end of summer and yet this pandemic is still dictating our lives. With all the noise about how to process, cope and…
Boundaries Mirror our Internal Compass
“Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” – Brené Brown Having healthy boundaries AND knowing when and how to exercise them…
How Attached Are You to the Beliefs You Have About Yourself?
During this lockdown, life is moving at a surreal pace with a lost sense of time and space and I have been hyper-focused on the existential meaning of it all.…
Starting Therapy Online
COVID-19’s ripple effects shook up a lot and raised several concerns, especially in the counseling space: “How in the world do I do therapy through a computer?” “Can I even…
On Judgement: An Existential View
With so much emphasis on the state of our nation, humanity, and our willingness to “hold on tight,” we’re grappling with various parts of our being, all of which usually…
Managing Remote Learning Pressures During COVID-19
A question I’ve been hearing professionally as a counselor and personally as a mom, wife, sister and friend is “When will this end so we can get back to normal?”…
Are You Lonely? You’re Not Alone
“The greatest gift you can give another is your time, your attention, your love, and your concern.” – Joel Osteen According to a survey by health insurance company Cigna, three…
The Misconception of Love Addiction
I am not a huge fan of the term “love addiction,” because it implies that it is wrong to love, which is far from true. It’s the same way that…
How Shame Impacts Sexual Health
“Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.” – Brene Brown Our sexuality is a natural part of our humanity. This is a sex…
The Connection Between Sexual Issues and Attachment Styles
Using sex to act out is more prevalent than most people believe. What is sex addiction? Is that really a thing? Yes, it is. However, sexual issues and attachment styles…
The Gametime Guru Podcast Featuring Derek Bylsma | Mental Aspects of Sports
I had the opportunity to be a guest on The GameTime Guru Podcast with Shane Larson to discuss the mental aspects of sports. Playing soccer growing up and eventually going on to D1 soccer in college, I learned early on that…
How Tightly Are You Holding Onto Things?
What do I mean by things? Yes, I’m being intentionally vague because holding onto things can be our thoughts, a belief, mantra, patterns and so on. Sometimes we hold on…
Redefining Our Past Through Creative Expression and Brainspotting
I recently attended Madonna’s Madame X show in Chicago. The show was filled with creative expression but only if you were present to notice. Upon entering, we had to silence…
Meet The Team: Hilary Rosenberg, Primary Counselor
Meet the Millennium team. In this audio style interview, we sit down with Millennium Primary Counselor, Hilary Rosenberg, to discuss how her career got started, her passion for helping…
What’s Your Narrative Voice Telling You?
We talk to ourselves regularly. There is an ongoing narrative voice in the back of our mind, and sometimes we listen to it; other times, we let it go on…
Connection: A Need Not A Want
Being completely independent is overrated. As a culture, we’re programmed to instill, praise and value a sense of autonomy and we often fail to promote and foster the importance of…
What if You’re Fearful of Being Present?
“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” — Pema Chodron In today’s world, we hear a lot about the benefits of being mindful and present, but…
How to use Radical Acceptance to Pursue Healthy Relationships
“Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging.” – Marsha Linehan We…
SportsEpreneur Podcast Featuring Derek Bylsma | Mental Health in Sports
I had the opportunity to be a guest on the SportsEpreneur podcast (listen here). This podcast is produced by the content marketing team of KazSource. The SportsEpreneur platform drives leaders…
Entrepreneur Perspectives Podcast Featuring Derek Bylsma
I had the opportunity to be a guest on the podcast, Entrepreneur Perspectives (listen here). This podcast is produced by the content marketing team of KazSource. It’s a weekly podcast…
What Do Artichokes Have to do With Relationships?
Moving from an insecure to a secure attachment is like removing the leaves off an artichoke; enjoying each piece, until you get to the heart, which is the best part.…
Are You Wise?
Wisdom has always been considered an admirable attribute of personality but has remained a rather abstract concept due to the complexity of its nature. Life span developmentalists began to study wisdom as…
Something to Talk About
There’s an old Bonnie Raitt song called, “Something to Talk About” that’s about falling in love and giving folks “something to talk about”! As I thought about that song, I realized that when…
Why Building Client Relationships Is Important to Us
Building client relationships and developing trust is very important in the recovery process. Our counselors believe in the client and connect with each individual upon first contact. On the rare…
Resolutions
When the New Year comes, many of us make resolutions. We might resolve to lose weight, get out of debt, exercise more, or be more diligent in our recovery programs, but usually the focus is on helping ourselves.…
Are you Unintentionally Attracting Emotionally Unavailable Partners?
Are you certain that this time will be different only to be disappointed? As soon as you become close to your partner, do they suddenly pull away or disappear? Or do you? Are you settling…
Millennium Hope’s Intensive Treatment Program
Our Intensive Treatment program, developed by Ann Foster and her team at Millennium, offers extensive support and wrap-around care for individuals during critical transitional times of their recovery including, but…
“How Can I Be in Two Places at the Same Time?”
One of the big questions around the holidays is how to make everyone happy by attending ALL family gatherings. Answer? YOU CAN’T! The phrase in that first sentence that needs…
Holiday Tips!
Before we know it, the holidays will be here. For those of us who struggle with family relationships, the holidays bring up lots of feelings—not all of them happy. So…
Lack of Motivation or Fear of Failure?
“I don’t have enough motivation.” How often do we hear athletes blame lack of motivation for poor performance? But while motivation can indeed be a problem, often the real issue…
Navigating Life and Relationships after Divorce
Life after a divorce is hard, here are some tips on navigating life and relationships after a divorce. The process of ending a relationship begins long before finding a lawyer,…
The Beauty of Life
The crisp air of fall and the autumnal glare of the sun’s rays brings about a certain hope of celebration and perhaps pumpkin everything as a harbinger to the holidays.…
Mindlessness and Mindfulness
Learning to pay attention to the moment while also cultivating a nonjudgmental stance towards self sounds pretty ideal to an addict in recovery, right? Individuals experiencing addiction, past or present,…
NFL Draft and Anxiety
This is the time of year when some sports are in playoff mode, and others are just beginning their season. With the NFL draft right around the corner, there are…
Think Outside of the Gift Box
He’s too hard to buy for! She’s so picky! I don’t know what to get them, they have everything! We all have someone in our lives who is hard to…
Never Give Up
One philosophy the Chicago Cubs hold dear is never give up! From their manager Joe Maddon, to almost every player who’s been interviewed, they all say the same thing; we…
“It’s Not Alcoholism Until You Graduate”: Insight into College Binge Drinking Culture
There’s this saying being thrown around jokingly by college students that ultimately leaves a lasting, detrimental impact. The saying goes “It’s not alcoholism until you graduate.” This statement perpetuates the…
Full-Court Press
A “full-court press” in basketball means the entire team surrounds one opposing player when he/she tries to inbound the ball. Instead of spreading out across the court, they all gather…