Dr. Spiegelhoff & Associates, Mental Health Counseling, Camillus, NY, 6000 West Genesee Street , Suite 200, Camillus, NY (2025)

08/18/2025

This is not my typical work attire and it is not Syracuse Orange. It is a vest I wore during a recent on-site visit, while walking through a warehouse.

Did you know that Dr. Spiegelhoff & Associates offers on-site services for counseling and professional development?

On-site counseling services are provided by companies to help employees manage personal and work-related issues that might affect their job performance, health, and overall well-being. Services are confidential and can be provided in person or via telehealth. Examples include:
Mental Health Support: Assistance with stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.
Workplace Issues: Guidance on dealing with workplace conflicts, job stress, grief, and career transitions.
Workplace Dynamics: Changes in the workplace that affect leadership and team development.

In addition to counseling, on-site professional development is available. Examples include:
Work-Life Wellness: Helping employees, leaders, and executives learn how to find harmony across their vocational and personal lives.
Leadership Training: Exploration of leadership skills, understanding not only the why but also the how when it comes to business growth and product development, and using personal strengths to improve leadership and team morale.

📞 Are you interested in on-site services? Contact us to discuss services. 315.320.6441 or contact@drspiegelhoff.com.

📍Serving the Central New York area, including Camillus, Skaneateles, Marcellus, Auburn, Baldwinsville, and Liverpool.

07/02/2025

Adolescent anxiety is a common mental health concern that can significantly affect emotional well-being, academic performance, and social interactions. It is one of the most common presenting problems in counseling. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and strategies to support and manage anxiety is crucial for parents, educators, and adolescents themselves.

Understanding Adolescent Anxiety:
Anxiety in adolescents can stem from various sources, including academic pressures, social challenges, family dynamics, and the influence of social media. Recognizing the signs such as persistent worry (sometimes intrusive thoughts), irritability, changes in sleep patterns, and avoidance behaviors is the first step toward effective management.

Strategies for Managing Adolescent Anxiety:
* Open Communication
* Healthy Lifestyle
* Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
* Professional Support
* Academic and Social Balance

Supporting adolescents in managing anxiety requires a holistic approach that includes understanding, empathy, and appropriate interventions. Creating a supportive environment where teens feel valued and heard can make a significant difference in their mental health journey.

🔗 Read more about a wellness retreat at home on the blog. https://www.drspiegelhoff.com/helping-adolescents-with-anxiety/

📞 Are you ready to improve your wellness? Contact us to schedule an appointment. 315.320.6441 or contact@drspiegelhoff.com.

📍Serving the Central New York area, including Camillus, Skaneateles, Marcellus, Baldwinsville, and Liverpool. Telehealth is available in NY and PA.

07/01/2025

A new trend in wellness is luxury travel, which includes wellness vacations that combine health-focused retreats (vacations) with advanced medical treatments. These wellness vacations offer a variety of services, including detoxes, fitness, massage, MRIs, genetic testing, and transcranial electro-stimulation. The aim is to improve both physical and mental health. Yet, the reality is, such vacations are not accessible to most.

However, this does not mean that you cannot create a personal health retreat that can be a rejuvenating experience, intended to enhance your physical and mental well-being. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a peaceful sanctuary tailored to your wellness goals:

1. Set Your Intentions
2. Design a Tranquil Space
3. Create a Wellness Retreat Schedule
4. Digital Detox
5. Practice Self-Compassion
6. Outside services

🔗 Read more about a wellness retreat at home on the blog. https://www.drspiegelhoff.com/creating-a-wellness-retreat-at-home/

📞 Are you ready to improve your wellness? Contact us to schedule an appointment. 315.320.6441 or contact@drspiegelhoff.com.

📍Serving the Central New York area, including Camillus, Skaneateles, Marcellus, Baldwinsville, and Liverpool. Telehealth is available in NY and PA.

06/30/2025

Being in a relationship with a narcissist can be incredibly damaging to your mental health. Those with narcissistic personalities often lack empathy, are manipulative, and prioritize their own needs above all else. Protecting yourself is crucial, whether you plan to stay in the relationship or eventually leave.

1. Educate Yourself About Narcissism
2. Set and Enforce Strong Boundaries
3. Manage Emotional Engagement
4. Protect Your Reality and Self-Esteem
5. Prioritize Self-Care
6. Create an Exit Strategy (if and when applicable)
7. Build a Strong Support System

Read more about steps you can take to protect yourself and set boundaries at:
https://www.drspiegelhoff.com/protecting_yourself_from_narcissists/

For more support and to schedule an appointment, contact us at 315.320.6441 or contact@drspiegelhoff.com.

Serving the Central New York area, including Camillus, Skaneateles, Marcellus, Baldwinsville, and Liverpool. Telehealth available in NY and PA.

02/24/2025

Earlier this month I attended the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsA) in San Francisco as part of my 2025 Fellowship with APsA.

For 2025, my goal and work, is focused on expanding my teaching of psychodynamic psychotherapy to SUNY Oswego graduate mental health counseling students and through clinical supervision. This semester, I am teaching two clinical courses, MHC Practicum and MHC Internship, as well as Advanced Diagnosis. Psychodynamic theories serve as a foundation for the Advanced Diagnosis curriculum, which expands beyond symptomology and the DSM-5, exploring how personality structure and defense processes can inform diagnosis and treatment.

For years, psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy had been wrongly labels as not evidence-based. Yet much of this narrative is due to the overshadowing of the trending therapies and modalities of the moment - CBT, DBT, EMDR, etc. Yet, there is a vast research base that not only validates psychodynamic psychotherapy, but also demonstrates lasting outcomes beyond therapy.

12/06/2024

As we approach the holiday season, a wonderful way to spread joy and make a positive impact on the lives of others is to give back.

This year the practice is donating to Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital. Each year, Golisano creates a Holiday Store for parents to shop, providing gifts to the children and adolescent patients.

If you are interested in giving back, here are some ideas:

In-Kind Donations
Donate Goods: Local shelters and food banks often need essential items like clothing, toiletries, and non-perishable food. Consider gifts for hopsital patients.

Volunteer Your Time: Offer your time and skills to volunteer at a local organization, such as a soup kitchen, animal shelter, or community center.

Organize a Drive: Collect items like toys, books, or canned goods to donate to those in need.

Financial Donations
Choose a Cause: Select a charity that aligns with your values, whether it's environmental conservation, animal welfare, poverty relief, or medical research.

Donate Online: Many reputable charities have easy-to-use online donation portals, making it convenient to give from your home or mobile device.

Other Ways to Give Back:
Spread Kindness: Perform random acts of kindness, such as holding a door open, buy someone a coffee, or offering a helping hand.

Share Your Skills: Teach a class, offer tutoring services, or mentor someone in your community.

09/06/2024

Su***de is complicated and tragic, but it is often preventable. Knowing the warning signs and how to get help can save lives!

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08/30/2024

Archetype: Anima/Animus

Carl Jung introduced the constructs of the anima and animus as part of his theory of the collective unconscious and archetypes. These concepts are central to understanding the interplay of masculine and feminine qualities within the human psyche.

The anima represents the feminine inner personality in men. It is a crucial component of Jung's theory, reflecting a man's inner femininity and his unconscious feminine qualities. The anima is a bridge to the unconscious, often appearing in dreams, visions, and fantasies. It embodies traits such as intuition, emotion, and receptivity, which are traditionally considered feminine.

Conversely, the animus represents the masculine inner personality in women. This archetype signifies a woman's inner masculinity and her unconscious masculine qualities. The animus encompasses traits such as assertiveness, rationality, and logical thinking, which are traditionally seen as masculine. Similar to the anima, the animus serves as a conduit to the unconscious, appearing in dreams and inner experiences.

Understanding and integrating the anima and animus can lead to greater self-awareness, emotional balance, and psychological resilience. It encourages individuals to explore and embrace the full spectrum of their personality, fostering personal growth and deeper relationships with others.

Jung also believed both the anima and animus are vital for achieving individuation, the process of becoming one's true self. Embracing these inner archetypes allows individuals to balance their masculine and feminine qualities, leading to a more harmonious and integrated personality. This balance is not about conforming to gender stereotypes but about recognizing and integrating the diverse aspects of one's inner life.

08/28/2024

Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, introduced the concept of the "shadow" as part of his broader theory of archetypes in the collective unconscious. The shadow archetype represents the unconscious part of the personality that the conscious ego does not identify in itself. It consists of repressed weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings. It embodies everything an individual refuses to acknowledge about themselves.

Jung believed that acknowledging and integrating the shadow is crucial for personal growth and self-awareness. By confronting these hidden aspects, individuals can achieve a more balanced and whole personality. On the other hand, ignoring the shadow can lead to psychological distress and projection, where individuals attribute their undesirable traits onto others.

The process of integrating the shadow involves self-reflection and acceptance. It requires one to be honest about their flaws and to understand that these aspects are a natural part of being human. This integration allows for a fuller, more authentic self-expression and can lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and others.

Exploring this archetype can be a powerful tool for self-discovery and psychological development, encouraging you to embrace all parts of themselves, both light and dark.

08/21/2024

Archetype: Persona

The Jungian archetype Persona delves into the psyche and explores how individuals present themselves to the world. It represents the social mask that an individual wears in their interactions with others. It is the outward face we present to society, shaped by societal norms, expectations, and roles. This mask allows us to function effectively in various social contexts, helping us to navigate different situations and relationships.

However, the Persona is not the true self. It is a constructed identity that can sometimes lead to a disconnect between one's outer behavior and inner reality. Jung believed that over-identification with the Persona could result in a loss of authenticity and disconnection from one's true self, or what he termed the "Self" (see the previous Jungian Archetype post on Self).

The development of the Persona begins in childhood as we learn to adapt to our environment and the expectations of those around us. We craft different Personas for different roles—such as being a student, a professional, a parent, or a friend. This ability to adapt and present different facets of ourselves is necessary for social harmony and personal success.

The process of individuation, which involves integrating all parts of the psyche, including the Persona, Shadow (the unconscious part of the personality), Anima/Animus (the inner feminine/masculine), and the Self. Therefore, it is important to for balance to exist among the Self and Persona. Leaning too heavily into one’s Persona can lead to issues such as superficiality, inauthenticity, and even psychological distress. While the Persona may be constructed based on norms and expectations, it is important, and healthy, to not lose a reflection of one’s inner reality.

You can explore your Persona(s) by asking how other perceive you, and how you want to be perceived, in different settings such as work, recreation, home, etc. Is the mask you wear still representative of who you are inside?

08/15/2024

Archetype: Self

According to C.G. Jung, the Self represents the unification of the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche, symbolizing the totality of the individual's personality. It is the archetype of wholeness and the regulating center of the psyche, encompassing all other aspects of the personality.

The Self is often depicted in dreams and fantasies through various symbols. Jung believed that the process of individuation, which is the journey towards self-realization and psychological wholeness, involves integrating these various aspects of the personality. This journey is marked by a deep and often challenging confrontation with the unconscious elements of the psyche, leading ultimately to the emergence of the Self as the guiding force of the individual's life.

In analytical psychology, or Jungian psychology, understanding the Self archetype is crucial for personal development, as it encourages individuals to look beyond the ego and explore the deeper layers of their consciousness. However, before stating more, it is important to define ego, as in analysis ego doesn’t necessarily refer to having an exaggerated sense of self. Here the ego represents the center of consciousness, the part of the psyche that deals with perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and memories. It is the seat of our personal identity, encompassing our sense of self and our awareness of our own existence.

By exploring the self, one can achieve a more harmonious and balanced personality, embracing strengths and weaknesses. The Self archetype thus serves as a beacon for personal growth, guiding individuals toward achieving their fullest potential by fostering inner unity and psychological completeness. Through the lens of Jungian psychology, the journey to the Self is seen not just as a personal endeavor, but as a universal quest inherent to the human experience.

08/12/2024

Have you heard of Jungian archetypes? There are four major archetypes and twelve archetypal figures. Before the fall semester begins for me, I decided to teach you about archetypes and maybe move towards tapping into your unconscious.

Jungian archetypes are foundational concepts in the field of analytical psychology, introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. They are universal images and themes that reside within the collective unconscious of all human beings. Jung identified these recurring symbols in myths, dreams, art, and religious rituals across different cultures and historical periods. Archetypes represent the human experiences and emotions, shaping how people perceive and respond to the world around them.

Among the most well-known Jungian archetypes are the Self, the Persona, the Shadow, and the Anima/Animus. The Self represents the unification of the conscious and unconscious parts of the psyche, striving for wholeness and balance. The Persona is the social mask individuals wear to conform to societal expectations and norms, while the Shadow embodies the darker, often hidden aspects of one's personality, including repressed desires and instincts. The Anima (in men) and Animus (in women) represent the inner feminine and masculine qualities, respectively, and facilitate the integration of these opposites within the individual.

Jung believed that understanding and integrating these archetypes is essential for personal growth and self-awareness. By recognizing and confronting these archetypal patterns, individuals can achieve a more balanced and authentic self, fostering psychological development and emotional well-being. Jungian archetypes continue to influence various fields, including literature, art, psychotherapy, and popular culture, underscoring their enduring relevance and impact on the human psyche.

Follow along for more posts exploring the specific archetypes, archetypal figures, and ways to explore your unconscious.

Is there something you want to know more about? Leave feedback in the comments.

Dr. Spiegelhoff & Associates, Mental Health Counseling, Camillus, NY

08/18/2025

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07/01/2025

06/30/2025

02/24/2025

12/06/2024

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