Optimum Joy Clinical Counseling

Optimum Joy Clinical Counseling We help individuals and families in Chicago pursue mental and emotional health. Call today!

10/29/2025

Building emotional awareness is like strengthening a muscle—it takes practice, gentleness, and curiosity.

1️⃣ Notice → Pause and ask, “What’s happening within me right now?”
2️⃣ Name → Put words to what you’re feeling. Naming emotions gives them shape and clarity.
3️⃣ Respond → Ask, “What do I need in this moment?”

Each step helps you stay connected to yourself and your needs!

Understanding how we express ourselves is key to building healthy relationships. Our communication style tells a story —...
10/29/2025

Understanding how we express ourselves is key to building healthy relationships. Our communication style tells a story — but not all styles create connection. With awareness, growth is possible. 💬✨

With curiosity and compassion, therapist Connor Small helps clients sort through the noise of anxiety to reconnect with ...
08/01/2025

With curiosity and compassion, therapist Connor Small helps clients sort through the noise of anxiety to reconnect with their inner wisdom. Whether you’re learning to trust your gut or navigating anxious thoughts, Connor offers a supportive space to build self-trust and clarity. Ready to tune into your intuition? Reach out to Connor today.

Grounding techniques can be used when you are stuck in your head, racing thoughts or a distressing memory and need to be...
07/29/2025

Grounding techniques can be used when you are stuck in your head, racing thoughts or a distressing memory and need to be “brought back to earth.” The spiral technique is quick, simple and imaginal exercise to try when an uncomfortable feeling is becoming hard to tolerate or move through:

Take a moment to concentrate on the body sensations that accompany your distressing feeling. Where do you feel it in your body? Take a minute to find it, describe it.
In your imagination, pretend the feelings are energy. If the energy was moving in a spiral, what direction would it be moving in–clockwise or counterclockwise?

Now with your mind, change the direction and move the spiral in the opposite direction. Notice what happens as it moves in the other way. What happens?

If this technique works for you, you might notice that the feeling you were experiencing dissipates or decreases its level of disturbance.

The Butterfly Hug is a gentle, self-soothing technique designed to help manage stress, anxiety, and overwhelming emotion...
07/21/2025

The Butterfly Hug is a gentle, self-soothing technique designed to help manage stress, anxiety, and overwhelming emotions.

This technique involves crossing your arms over your chest, creating a ‘butterfly’ shape, and tapping your shoulders alternately in a rhythmic pattern.

The bilateral stimulation created by the tapping mimics the calming effects of certain therapeutic approaches, like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

When combined with slow, deep breathing, it can help regulate the nervous system, ground you in the present moment, and create a sense of safety and relaxation.

This practice is especially helpful during moments of heightened emotional distress or as a daily grounding exercise to foster emotional resilience!

Optimum Joy is hiring! If you’re a compassionate, team-minded therapist looking to join a collaborative and values-drive...
06/18/2025

Optimum Joy is hiring! If you’re a compassionate, team-minded therapist looking to join a collaborative and values-driven practice, we’d love to connect.

Our community is rooted in professional excellence, whole-person care, and mutual support. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for your next clinical home, there’s a place for you here.

📍 Multiple locations (IL & CO, Hybrid Opportunities)
🤝 Individual & team support
📈 Ongoing training & development

🔗 Click the link in bio to apply, and swipe to learn more!

Leave a review, and help others find the support they need!If you’re received therapy at our clinic, and it has made a p...
06/03/2025

Leave a review, and help others find the support they need!

If you’re received therapy at our clinic, and it has made a positive difference in your life, would you consider sharing your experience through a google review? Your words could be the encouragement someone else needs to take that important first step toward getting help.

When people search for therapy services, authentic review form real clients help them feel more confident about reaching out. Your review doesn’t need to be lengthy or share personal details — simply letting others know that you’ve had a positive experience can make all the difference for someone who might be hesitant to seek support.

You can leave a review by heading to the link in our bio. Thank you for considering this small act that would have a big impact on someone else’s journey toward healing!

Stress is your body’s natural response to pressure, challenges, or demands. It can be triggered by external factors (wor...
05/29/2025

Stress is your body’s natural response to pressure, challenges, or demands. It can be triggered by external factors (work, relationships, major life changes) or internal factors (self-doubt, unrealistic expectations, past trauma).

It is important to make sure that you are managing your stress as it could lead to burnout. Managing your internal and external boundaries with yourself and other can significantly impact your stress levels and aid in preventing burnout. 

There are a lot of reasons for burnout. More specifically for women it can occur when you’ve been ignoring self care, boundaries, and persistently giving out of a place of deficit. That deficit could be giving when you feel deeply insecure about yourself. Stress leads to burnout. Stress is the idea of having too many responsibilities. While burn out is the idea of having not enough. I’ve done so much for others and so much less for myself. This is why self care is important because it minimizes the amount of stress and keeps things in check or balance.

Seeking support from a therapist can provide both the accountability and encouragement to manage your stress, and create internal and external boundaries to figure out ways to minimize toxic stress.

If this feels like this may be something you relate to, please reach out. We are here to help!

Codependency often hides behind the desire to care for others—but it can quietly erode your sense of self and emotional ...
05/21/2025

Codependency often hides behind the desire to care for others—but it can quietly erode your sense of self and emotional well-being.

This breaks down the cognitive and behavioral consequences of codependency and why it’s important to set healthy boundaries.


Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that love to live in secret. Understanding and fighting against the myths ...
05/19/2025

Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses that love to live in secret.

Understanding and fighting against the myths that surround eating disorders is an essential part of paving the path to recovery.

The zoom-out technique is a cognitive reframing strategy that helps individuals gain a broader perspective on stressful ...
05/12/2025

The zoom-out technique is a cognitive reframing strategy that helps individuals gain a broader perspective on stressful situations. This method involves mentally stepping back from an immediate stressor and viewing it as part of a larger context. By imagining the situation from a distant or external viewpoint, individuals can reduce emotional intensity, decrease reactivity, and assess challenges more objectively. This approach encourages problem-solving, emotional regulation, and a shift in focus from distress to potential solutions. Practicing the zoom-out technique fosters resilience by helping individuals recognize that current difficulties are temporary and manageable within the broader scope of their lives.

With a focus on empowerment and emotional growth, therapist Connor Small helps clients work through fear, embrace change...
04/08/2025

With a focus on empowerment and emotional growth, therapist Connor Small helps clients work through fear, embrace change, and take meaningful steps toward a more fulfilling life.

If you’re ready to explore new possibilities, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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53 W. Jackson Boulevard , Suite 1201
Chicago, IL
60604

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