Carla Brown, Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Therapist

05/14/2022

Regular exercise (make it fun 😄) is essential to optimal mental health!

05/01/2022

Excellent article on narcissism...
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/narcissism-demystified/202106/13-common-behaviors-and-values-narcissistic-people

How to identify narcissism in those around you.

05/03/2020

Kindness Turned Inward

I’ve noticed that many people are easily kind and supportive to others. But, paradoxically, these individuals often deny themselves the same open kindness naturally extended to the world. They downplay their accomplishments, hold themselves to impossible standards, are quick to harshly criticize their own efforts, or reluctant to forgive themselves for mistakes made. Not surprisingly, many go on to develop a rather pessimistic perspective about themselves and their lives. In chronic and extreme cases, this inevitably leads to depression.

It’s impossible to feel good about life if you don’t feel good about yourself.

No one is perfect. Perfection is an elusive, highly subjective concept. We’re human, mere mortals. We're bound to make mistakes....and we should. This is how we learn! All we can do in any given moment is strive to be our best---whatever that might look like.

Self-appreciation is a key ingredient to creating a strong identity and maintaining positive self-esteem.

Even as you desire to make personal changes while working on self-improvement, you must still recognize and celebrate your strengths as they are expressed today! Humbly remind yourself from time to time of the gift that is YOU! To help in this endeavor, make a list of everything you like and are proud of about yourself. Keep the list handy, update it periodically, and review as often as needed for a healthy psychological boost. If creating the list on your own is a bit challenging, ask trusted others to share their thoughts of what is most appreciated about you.

The truth is you are one of a kind. Knowing that there is not, nor ever will be, another one of YOU is definitely worthy of unbounded kindness toward self, don’t you think?

03/31/2020

MINDFULNESS
What is it and why is it so important?

Mindfulness means bringing your awareness into the present moment, the "here and now." It's a simple concept, but due to the fast paced world many of us live in, mindfulness practice can be difficult at first to implement.

Hundreds of clinical studies have shown that mindfulness helps us to improve physical and emotional well being by reducing stress, increasing coping abilities, and encouraging a deeper appreciation of life. When being mindful, you disconnect from whirlwinds of stimuli faced daily: other people's energy, constant activity, continual streams of internal messages (your thoughts, beliefs, perceptions), never ending demands, etc.

Human beings are very resilient. So resilient that we often are not aware of our ability to adapt to ever increasing pressures, but we all have a limit! We can and will become overwhelmed. So too often we may have melt downs, give up, experience chronic irritability, fall into depression, "snap," and/or rely on alcohol and other drugs to cope.

Mindfulness practice ideally involves finding a quiet space without distractions to shift into an alert, relaxed frame of mind. You'll use all five senses to focus on the present, allow your breath to serve as an anchor to stay grounded, and observe without judgment.

Mindfulness, when practiced regularly, builds on the capacity to interrupt disabling cycles of obsessions over past regrets and fixations on fears of the future.

There are no side effects, it's free, and you have 100% ability to decide when and for how long to utilize mindfulness as an effective coping tool. Give it a try, stick with it, and see what happens!

03/31/2020

Did you know...
According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population.

03/31/2020

If you are finding it difficult to cope with the many stressors of daily life, please consider professional counseling. I now offer telecounseling sessions (by phone or video chat) to address depression, anxiety, stress, interpersonal conflict, and many other problem issues that negatively affect one's quality of life.

Thankfully many insurances companies - including all Michigan Medicaid plans - are now paying for telecounseling due to the Covid-19 crisis. Normally, one would have to reside in a rural area to have these services covered.

I'm currently providing telecounseling exclusively. After the coronavirus crisis subsides, I will continue telecounseling on a fee-for-service basis and will also return to in-person sessions for those living in metro Detroit.

Please visit www.themesofharmony.com to learn more about me and the private practice services I've provided for the past three and a half years. Give me a call or send a message at your earliest convenience!

Oak Park, MI and Southfield, MI Depression Treatment. Carla Brown provides anxiety treatment and counseling for grief and loss, mood swings, relationship problems, interpersonal conflict, workplace stress, and trauma to Detroit, Southfield, and Warren, MI.