Growing Awareness Counseling

03/19/2025

This group is geared towards late teens early 20s. It is for anyone who struggles in relationships and social situations, however, there is an emphasis on ADHD and Anxiety. It will be ongoing and open to join at anytime however, the group is capped at 8. Cost is $30 but I will also be accepting BCBS PPO and Aetna. There are currently a few spots left.

Contact me at
christinaoxley@growingawarenesscounseling.com
815-414-2056

12/16/2024

I am passionate about working with adults diagnosed with ADHD as well as women caregivers. I will be offering 3 groups in early spring that will run 8-12 weeks. Groups offer an alternative to traditional individual counseling or can be used as a supplemental treatment. The benefits include lower cost and support from others with shared experiences. The groups will be capped at 8 members. Times and days to be determined. Contact me to learn more.

12/05/2024

Contact me for a free 15 min. consultation to assess your needs and see if we would be a good fit.

12/04/2024

Symptoms such as impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, difficulty in attention and memory can severely impact one's ability to form and maintain relationships. Often there is. Feeling of "not fitting in" and social isolation. This is further complicated by the low self-esteem often developed from years of negative messages. Around half adults diagnosed with ADHD also have an anxiety disorder.

Group therapy provides a platform for developing social skills as well as emotional support and normalization of experiences.

This group is hoping to start in early spring. Please reach out with any questions including cost and insurance.

10/24/2024

Group therapy can be an excellent adjunct or replacement for individual therapy. Group therapy offers a unique opportunity for social support and learning from others' experiences.

Due to some interest I am trying to start this group up again. The group structure will be determined based on the interest and need. Please contact me with any questions.

815-414-2056
christinaoxley@growingawarenesscounseling.com

10/10/2024

08/07/2024

Contact me set to up a free 15 min. Consult to see if we are a good fit. ChristinaOxley@growingawarenesscounseling.com
815-414-2056

You can schedule and find out more about me at:

https://headway.co/providers/christina-oxley?utm_source=pem&utm_medium=direct_link&utm_campaign=93618

07/13/2024

That amazing feeling when someone understands and gets what you are trying to say!!! It's an exciting fast pace game of pingpong

07/11/2024

We all think of adolescents and early adulthood as a time for identity development, but really this is a life long process. I am in my 40s and i still feel disconnected from myself at times. As we age we can lose our identity as we become what we think others want us to be or we adjust into roles as partners, parents, friends, workers, and caregivers. We also stop dreaming of what could be. I think it's important to take time to evaluate questions like

What do I want
What do I need
What do I enjoy
What gives me pleasure
What kind of person do I want to be

Therapy is a great place to get to know yourself better but you can also begin to do the work yourself.

Guided Meditation-Realizing Who You Want To Be

I love this meditation because it helps you to begin to visualize your ideal self.

Hope you enjoy. If you like share your experiences

07/09/2024

The St. Charles Plein Air event is only two months away! This is a week long event, where 40 artists will be traveling to St. Charles to paint throughout the city and parks. We encourage the public to come out and observe the artists as they create on site. There will be a variety of artistic talents on display throughout the week.

✨️On Wednesday, Aug 21st we invite the community to engage in free immersive art experiences from 3pm -6pm. There will be something for everyone as we aim to provide various ways that art can help improve our wellbeing. Art can teach us how to be present, to play, to trust in ourselves, and improve our self-awareness. 

We have specifically created experiences to match each of these themes:

🌬Presence: The Five Senses Sketch

👣Play: Mixed Media Scavenger Hunt

🤝Trust: Intuitive Canvas Paint

🎨Self-Awareness: Watercolor Emotions

This event is Free! Michaels has generously supplied us with all the materials. 

Look for further information here on social media or visit https://www.stcharlesartscouncil.org/ #/

07/09/2024

The St. Charles Plein Air event is only two months away! This is a week long event, where 40 artists will be traveling to St. Charles to paint throughout the city and parks. We encourage the public to come out and observe the artists as they create on site. There will be a variety of artistic talents on display throughout the week.

✨️On Wednesday, Aug 21st we invite the community to engage in free immersive art experiences from 3pm -6pm. There will be something for everyone as we aim to provide various ways that art can help improve our wellbeing. Art can teach us how to be present, to play, to trust in ourselves, and improve our self-awareness. 

We have specifically created experiences to match each of these themes:

🌬Presence: The Five Senses Sketch

👣Play: Mixed Media Scavenger Hunt

🤝Trust: Intuitive Canvas Paint

🎨Self-Awareness: Watercolor Emotions

This event is Free! Michaels has generously supplied us with all the materials. 

Look for further information here on social media or visit https://www.stcharlesartscouncil.org/ #/

-awareness

07/03/2024

This is the first project I started working on back when I started my buisness in Oct of last year. It started with a vision to somehow find a way to make art more accessible to everyone in the community and to highlight the interconnection between creativity and mental health.

I started by building relationships with the arts community. I began going to meetings and messaging artists to meet for coffee. I didn't have any idea of what would unfold but I kept my vision and started sharing my ideas and surrounding myself with like minded people.

When the council started planning for their annual Plein Air event this was a perfect opportunity for collaboration. The Saint Charles Art Council were incredibly open to my ideas. They are here because they understand the importance of art in people's lives.

I had some anxiety as to how I would pull this off but I have learned that when you believe is something so strongly it is easy to sell. I was unsure how we were going to afford all the supplies to offer free art experiences. I thought going to Michaels be a long shot, but I tried anyways, and in time they donated more art supplies than I could have hoped for!

During this time I also met my now life long friend and amazing artist . With her inspiration and collaboration we have created something beyond my expectations!

All of this to say. If you believe in something start taking small steps. I would have never been able to create this idea from where I began. You don't need to know what the end will look like. Share your ideas and you will find others who share in your passions. This will inspire more ideas and create opportunities. Every door that closed to me opened up a possibility for something even better.

Hope you can come experience this amazing free event Aug. 21st 3-6 at Saint Mary Park Pavillion! The entire week will be a celebration of art as you will see artists from all around painting our beautiful city.