Michigan Psychological Care

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Michigan Psychological Care

Welcome to Michigan Psychological Care! Our mission is to aid in the emotional and psychological deve

01/08/2026

Our Director of Corporate Development, Lara, leaves today to speak on mental health on a national platform at her Miss Eco USA pageant. Let's wish her luck!

Photo credit: Bailey Jane Creative

01/06/2026

Tip Tuesday!
The Power of "Micro-Wins"

Focus on "Micro-Goals" this week rather than sweeping changes; research shows that people who pursue incremental habits like a 5-minute daily walk are three times more likely to maintain them long-term than those setting ambitious resolutions. By securing small "wins" early in the day, you trigger a dopamine release that builds the self-efficacy needed for larger psychological growth.

01/05/2026

Mental Health Monday!
Post Holiday Slump

Research indicates that roughly 64% of people report feeling overwhelmed by the "post-holiday slump" in early January. This drop in mood is often a psychological reaction to the sudden loss of social structure and dopamine after the festive season. If you feel depleted rather than "reset," remember that rest is a productive part of mental health maintenance. If you need additional support, we are here!

989-292-3572
www.michiganpsychologicalcare.com

12/30/2025

Birthday alert!!!!

Ellie Jeffrey, TLLP
Ellie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Grand Valley State University and her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Michigan School of Psychology. Throughout her training and career, she has gained experience working with diverse populations, including individuals of all ages and backgrounds, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. At Michigan Psychological Care, Ellie provides outpatient therapy and psychological assessments, working collaboratively with clients to address a wide range of mental health concerns. She operates from a humanistic, person-centered framework, which prioritizes the individuality of each client and creates a supportive environment where clients can actively participate in their own healing process. She is deeply committed to ensuring her clients feel heard, understood, and empowered to make meaningful changes in their lives. Outside of her professional life, Ellie enjoys spending her free time reading, listening to music, doing hot yoga, and spending time with her loved ones.

12/29/2025

🩺 Mental Health Monday: Navigating Health Anxiety
The shift in seasons often brings common colds and seasonal illnesses. For those struggling with Health Anxiety (or illness anxiety), this time of year can feel overwhelming, turning normal bodily sensations into sources of distress.

Health anxiety is not about faking symptoms; it's a genuine, excessive preoccupation with the fear of having a serious medical condition.

🧘 Three Ways to Ground Yourself When Anxiety Spikes:
Practice "Fact Checking": When an anxious thought surfaces ("This headache is something serious"), ask yourself: What is the objective evidence? Have multiple doctors reassured me? Is this a common, mild symptom? Anchor yourself in facts, not fears.

Engage the 5-4-3-2-1 Method: This grounding technique pulls you away from internal worry and into the present moment using your five senses:

5 things you can see.

4 things you can feel (the chair, your clothes).

3 things you can hear.

2 things you can smell.

1 thing you can taste.

Establish "Worry Time": Instead of letting health fears dominate your day, set aside a specific 15-minute window (e.g., 6:00 PM) to worry. If a worry pops up earlier, gently remind yourself, "I will think about this later," and redirect your focus.

If health anxiety is significantly impacting your daily life, please know that help is available. Therapy can provide tools to manage and reduce these fears.

What is one thing you can do to be gentle with your mind today?

12/26/2025

🌍 Celebrating Kwanzaa: A Time for Community and Culture
Today marks the beginning of Kwanzaa, a cultural celebration observed by millions of people in the African diaspora around the world. Running from December 26th to January 1st, Kwanzaa is a time to honor African heritage and community.

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but rather a time for affirming and reinforcing family, community, and culture.

🕯️ The Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba)
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to celebrating one of the Nguzo Saba (seven principles), which serve as guiding concepts for collective progress and unity:

Umoja (Unity)

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)

Nia (Purpose)

Kuumba (Creativity)

Imani (Faith)

The Kwanzaa Symbols
The celebration involves several important symbols, displayed on a mat (Mkeka), including:

The Kinara (candle holder), which holds seven candles (three red, three green, and one black).

The Mishumaa Saba (seven candles), lit each night to represent the seven principles.

The Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup), used during the communal ceremony.

We wish everyone observing a meaningful and empowering Kwanzaa celebration!

Habari Gani! (What's the news? — A traditional Kwanzaa greeting)

12/25/2025

🎄 Wishing You a Joyous Christmas!
As December progresses, we extend our warmest wishes to everyone celebrating Christmas.

This holiday is a wonderful time of year centered on key values that resonate with people around the world: generosity, hope, and coming together with loved ones.

✨ The Spirit of Christmas
Whether you celebrate for religious reasons or simply embrace the cultural traditions, Christmas is a time for finding light and joy during the winter season.

It’s often defined by beautiful traditions, including:

Sharing Light: From twinkling outdoor lights to candles on a mantel, light plays a significant role in bringing warmth to the longest nights of the year.

Giving: The tradition of gift-giving reflects the spirit of generosity and thoughtfulness toward family, friends, and community.

Gathering: It is a time for slowing down, reflecting, and enjoying festive meals and quality time with those we cherish most.

We hope your holiday season is filled with peace, laughter, and all the best that the season has to offer.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from our team to yours!

12/22/2025

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!

Chris Stevens, LPC

Chris received his Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and Family Studies from Central Michigan University. He continued his education at Central Michigan and received his Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Chris works from a strength-based, holistic approach to counseling, utilizing an array of techniques such as CBT, Existential, and many more to best meet client's needs. He aims to create a comfortable, non-judgmental, and supportive environment to allow for personal growth and self-exploration. His special interest is anxiety and related topics. Outside of work, Chris spends his time playing table top and online games, camping, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

12/22/2025

🎄 Mental Health Monday: Navigating Holiday Expectations

With Christmas days away, many of us feel pressure for the holidays to look exactly like a movie or a memory.

However, the season can often bring unexpected challenges, including grief, loneliness, or disappointment when reality doesn't match our high expectations.

💖 Focus on What You Can Control
This week, let's practice compassionate realism by adjusting our focus:

Acknowledge the Gap: It’s okay if this year feels different, whether due to loss, change, or distance. Name the feeling (e.g., "I feel sad that [tradition] is missing") rather than fighting it. Acknowledgment helps you move forward.

Create One New Tradition: Instead of trying to recreate a past that no longer exists, invest energy into one new, small tradition. This shifts your focus from loss to creation and gives you a new memory for the future.

Choose Your People: The holiday season doesn't require you to spend time with people who deplete your energy. Intentionally choose to connect with those who bring you genuine joy and calm, even if it's just one person or a brief video call.

Permission Slip: You have permission to enjoy the holidays in a way that feels authentic and manageable for you, not just everyone else.

How will you honor your real feelings while creating a peaceful holiday this week?

12/20/2025

Happy birthday to our sunshine of a clinician, Katlyn!
Katlyn Moonan, LLMSW

Katlyn graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with her Bachelor's degree and knew right away she wanted to obtain her Master's degree, which she pursued at Saginaw Valley as well. Her experience started out as a domestic violence and sexual assault crisis safe house advocate for women and children, then moved to juvenile probation where she learned working with children and young adults changed her outlook on life. From there, she had two years of experience in the private practice therapy setting where she worked with children as young as three up to young adults. Most recently, Katlyn worked as a behavioral health manager with the geriatric population for a physician's services company. While Katlyn has a wide range of experiences, outpatient therapy is her favorite as she can utilIze a variety of different approaches like motivational interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, music, arts and crafts, and much more that best suits and helps each of her clients and their needs. The most important thing she wants her clients to know is that she is here to adapt to them as we are all unique and take to different approaches in a therapy setting. It is not a one size fits all. Outside of work, Katlyn can be found running, hiking, traveling, shopping, and volunteering her time to local and international agencies, as well as spending time with those she loves most.

12/19/2025

Screaming Happy Birthday to our day 1 therapist, Nina Whitehill, LPC.

Nina has been with MPC since the start of the company and we are so grateful for her and all that she does.

Nina graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Western Michigan University – majoring in history and minoring in psychology. Nina then received her Master of Arts degree in Counseling and has been trained in experiential education along with issues relating to mental health and children. Prior to joining the Michigan Psychological Care team, Nina spent one year with Child and Family Services and 22 years as a school counselor. Nina enjoys working as a counselor and finds helping people understand themselves and make positive changes in their lives to be extremely rewarding. When Nina is not in the office, you can find her working in the yard, ballroom dancing, visiting with her family – especially her granddaughter, Janie – and spending time at the cottage in the summertime.

12/16/2025

Tip Tuesday today is a fun one!

Today is national ugly sweater day! Go ahead and put on the ugliest sweater you can find and rock it!

Address

1505 Waterford Pkwy
Saint Johns, MI
48879

Telephone

+19892923572

Website

https://www.michiganpsychologicalcare.com/

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