Castlebrook Counseling

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Westborough, MA
Castlebrook Counseling

Castlebrook Counseling Services is a group practice of mental health therapists

12/10/2025

We’re thrilled to introduce Amber Elcocks, LCSW to the Castlebrook Counseling team! With training in trauma practice and a person-centered, trauma-informed approach, Amber brings a thoughtful balance of compassion and clarity to her work.

Amber currently has openings weekday afternoons and evenings for individual (ages 13+) and family therapy.

Learn more about Amber and inquire about sessions with her: https://castlebrookcounseling.com/amber-elcocks-lcsw.html

11/30/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 30: Health & Wellness Boundaries 🚫

Sleep isn't something you can "catch up on later" or trade for a few extra hours of work. It's a biological necessity that affects every aspect of your physical and mental health - your mood, focus, immune system, and ability to function.

Try this instead:

Protect your sleep like you protect important meetings. Set a bedtime and honor it. Create a wind-down routine. Turn off screens. Let tomorrow's tasks wait - they'll be there in the morning, and you'll handle them better when you're rested.

Rest is productive. Sleep is essential. Your body needs it, and you deserve it.

11/29/2025

Welcome to the final week of NO-vember!

This week we're focusing on Health and Wellness Boundaries.

Your body sends you signals every single day. Pain, exhaustion, hunger, tension—these aren't inconveniences to push through, they're messages asking for your attention and care.

Today, we say NO to ignoring physical symptons because you're too busy.

That persistent headache, the stomach issues that won't quit, the exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, the pain you've been brushing off - your body is trying to tell you something. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away; it often makes it worse.

Try this instead:

Take symptoms seriously, even when they feel manageable. Make the doctor's appointment. Get the rest you need. Don't wait until something becomes urgent or unbearable. Your body deserves attention.

11/28/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 28: Mental Health Boundaries 🚫

Healing isn't linear, and it doesn't follow a schedule. Someone else's progress or what looks like progress on social media - has nothing to do with where you should be in your own journey.

Try this instead:

When you catch yourself comparing, gently redirect: "Their journey is theirs. Mine is mine." Celebrate small wins in your own process - the day you got out of bed, the boundary you held, the moment you chose yourself. Progress looks different for everyone, and yours is valid exactly as it is.

11/27/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 27: Mental Health Boundaries 🚫

Sometimes we stay in jobs, relationships, friendships, or commitments long after they've stopped being right for us. Fear of change, guilt, or the comfort of familiarity can keep us stuck in situations that drain us rather than sustain us.

Try this instead:

Check in with yourself honestly: "Does this still align with who I am and what I need?" If the answer is no, give yourself permission to explore what comes next. Leaving doesn't mean you failed - it means you're choosing yourself and your growth.
You're allowed to outgrow things. You're allowed to walk away from what no longer fits.

11/26/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 26: Mental Health Boundaries 🚫

Caring for others is beautiful, but consistently placing everyone else's needs above your own takes a toll. You can't pour from an empty cup, and eventually, neglecting yourself catches up with you.

Try this instead:

Start small. Before automatically saying yes to someone else, pause and check in with yourself: "What do I need right now?" Sometimes the answer is that you can help. Sometimes it's that you need rest, space, or to tend to your own responsibilities first. Both answers are valid. Taking care of yourself isn't selfish - it's what allows you to show up as your best self for others in sustainable ways.

11/25/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 25: Mental Health Boundaries 🚫

Your mind might want to replay old mistakes over and over, searching for what you could have done differently. But revisiting the past on repeat doesn't change what happened - it just keeps you stuck in pain.

Try this instead:

When you notice yourself spiraling into past mistakes, gently redirect: "I can't change what happened, but I can choose what I do now." Ask yourself, "What did I learn from this?" and then consciously move forward.

You're allowed to learn from the past without living there. Your mistakes don't define you.

11/24/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 24: Mental Health Boundaries 🚫

The way you speak to yourself matters. That critical inner voice that tells you you're not good enough, smart enough, or worthy enough? It deserves a boundary too.

You wouldn't let a friend constantly berate and belittle someone you care about. Yet many of us allow that exact treatment when it's directed inward. Harsh self-criticism doesn't motivate you to be better - it keeps you stuck in shame and self-doubt.

Try this instead:

When you catch yourself in harsh self-criticism, pause and ask: "Would I say this to someone I love?" If not, soften it. Replace "I'm a failure" with "This didn't work out, but I'm learning." You deserve the same compassion you so freely give to others.

11/23/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 23: Emotional Boundaries 🚫

You can set a kind, reasonable boundary and someone might still be upset about it. Their disappointment, frustration, or anger is theirs to process - not yours to fix or prevent.

Try this instead:

Set your boundary with clarity and compassion, then let it stand. You can acknowledge feelings without backing down: "I hear that you're frustrated, and this boundary is still important for me." You don't need to debate it, defend it endlessly, or manage their emotional response to it.

11/22/2025

Welcome to Week 4 of NO-vember!

This week we're focusing on Emotional and Mental Health Boundaries - some of the most important and often overlooked boundaries we need.

Setting emotional and mental health boundaries isn't about being cold or shutting people out. It's about honoring your emotional capacity and creating space for your own healing and wellbeing.

Today, we say NO to supressing your emotions to make others comfortable.

Pushing down your sadness, anger, hurt, or frustration to keep the peace doesn't protect relationships - it harms you and creates distance from your authentic self.

Try this instead:

You don't have to explode or overshare, but you can express what you're feeling: "I'm really hurt by that." "I need some space because I'm feeling overwhelmed." "That didn't sit well with me." Give yourself permission to feel what you feel without apologizing for it. Your feelings deserve to exist, not be hidden away.

11/21/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 21: Family Boundaries 🚫

Family gatherings can sometimes feel like interrogations - questions about your job, relationships, health, finances, or future plans. There's often an unspoken expectation to share everything, but your privacy matters, even with family.

Try this instead:

Practice kind but vague responses: "Things are going well, thanks for asking." "I'm figuring it out as I go." "I'd rather not get into that right now, but I appreciate you asking." You can redirect with a question of your own or simply change the subject.

11/20/2025

🚫 NO-vember Day 20: Family Boundaries 🚫

Family members often give advice from a place of love and concern, but that doesn't mean you're required to receive it - especially when it's about decisions that are yours alone to make.
Try this instead:

"I appreciate that you care, but I'm comfortable with my decision." Or simply, "Thanks for sharing your thoughts - I'll keep that in mind." You don't need to argue or defend. A kind but firm acknowledgment is enough.

Address

24 Lyman Street, Suite 200
Westborough, MA
01581

Telephone

+15084759110

Website

http://www.castlebrookcounseling.com/

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