Queen City Counseling
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Coping with Uncertainty During the Coronavirus: Virtual Resources for Teens
Dealing with the effects of the coronavirus on our daily lives can be challenging, stressful, anxiety-inducing, and even distressing. Adults, adolescents, and children alike across our...
New Perspectives for a New Year
Contributed by: Austin Raines Congratulations on making it to a new year! The start of the new year comes with so much excitement and promise. The phrase “new year, new me” continues to grow in popularity and reinforces the concept that at the start of the new year...
Self-Care Over the Holidays
The holidays are generally one of the most exciting times of the year, but they are also one of the most stressful. Between coordinating travel plans, buying gifts, managing work schedules, handling kids that are out of school, and more, it is easy to feel run down...
Truth about Tobacco: The bottom line on the risks of e-cigarettes and nicotine for teens and young adults
Contributed by: Monique Heath, LCMHC, LCAS The temperatures are dropping, school is in session, the days are shorter, and the leaves are changing colors. These are all signs that fall is upon us. Much like this there are signs of all around promoting substance use....
Middle School Parents: How to Help Your Child Succeed Academically, Socially, and Emotionally!
Contributed by Renee Birch, LCMHC and NC Licensed School Counselor Is your middle school age child experiencing any of the following: fluctuation of energy and fatiguewanting to know the relevance in learningshowing varied interestsa concrete thinkersensitive at...
Communication Styles and Why They’re Important
Contributed by Mary York, MSW, LCSWA Have you ever heard the phrase “communication is key?” I’m sure you have! Whether you have heard it in the therapy room, at work, or just in everyday life; effective communication is one of the most important skills we can learn....
Understanding and Recognizing PTSD in Teens
Contributed by: Monique Heath, LCMHC, LCAS Being in an accident or natural disaster, experiencing spiritual or religious abuse, a sudden or violent death in your life, witnessing bodily harm or death, being physically assaulted, exposure to school violence, being...
Levels of Care in Mental Health Treatment
Contributed by: Lauren Moore, LCSW No matter where you are on your therapy journey, it can get confusing when selecting the appropriate amount of treatment that you or your child needs. In the mental health field, there are various levels of care starting at...
Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries! You’ve probably heard this term within and outside of the therapy world quite a few times. While this is often a concept that we toss around repeatedly, we may not have a clear picture about what boundaries are and, importantly, how...
SPACE Model of Treating Anxiety
Childhood anxiety and family accommodation go hand in hand. Watching your child struggle with anxiety is painful and exhausting. Since parents are naturally driven to protect their kids, they develop methods of alleviating anxious feelings. When parents make changes...
The Benefits of Equine Therapy on Mental Health
Contributed by: Amy Gregor, LCSW It is no secret that the team here at Queen City Counseling & Consulting (QCCC) believes in the healing power of animals. We are excited to say that over the past several months we have continued to expand our knowledge in the...
A Case for Setting Intentions in the New Year
Written by: Perrin Jones, LCMHCA, NCC, MT-BC We’ve all heard the staggering statistics about new year’s resolutions failing. Even so, year after year, we put immense amounts of pressure on ourselves to change various aspects of our lives. Going into 2022, many of us...
Managing Expectations over the Holidays
Contributed by: Brady Smith, MSW, LCSWA Let’s just put it out there: holidays are stressful for everyone. Whether you’re spending time with loved ones, trying to enjoy a nonexistent break from school/work, or being pulled in what seems like a million directions from...
Book Review: Attached
Contributed by: Lauren Moore, LCSWA Attached, written by Amir Levine, M.D., and Rachel Heller, M.A., is a popular book amongst both therapists and clients. In this book, research expanded upon John Bowlby’s attachment theory is explained in a digestible format to help...
Book Review: More Than a Body
Contributed by: Ellen Herbert, LCSW While the wave of body positivity messages from influencers, celebrities and fitness gurus has been refreshing and certainly is a well-intentioned improvement from one-size (literally) fits all beauty standards of the past, Drs....
Unpacking Therapy Clichés: Pet Therapy
Written by: Amy Gregor, MSW, LCSW In recent years, you may have noticed that more places are incorporating pet therapy into their services. You may have seen this during a hospital stay, at your therapist's office, the dentist, at your grandparent's assisted living...
Unpacking Therapy Clichés: Using “I” Statements
Written by: Perrin Jones, MA, LCMHCA, NCC, MT-BC Effective communication skills are crucial to cultivating healthy relationships with others. We can work to be mindful of how both our nonverbal communication skills like body language as well as verbal communication...
Unpacking Therapy Clichés: Spending Time in Nature
By Lauren Moore, LCSWA In North Carolina, we are already up to 80-degree weeks here in June. School is starting to let out, and it is almost officially summertime! Now more than ever, you may hear a therapist (and parent) often say “go outside!” to improve your day....
Unpacking Therapy Clichés: Using Coping Skills
Written by: Perrin Jones, LCMHCA Coping skills go beyond just being a therapy buzz-phrase. Entire therapy modalities focus on teaching and implementing coping skills. “What coping skills did you use?” is a phrase that those in the therapy chair have probably heard...