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Mindful Psychology Associates

Licensed Clinical Psychologists in Evanston, Illinois

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Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning

Navigating the Transition to College Life

October 13, 2021 By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning Leave a Comment

transitioning to college life

Much build-up is involved in the process of going to college, starting in high school if not sooner. Students are focused on building academic skills, as well as participating in sports, hobbies, and extracurricular activities in the pursuit of getting into the fill-in-the-blank (best, highest ranked, BIG 10, Ivy League, liberal arts) college or university. In addition, high schoolers are consumed with ACT/SAT test prep, essay writing, college visits, applications, and financial aid decisions.

Finally—congratulations, you’ve been accepted at a college or university that seems like a terrific fit, the finances have been worked out, and you feel excited about your next adventure where you will be spending the next 4 to 5 years! High school wraps up, you move into your dorm room, say goodbye to your family, and wait for your best life to start.

Despite many older people who have wistfully told you that college will be the “best years of your life” and seeing loads of Instagram posts with smiling, partying first year students … you’re not feeling it. You and your roommate don’t get along well. It’s hard going from the predictability of your high school life living in your family’s home to facing so many decisions in a strange, new place. You feel homesick and lonely and also guilty for feeling so bad while being at your top-choice school. People excitedly ask you how college life is going and you don’t want to be honest that you are struggling (and potentially let them down), so you say it is great! Frankly, you feel lost.

If you can resonate with these feelings, keep reading!

Starting college is a major adjustment in myriad ways—and a rich time for psychological development and growth. Quite often while going through life transitions, we have preconceived expectations and hopes of what we hope will happen in our new life. Yours may have looked something like: I moved into my dorm room and formed an easy connection with my roommate, enjoyed my classes, had a large group of friends to eat meals with in the cafeteria, and developed a thriving social life. I studied a lot but work was manageable, and had a great time partying with my friends.

So what happens when your expectations aren’t coming to fruition, or at least aren’t happening right now?

Human memory has an ironic way of preserving positive experiences while minimizing negative, boring, and stressful ones. This cognitive bias is referred to as Rosy Retrospection (see https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/rosy-retrospection/) where after time elapses, we tend to remember fun and happy memories and those hard times fade away. So when your Aunt Jackie reminisces with you about the fun parties and crazy antics she experienced in college, she’s also probably not recalling and remembering the difficult times.

What can you do to ease this transition?

Identify What You’re Feeling

You may be experiencing a wide range of feelings—sadness, homesickness, frustration, anxiety, excitement, confusion to name a few (and you may experience all of these during one day!) Having intense emotional experiences can be overwhelming and at times even exhausting. Checking in with yourself about your emotions, and deciding to accept them as valid and normal, can be a useful tool

Acknowledge Your Vulnerability

Major life transitions can be accompanied with questions and self-doubt—am I ‘doing it right?’ Will things get better? Why does it seem like everyone else is in a better place? During times of great change, many of us may feel vulnerable or helpless and uncomfortable with not being able to predict what may happen in the short or long term.

You may have heard the expression “comparison is the thief of joy.” The reality is that some college students adjust more seamlessly than others. Many factors may go into this such as having close friends at the same college, experiencing a sense of community quickly, or many other reasons. It may feel unfair that you’re having a more difficult time—it’s not fun, that is for certain. Acknowledging your discomfort and owning your own personal experience (rather than comparing yourself to your high school friends) can help.

Name Your Struggle

Be honest with yourself that you’re struggling—sometimes this is the hardest step. It might feel scary to acknowledge that things aren’t going as well as you had hoped. Talk to a trusted friend or supportive family member. It may be helpful to talk to an older friend who has already transitioned to college and seems to be doing well. You’re certainly not alone though in your experience even though others may also be concealing their true feelings or reluctant to share vulnerable feelings.

college student struggle

Remember the Basics

Most new college students are learning more about how to take care of themselves without any family help. This can be hard, especially if you are living away from home for the first time. Things like establishing a healthy sleep schedule, making sure that you’re eating regular meals with a balanced diet, getting fresh air and walking every day may seem rudimentary, but making sure these areas of your life are in a healthy balance can also benefit your mental health. Stress can cause disruptions in eating, sleeping, and energy level, so attempting to establish healthy habits can be useful now and during more stressful times.

Connect with Others

Think about your friendships from high school or earlier—those friendships most likely took investing a lot of time (possibly even over years) and shared experiences to deepen. Researcher Jeff Hall found that it takes on average 50 hours spending time with someone to consider them a casual friend, and over 200 hours to develop a close friendship (see https://news.ku.edu/2018/03/06/study-reveals-number-hours-it-takes-make-friend).

Keep that in mind as you navigate these early budding friendships! So start small—commit to getting to know one hallmate, say hello to someone you sit next to in class, go to one extracurricular meeting. Take advantage of social connection activities that dorms and colleges offer in the first few months, and also know that you may feel uncomfortable or awkward at first.

Therapy Can Help

Most colleges and universities have a counseling center or referral resources for students. Focusing on students’ mental health has increased over the years with more students reporting anxiety and depression symptoms than ever before. It may be helpful to start therapy for additional support and guidance. This may be particularly relevant if you have a prior mental health history (anxiety, depression, eating disorder) and especially important if your anxiety or depressive symptoms feel severe or are impacting your ability to take care of yourself and attend classes.

I’ve been working as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in college student mental health for almost 20 years. I started my career working in university counseling centers and have spent the last 17 years in my outpatient practice helping many students smoothly make this major life transition with their mental health intact. I’ve worked with undergraduate students for their entire four (or more) years of their undergraduate degree, and have also worked with students just for a few sessions to help with adjustment.

All of the therapists at Mindful Psychology Associates are trained in working with college students and both the typical adjustment issues as well as treating more long-term concerns such as major depressive disorder or anxiety disorders.

By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning, Psy.D.
Founder/President, Mindful Psychology Associates PC

Filed Under: Home, News Tagged With: adjusting to college life, college student stress, going to college, navigating college

Mood and Anxiety Group

September 9, 2021 By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning Leave a Comment

outpatient integration group

Have you recently completed an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and are transitioning back to outpatient care? Or are you finding that you could benefit from the support of a group in addition to your weekly individual therapy sessions?

Navigating the transition from an IOP to an outpatient therapy setting can feel challenging. During this time people are beginning to implement newly-learned skills with a decreased level of support from what they were recently receiving.

The Mood and Anxiety Group provides group support for individuals navigating this change. You will find a space to talk about where you are struggling and where you are progressing while receiving support from your peers.

Ideal candidates for this group are individuals who are stepping down from a higher level of care program or recognize they need more support than once-a-week therapy currently provides. This may also include individuals currently considering stepping up to or on a waiting list for a mood, anxiety, trauma, or dual diagnosis IOP who would like additional support. 

Facilitated by psychologist Amanda (Snell) Stagg, Psy.D.

  • Thursdays
  • 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
  • minimum 8-week commitment
  • via Zoom
  • $50 (can bill BCBS or Aetna PPO insurances)

Register using our online Scheduling Form.

For more information, please email Dr. Stagg at amanda@evanstonpsychologists.com.

Filed Under: Home, News Tagged With: integration therapy group, outpatient therapy group, transition group therapy, virtual therapy group

How to Help Your Employees’ Psychological Health as They Continue to Navigate the Pandemic

September 8, 2021 By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning Leave a Comment

employee psychological health

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a negative toll on mental health…many studies have shown the negative impact with increased depression and anxiety symptoms and as a result, Americans seeking mental health services in large numbers.

A primary task of an emotionally attuned leader is to create a psychologically safe and caring environment — especially during times of upheaval and transition. When faced with transition and change, humans tend to react with anxiety and uncertainty.

In an article for Medium — How to Help Your Employees’ Psychological Health as They Continue to Navigate the Pandemic — Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning discusses the best practices that leaders can implement during this time of uncertainty including acknowledging the weird, practicing being vulnerable, validating emotions, and creating a feedback loop to help navigate ongoing change.

Read the article on Medium >>

effective leadership team

Filed Under: Home, News Tagged With: employee psychological health, handling change, navigate the pandemic

Need Therapy Support: New Scaffolding Group

May 20, 2021 By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning Leave a Comment

Scaffolding Group

Are you waiting to work with an individual therapist? Join this special interim support group.

These sessions will help prop you up. Young adults will learn one psychological skill/theme per week from a “greatest hits” curriculum featuring skills and ideas from various schools of psychology. Plus, we’ll work with the new Rising Higher app that uses AI to take voice input and measures anxiety and depression.

Each session includes a mindfulness exercise.

Facilitated by psychologist Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning.

  • Thursdays
  • Noon – 1:15 pm
  • 8 weeks
  • via Zoom
  • $60 per session (can bill BCBS PPO or Aetna PPO)

Register using our online Scheduling Form.

adolescent therapy group

Filed Under: Home, News Tagged With: adolescent therapy, outpatient therapy group, transition group therapy, virtual therapy group

We’re Hiring! Licensed Therapists Wanted

May 3, 2021 By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning Leave a Comment

careers therapist

Join our supportive team.

Licensed Clinical Psychologists
Postdoctoral Fellows
LPC/LCPC, LCSW, LMFT

We take care of our clinicians so you can take care of your clients — as well as having time for your family, hobbies, living…life!

Qualities desired include: solid clinical skills, humility, collaborative focus, strong communication skills, openness, and vulnerability.

Therapists who join our team are excellent clinicians, align strongly with our mission, are team players, and are interested in working with young adults/college student mental health. They may also be interested in either strengthening one of our current treatment areas — trauma, eating disorders, RO-DBT, LGBTQ issues, couples therapy — OR developing a new treatment area.

Benefits include:

  • Work/life balance with 25 clinical hours a week
  • BCBS PPO group health insurance plan
  • Full admin, scheduling, billing & marketing support
  • Cohesive & supportive team

For more info or to apply, contact us at hello@evanstonpsychologists.com.

Filed Under: Home, News Tagged With: clinical psychologists wanted, hiring licensed therapists

Americans are Grieving as We Face the One-Year COVID-19 Anniversary

February 3, 2021 By Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning Leave a Comment

facing COVID anniversary

No one needs a reminder of what a horribly difficult and challenging year 2020 was. Many of us are still experiencing the dread, uncertainty, and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic — not to mention the ramifications of 2020’s election stress, racial injustice, and natural disasters. None of these situations have been neatly resolved and packed away for reflection and analysis — all persist with complex and complicated solutions yet to be determined.

In an article for Medium — Americans are Grieving as We Face the One-Year COVID-19 Anniversary — Dr. Jennifer Contarino Panning reports on the waves of worry, stress, and anxiety Americans have been experiencing as the pandemic stretches into year two, acerbated by the political landscape.

Read the article on Medium >>

Filed Under: Home, News Tagged With: COVID-19 anniversary, COVID-19 coping, pandemic grief

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Mental health support isn’t just about therapy, Mental health support isn’t just about therapy, medication, teaching coping skills, or processing past trauma. We are committed to understanding how sociopolitical issues impact our mental health and the repeal of Roe vs Wade has us very concerned about the negative impact on women’s mental health. MPA Founder Jennifer Panning PsyD will be writing more about this issue in the near future. It is very difficult  to have good mental health when there are so many destabilizing factors in our society—we’ve seen the traumatic impact of the pandemic and impending fascism. We are committed to helping decrease anxiety, depression, and trauma…Let’s figure out a way to mobilize together to best navigate what may be another example of women being disrespected and disempowered.  #mindfulpsychologyevanston #mindfulpsychologyassociates #evanston #abortionishealthcare #abortionisawomansright #psychology #trauma #chicagotherapist #psychologistsofinstagram #anxiety #depression
Great news for #evanston! Thanks to city council a Great news for #evanston! Thanks to city council and Mayor Biss for approving funding to build a mental health “Living Room” resource center as an alternative to emergency rooms when people are experiencing a psychiatric crisis and need supportive services. This will be a valuable addition to the community to address mental health needs. Thanks @dearevanston; reposted using @withregram  #mindfulpsychologyevanston #mindfulpsychologyassociates #therapy #psychologistsofinstagram #chicagotherapist #mentalhealth #mentalhealthresource
Happy to welcome Amy Bailey LCPC to Mindful Psycho Happy to welcome Amy Bailey LCPC to Mindful Psychology Associates’ staff! Amy has been in the field for awhile and we are happy to have her join our awesome team. Now accepting new clients for in-person and virtual services! #mindfulpsychologyassociates #mindfulpsychologyevanston #chicagotherapist #therapy #evanston #psychologistsofinstagram
Thanks @newyorkercartoons for summing up current r Thanks @newyorkercartoons for summing up current reactions and feelings about the #covid_19 #pandemic…lots of talk in therapy sessions about how to cope with the roller coaster of emotions surrounding the pandemic as well as other major sociopolitical stressors…we stand consistent with recommending minimizing media consumption, finding ways to access joy and creativity, and noticing what is in and out of our control. And of course…acknowledging and validating all of our many feelings! Reposted using @get.repost  #mindfulpsychologyassociates #mindfulpsychologyevanston #sociopolitical #psychologistsofinstagram #therapistsofinstagram #chicagotherapist #chicagotherapists #stress #therapy #coping #copingskills
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