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Happy New Year from NCRC!! New location, therapist spotlight, and other updates from NCRC! 
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        What's New at NCRC?


Happy New Year from NCRC! We are wishing you love, light, happiness, and prosperity in 2018! 

NEW IMPROV GROUP FOR COUPLES
NCRC's Gabe Seldess, LMFT is co-facilitating a new improvisation group for couples! Improv for Couples is a relationship strengthening class making its next meeting on Friday January 26th, from 6-8pm at the Garrett Wellness Center at 3020 N Kimball Ave in ChicagoIFC is not about performing improv. It's about strengthening your bond and communication skills with your partner. We all use improv every day. "Life is not scripted!" Join them for lots of laughs and growth. The cost for the class is $25 per person. 

For more information about the group or to register for the class, email the co-facilitators:
sheri.meshal@gmail.com

Meet Gabe: http://www.ncrcchicago. com/gabe-seldess/
Meet Sheri: Before she became a hypnotherapist and wrote fiction, she graduated from the conservatory at Second City, taught improv and ran two troupes in Iowa: https://www.sherimeshal. com/bio


NEW YEAR RESOLUTION ACTIVITY SUGGESTION: BURNING BOWL

MATERIALS: Metal bowl, white paper cut into small strips or squares, pen, lighter, water/faucet

INSTRUCTIONS: Find a quiet place to meditate. Write in your journal all your thoughts and feelings about the end of 2017. What are you ready to let go of in the new year? What habits, people, struggles, etc. are you wanting to release and leave behind in 2017? You may be ready to release an emotion, thought or belief about your situation. Write these down on the strips of paper. If you are doing this exercise with a significant other or family members, you may choose to read each piece of paper aloud before lighting them one at a time and placing them in the bowl. Be sure you ensure your safety as you do this by making sure that water is readily available and close at hand. Some variations of this activity suggest burning white sage during this activity. As the papers burn, imagine that you are being released and are now free. You may also repeat the affirmation "I am free" , "I am healed", "I am changed", "I have forgiven", etc. depending on what you put into the bowl. When the ashes have cooled, scatter them or bury them outside with the belief that you have put this issue to rest.

PURPOSE: This activity might be helpful for anyone struggling with things that they do not wish to carry into the new year. The ritual of a burning bowl is symbolic and some clients may find it a spiritual experience pushing them towards healing and change. 

NEW LOCATION: We continue to grow and expand here at NCRC. Due to our increase in size, we have added a new location in the South Loop neighborhood at 1136 S. Delano Ct, Chicago, IL 60605! Our new office is located inside of the Roosevelt Collection, a contemporary retail space with quick access to major expressways, public transportation and free 90-minute validated parking. Therapists, Nosheen Hydari, LMFT Monique L. Brown, AMFT, and LaTrice Wright, LFMT are currently seeing clients in our new space!  

     


NEW THERAPIST BLOGPOST:

Each month we will highlight a different therapist at our practice for their contributions to NCRC and to the therapy community. We recognize that each of our therapists possess unique qualities and skills that make them the amazing clinicians they have become. Monthly, we will share insight from one member of our NCRC team! January's spotlight blog post is on Nosheen Hydari, LMFT.

 

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: 4 Steps to Making 2018 Yours

As we get further into adulthood, the markings of time become fewer and further between. We aren't in school any longer, and most years don't seem to bring a noteworthy event (new job, move to a new city, illness, end/beginning of a relationship). We often feel like years blur one into the next, without separation to mark change. This makes it important to utilize the markers of time we DO have, one being the end of a current and beginning of a new calendar year. 

I like to utilize this time to recognize and honor the events and experiences of last year, and consider what changes float up as of utmost priority. My clients and I do this work together at the end of December and beginning of January, to really set the tone and theme for their change narrative. One of my favorite quotes is from the philosopher Plato, who said “The beginning is the most important part of the work”. This is when we set the tone for what we pay attention to, and what we pay attention to grows. Setting healthy narratives and habits early on can help them become lasting throughout the year, and lasting positive change that is aligned with our values and needs is what makes a fulfilling life. So let’s consider the four steps you can do to help move further towards fulfillment in 2018:

1) VALIDATE FIRST: Recognize What Has Worked well
All my clients hear this from me ad nauseam. The FIRST step to getting to any new truth is to validate what you've been through. This means, we need to reflect on 2017. The highs, the lows (and we know there have been some lows). And the gratitude for what went well and what we accomplished, even if it's just "Surviving" with some semblance of sanity. Validate FIRST before anything can happen next. It was a hard year, and you got through it.

2) REFLECT on What You Didn't Accomplish
What do you wish you had more of last year, and what could you stand to have less of? When a year ends, the weight and gravity of the negatives can often outweigh the triumphs. Instead of ruminating and sitting in the distress, feel it to learn from it. This is our body’s way of providing data to us. If it felt bad, this is something you would like to change (be it your weight, your lack of progress at work, not speaking up enough, your toxic relationship, or just dressing better). 

3) SET ATTAINABLE GOALS for 2018 
Divvy up your goals into smaller steps that you can write in a planner. Instead of “Lose 30 lbs”, consider “Work out 3 times per week (with a focus on losing 1 lb per month).” Instead of “Stop Fighting with my Partner”, consider “Attend weekly couple’s therapy and go on one date night per month”. Research shows that smaller goal-setting and goal-achieving creates small surges of dopamine in our brain that excites us and makes us eager for more. Those attainable goals give us the energy and confidence to achieve another small, attainable goal. Remember, “attainable goal” means a goal you can realistically achieve within a single number of days or weeks.

4) ENACT CHANGE via small Steps:
Plan what you will do by writing it down. I highly encourage getting a planner to create a plan of action and set yourself up for success. The weekly portion helps with the small steps, and the monthly view allow us to see trends and themes. Get creative with it – use colored highlighters and stickers to organize tasks, anything that gets you more hyped to use it! You can be accountable to yourself when you have a place and space to write, reflect, and plan. Electronic apps and calendars help you sync those goals and plans with a friend or partner, and allow you to set reminders, which are KEY to any system of planning for change (Loop Habit Tracker and Productive are apps that allow you to keep track of your goals, and even offer statistics on how you’re doing, if you’re into data to help create real lasting change). If it’s not something that’s currently part of your life, you will likely need a multitude of reminders to keep from neglecting your new goal.

And once it is written down, start DOING. This is obviously the most important part of the process. Most of us wait for the perfect time, when we are finally “ready”, but the sooner you start, the sooner new routines will become integrated into your life. Start meditating 5 minutes every morning. Sign up for and attend a fitness class you've been meaning to take. Apply for that job that will take you to the next step in your career, even if you feel you "aren't ready yet". Call that friend you’ve been wanting to reconnect with for years. Make an appointment with a Therapist to help sort out your difficulties with forgiveness. Do the things you planned to make this year more in line with your needs and desires. Your future self will thank you.
 

Nosheen currently sees clients at our South Loop Center for Relationship Counseling location, as well as our Ravenswood location.  She can be reached by phone at (630) 965-6674.


NEW CONTENT: Every month, this newsletter will be filled with important updates on NCRC's events, news about our therapists, advice on various clinical problems, and more! You will not want to miss it! Don't want to wait a full month? Keep up with us on social media! Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter

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