NEIU CESA Newsletterneiucesa.weebly.com/uploads/5/8/5/2/5852856/cesa... · Bill Harrison – Vice President (Newsletter Editor) Melissa Erickson – Secretary ... “downer” or

NEIU CESA Newsletter Counselor Education Student Association Vol. 6 No. 2

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

In This Issue Upcoming Events 2 CESA / NEIU Events 3 Doing the Conga with Your Contratiempo 4 Laura Tejada Blue Octopus Editorial: The IFS Model 6 Joe Fournier Coping with Grief During the Holidays 8 Liz Garvey Seasonal Patterns in Mental Health 10 Leslie Contos Life Beyond NEIU: Your Career Starts Now 13 Nicole Zook

Get Involved! Suggestions, Comments, Questions, Idea for an article?

[email protected] / https://facebook.com/groups/NEIUCESA/

Or talk to one of your officers in class…

Leslie Contos – President

Bill Harrison – Vice President (Newsletter Editor)

Melissa Erickson – Secretary

Katie Petty – Treasurer

CESA NEWSLETTER WINTER 2015

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Upcoming Events

IAMFT Annual Conference 2015 Illinois Association for Marriage &

Family Therapy

March 5, 6, 7 2015 NIU Conference Center Naperville, IL

http://www.iamft.org/ohana/

2015 IL-APT Conference Illinois Association for Play Therapy

February 26 - 27, 2015

The Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago - O'Hare/Rosemont

http://www.ila4pt.org/training-and-conferences/

ISCA Annual Conference 2015 Illinois School Counselors Association

April 24th

North Shore Holiday Inn – Skokie, IL

http://www.ilschoolcounselor.org/conference/registration.html

Illinois Counseling Association NCE/LPC Test Prep – IMHCA

February 6-7 9AM - 4PM

Naperville, IL

NCMHCE/LCPC Test Prep – IMHCA

February 21-22 9AM - 4PM

Chicago, IL

2015 ICA Annual Southern Conference

March 20, 2015

IMHCA Annual Conference 2015 Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association

March 6, 7, 8 2015

Doubletree Inn – Skokie, IL

http://www.imhca.org/Annual-Conference

ACA Annual Conference 2015 American Counseling Association

March 12 - 15 2015

Orlando, FL

https://www.counseling.org/conference/orlando-aca-2015


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CESA / NEIU News

Upcoming CESA Events Monthly Meetings (All are welcome!)

NEIU Campus – Student Union SU-217

Thursday, January 15th 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Thursday, February 5th 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Thursday, March 5th 6:30 – 7:30 PM Coming Soon: Licensure Workshop / Play Therapy Workshop - Spring 2015

NEIU Student & Faculty News Student Nicole Zook presented this summer at the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and this fall at the Illinois Counseling Association Conference.

Recent alumni Elizabeth Rodden presented this fall at the Illinois Counseling Association Conference.

Student Leslie Contos presented this fall at the Illinois Psychological Association Conference and at the Illinois Counseling Association Conference.

Professor Shedeh Tavakoli presented this summer at the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and this fall at the Illinois Counseling Association Conference.

Professor Mei Chen presented this fall at the Illinois Counseling Association Conference.

Professor Sharon Bethea presented this fall at the Illinois Counseling Association Conference.

Numerous student proposals have already been submitted for spring conferences. If you, or a student or professor you know have presented, published, or conducted research reccently; please let us know so we can share in our upcoming newsletters. [email protected]


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Doing the Conga with Your Contratiempo by Laura Tejada, Ph.D., LCPC, LMFT, RPT-S

Normally, I’m pretty good about realizing that the process of life is exactly

that—a process, not a destination, especially career-wise. Once I realized that others folks

have career trajectories but I have a career meander, life got more enjoyable. I don’t think

that my life changed at all, only that I was finally enjoying the process.

Lately, I have found myself back in the trap of thinking that everything will be

‘done’ when I accomplish the next set of tasks. (Under stress regress, right?) I find myself

mentally mapping out my path like I did before I learned to enjoy the ride: I will

accomplish X by the end of the Spring semester, Y by the end of the summer, and by this

time next year, Z will be in the bag.

Of course, it doesn’t work that way. Unforeseen events crop up. There’s a very

helpful word in Spanish that has no good equivalent in English: contratiempos. It means

literally ‘things that work against time.’ The nearest we come in English is ‘setbacks.’ But

contratiempos are not necessarily setbacks. They are circumstances that tend to be

annoying and require some attention and energy. You make your plans as best you can, and

yet contratiempos still happen. Hard drives crash. Folks get ill. Classes fill up. Textbooks

don’t come in on time. Contratiempos slow you down, but they also build your resilience

by giving you opportunities to practice flexibility and patience. Along the way, you gain

some good experience.

When I look at it this way, most of my career has been contratiempos. That’s not a

bad thing. Those contratiempos resulted in me learning about play therapy, trauma

interventions, and couples and family counseling. It took a long time, but those meanders

got me here. And that’s a very good thing for me.


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This semester has had more than its share of personal and professional

contratiempos for me and for many of my students and advisees. We find ourselves reading

and rereading the quote from Pema Chadron that I have on my office door: “There isn’t

going to be some precious future time when all the loose ends will be tied up.” Not when X

is done, not when Y is conquered, and not even when Z is in the bag. So, what to do? Join

me and do the conga with your contratiempo. It may feel like it’s working against us, but in

the long run, our contratiempos are on our side. We might as well conga a bit while we sort

through them all.


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I am the Blue Octopus, and I will write this article. I am a sub-personality (or

"part") of Joe, and my role in his intrapsychic system could be summed up with two S-

words: seeking and simplifying. The suction cups on my eight arms are endlessly "tasting"

the environment for the most flavorful bits of information. My hard beak bites into these

tasty bits and extracts the yummy, essential meanings. By performing this strategic role for

Joe, our system has access to a meticulously organized data set and can impose its

framework onto the untidy realities of human life.

My role began in response to a series of emotionally charged miscommunications

occurring early in grade school. Due to an infection, Joe lost a moderate amount of hearing

in both ears at age 3, and upon entering the school setting, social activities proved to be

fraught with broken exchanges. At age 5 or 6, I took on the parentified role of the Blue

Octopus to protect other parts from getting overwhelmed by these social stresses. The

visual information I gathered helped fill in the gaps where auditory details were lacking. To

a degree, this is a job I continue to perform today, and in many ways, my behavior still

resembles a 6-year-old boy impersonating an adult.

I tend to dominate the mental chatter in Joe's head by stealing the spotlight away

from more sensitive, emotional parts. My overdetermined push for control breeds

resentment and distrust among other parts and winds up biting me in the ass when those

parts get together and stage a revolt. This unsustainable cycle can manifest itself through a

range of somatic symptoms (neck pain, dry eyes, zits), intrusions into our sleep schedule

(nightmares, staying up late), escalations in junk food purchases, or moments of

dissociation or blanking out. In the interest of change, I'm attempting to relinquish areas of

my authority and democratize Joe's consciousness - all parts get equal voting power and

equal self-awareness.

Blue Octopus Editorial: The IFS Therapy Model by Joe Fournier


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Attaining this inner democracy is a key objective of the Internal Family Systems

(IFS) therapy model. The foundation of IFS is built on the notion of non-pathological

multiplicity of mind. The systems approach allows Joe to differentiate my voice as the Blue

Octopus from the voices of other parts, such as the Green Alligator who has a quick temper

and the Green Grasshopper who giggles at everything. When a person keeps all the

overlapping narratives of their parts compressed into one mental container, the restrictive

result can be akin to a mob mentality. By separating and distinguishing these semi-

autonomous parts, the civic engagement of the entire system can radically change. I'm

happy IFS has afforded me the opportunity to better know my role as the Blue Octopus and

begin transforming my outdated scripts.


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Coping with Grief During the Holidays, or… “I’m Dreaming of a Past Christmas.”

by Liz Garvey

Getting through the holidays while grieving can be a big challenge. It’s

common to get flooded with memories at holidays, and many worry about being a

“downer” or crying at holiday gatherings, where there are expectations of good cheer.

Some cope by planning to “gut it out”, putting on a brave face and acting as if

everything is the same as it was before the loss, but this is not realistic: many who try

to cope this way are asking too much of themselves, and end up being embarrassed

and disappointed in themselves when they can’t sustain the façade. Others cope by

trying to hide from the holidays, refusing to attend events in order to avoid the above

pitfalls; this strategy often just exacerbates the aching loneliness felt by the mourner.

Helping those in mourning to find a balance between the two strategies is

recommended, and the first step is to encourage them to view the first holidays without

a loved one as a transitional time. Encourage them to acknowledge that this holiday

will not be the same as past holidays – but also to recognize that whatever they decide

works for them this year will not necessarily be their new tradition.

It is also important to encourage them to be present in an authentic way; this

includes being gentle with themselves, identifying what their needs are, and identifying

people they feel safe being with as they mourn.

Help them to manage their expectations by anticipating sadness at

inconvenient times. The goal is to get through it – even if it isn’t “pretty”. Even more

helpful would be for them to discuss expectations with those they plan to be with,

saying something like this: “I really want to be with you, but I know I’m still going to

be sad at times. Is that okay with you?”


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Other strategies that may be helpful to them follow:

• Acknowledge the loss by hosting a dinner or giving a toast in the loved one’s

honor

• Do what they are comfortable with – not what they think their loved one would

have wanted

• Don’t wait for others; it’s okay to plan their own holiday events

• During a meal, ask those present to share a memory of the loved one

• Give to others by spending time with them or volunteering to help. This can be

very healing.

• Make a list of all they are thankful for

• Give gifts or mementos from the loved one.

• Light a candle for their loved one, or attend a spiritual service that is comforting.

Some churches have special services for those in mourning prior to the holidays.

• Make or hand out some of their loved one’s favorite treats

Using or sharing some of the above strategies will likely help someone in

mourning to navigate the holidays in a way that feels as comfortable as possible to

them, but the most important part of helping clients or loved ones through their grief

during the holidays is to allow them to express their grief, and to know that they have

been heard and accepted.

(Based on information compiled by Rita Rippentrop (director) and staff

therapists at Alexian Brothers Parish Services)


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Seasonal Patterns in Mental Health by Leslie Contos

It’s that time of year! According to NAMI, the symptoms of seasonal patterns in

mental health usually begin in October and November and subside in March or April so

you may want to keep this in mind as you meet with clients during the winter season.

Diagnostically, Seasonal Affective Disorder is no longer considered a unique mood

disorder, but is instead used as the specifier “with seasonal pattern” when diagnosing major

depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. In other words we would no

longer refer to a client as having Seasonal Affective Disorder, but

rather as having a diagnosis of depression or bipolar disorder with

seasonal pattern. The DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing depression with

a seasonal pattern includes having these experiences for at least the

last two years:

• Depression that begins during a specific season every year

• Depression that ends during a specific season every year

• No depression during the season in which you experience a normal mood

• Many more seasons of depression than seasons without depression over the

lifetime of your illness

Classic symptoms of recurrent winter depression include oversleeping, daytime

fatigue, carbohydrate craving and weight gain. Effects can range from mild to severe, with

characteristics ranging from a lack of interest in normal activities and socialization,

lethargy, and hopelessness, to thoughts of suicide. Seasonal patterns of depression can

affect all ages and is thought to be more common in women. While no genetic cause has

been found yet, many of those affected have a close relative with depression or substance

abuse (Duckworth, 2012). There seems to be a geographic link with the pattern more

readily found in those who live in northern latitudes. The major neurotransmitters which

seem implicated are serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine (Gupta, 2013). Researchers

are also looking at the role of melatonin.


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Light Therapy

“For people who are not severely depressed and are unable—or unwilling—to use

antidepressant medications, light therapy may be the best initial treatment” (Duckworth, 2012).

Typical use is to start the day with 30 to 60 minutes sitting a few feet from a light therapy box

during the fall and winter. Light boxes create a change in brain chemicals linked to mood and

research has shown that they are as effective as anti-depressants for non-severe depression with

seasonal pattern, and have few side effects. However, use caution with bipolar clients as it may

increase manic episodes. Light therapy appears to benefit about 70% of those with seasonal

pattern depression, and the effects can be evident from a few days to a few weeks after starting

(Gupta, 2013). According to Cawley, et.al. (2013) research has shown that “Bright light can

alleviate low mood in patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), nonseasonal major

depressive disorder, antepartum depression, eating disorders and those with subsyndromal winter

mood disturbances.” Though usually not covered by insurance, light therapy boxes can be

purchased over the counter counter or online for around $100.

Other Treatments

Medication and psychotherapy have also been shown to help seasonal pattern depression.

Prozac and Wellbutrin are FDA approved for this use and have research demonstrating

effectiveness, as do depression-specific psychotherapies such as interpersonal or cognitive

therapy. Evans (2013) demonstrated that although both light therapy and CBT reduced

seasonal pattern depression, it was cognitive therapy alone that predicted lower depression


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levels the following winter. So even with light therapy, there is a real place for

psychotherapy in the treatment of seasonal pattern depression.

References

Cawley, E.I., et.al. (2013). Dopamine and light: dissecting effects on mood and

motivational states in women with subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder.

Psychiatry Neuroscience 38(6).

Duckworth, K., Freedman, J.L. (2012). Seasonal Affective Disorder. National

Association of Mental Health (NAMI) website

[http://www.nami.org/factsheets/SAD_factsheet.pdf]

Evans, M., et.al. (2013). Cognitive Change across Cognitive-Behavioral and Light

Therapy Treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder: What Accounts for

Clinical Status the Next Winter? Cognitive Therapy and Research 37:1201–

1213.

Gupta, A., et.al. (2013). Role of Serotonin in Seasonal Affective Disorder.

European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 17: 49-55.


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Life Beyond NEIU: Your Career Starts Now by Nicole Zook

One of the first things that impressed me when I began taking classes at NEIU was

the work our professors were doing outside the classroom: they are active in professional

organizations, advocate through social justice work, promote counseling as a profession,

and frequently attend and even speak at conferences all over the globe.

In the last year, I have realized that even as a student it is not too early to begin that

work, and to dive headfirst into the world of professional counseling. In fact, doing so has

turned out to be great preparation for my future career. Student memberships in the ACA,

AMHCA, and ICA are greatly discounted and have benefits from insurance for internships

to free webinars on a variety of topics.

Getting involved in professional organizations is a great start, and it’s not the only

way to become involved. You might consider serving as an assistant for some of the

wonderful research our faculty conducts, or simply asking a professor about their process

for getting their original articles published. There is plenty of work variety within the

counseling field, and becoming engaged outside the classroom can help you develop

wonderful relationships with the faculty, your greatest resource.

Perhaps the most fun way to become more involved is attending professional

conferences, which are also discounted for students. Traveling to the AMHCA National

Conference in Seattle over the summer semester was a highlight of my time at NEIU, and

was a fantastic learning experience I could not have gotten behind a desk. I was able to

hear some amazing lectures on any topic I could think of, and honored to be able to help

present a session with Dr. Tavakoli.

A little closer to home was the recent ICA conference, which again provided the

opportunity to both speak and to attend sessions on a wide variety of topics. Attending with

Dr. Tavakoli and current CESA president Leslie Contos meant that I was also able to make

connections with the many people they knew at the conference, and the opportunities for


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networking were astounding. In fact, attending ICA gave me the chance to talk with

professionals, students from other schools, and even opened the door to a Ph.D.

program!

School is tough, and finding time to expand your horizons might seem impossible

with everything on your plate. But your career can begin now! Getting more engaged

might lead to internship or job prospects, and it will certainly lead to lasting relationships

that can lend you support beyond just the classroom. Every student in the program is a

default member of CESA, so you’re already started without even knowing it! I highly

recommend becoming active in the world of counseling with professional memberships,

asking your professors about upcoming conferences, or even just attending a CESA

workshop. You never know how far it could take you.


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Happy Holidays to All!

Documents

NEIU CESA Newsletterneiucesa.weebly.com/uploads/5/8/5/2/5852856/cesa... · Bill Harrison – Vice President (Newsletter Editor) Melissa Erickson – Secretary ... “downer” or