I’ve spent the past few days trying to socially connect our website, after reading a lot of articles about how important it is to be socially networked online. For a counseling practice, that presents some challenges.

I have been talking this week to some individuals who are Facilitators and Advisors to SMART Recovery groups in Chicago, and have learned that more meetings are taking place than ever before. This is a positive development for people struggling with drug and alcohol dependence, and for the professionals who need self-help resources to provide… Continue Reading SMART Recovery expands Chicagoland meetings

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has issued a new definition of “Addiction” as of August, 2011. This definition stresses the neurobehavioral aspects of addictive disorders and essentially defines them as “brain diseases.”

Fitzgerald Counseling has a new downtown Chicago location! Effective October 1, 2011, we are in the LaSalle Atrium Building at 401 S. LaSalle Street, Chicago. We are on the sixteenth floor, in Suite 1600-P. This is a more secure location than our previous location in the Old Colony Building, with a security desk that is… Continue Reading Announcing Our New Downtown Chicago Office Location

I appeciated an article in the New York Times this week, written by two researchers – one from the Harvard Business School – that reviewed a number of pieces of research and survey results about employee engagement and happiness at work. They found that employees who are more engaged – happier, but also participating actively in… Continue Reading Engaged Employees

Someone made a comment to me today that they guessed everyone I talk to must be pretty down about what’s going on in the world right now. I replied that no, actually, people have their own worries and troubles, for the most part. Some people who work in the financial sector are stressed about the… Continue Reading How not to let it bring you down

I don’t ordinarily like to bring my political views into this blog, but there are some examples (like the Florida law that makes it illegal for a doctor to ask if there are guns in a house with young children) that seem to cross from politics into ethical dilemmas. This blog post on Mother Jones’… Continue Reading Suicide shouldn’t be politicized, but…

I spent the day today at the Northern Illinois Employee Assistance Professionals Association annual conference. There were some excellent presentations and the opportunity to network with a great many EAP and treatment professionals.

My very first post on this website was about what it can be like to make the decision to seek counseling. It’s a topic worth revisiting. Many people can make use of counseling even though they’re basically doing OK – they’re making progress in work or school, they have friends and relationships, and there are… Continue Reading The Decision to Seek Counseling

Another law that tries to force an extreme agenda at the expense of common sense According to a story that appeared on Yahoo! News today, the Florida legislature is preparing to pass a law – being pushed by the National Rifle Association – which goes far beyond the issue of gun rights. It strays dangerously… Continue Reading Common Sense Takes Another Hit