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🎓 Life Transitions
Anniversary Reactions: Why Certain Dates Can Bring Back Difficult Memories
Certain dates can carry a lot of emotional weight. For many people, September 11 is one of them. Each year, as the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, people may find themselves experiencing emotions, memories, or physical reactions they weren't expecting. This can be especially true for people who were directly affected by the attacks, lost someone, witnessed the events firsthand, lived in or around New York City or Washington, D.C., or simply remember what it felt l
Dani Spongé
5 days ago7 min read
How to Support Your College-Aged Child Without Hovering
Sending a child off to college can bring a strange mix of emotions. You might feel proud, excited, nervous, relieved, or even a little lost. After years of knowing where they are, what they're doing, and whether they've eaten something besides cereal, suddenly you're not part of every detail of their day. And that's actually the point. College is often one of the first major opportunities for young adults to practice making decisions, handling setbacks, managing responsibilit
Dani Spongé
Sep 47 min read
Why Change Feels Scary (Even When It's Good)
Article Contents Why Does Change Feel Scary? The Hidden Grief of Life Transitions How Change Affects Your Mental Health Missing Your Old Life Is Normal How to Cope With Change When to Seek Support Frequently Asked Questions Have you ever looked forward to something for months — starting a new job, moving into a new home, getting engaged, becoming a parent, or sending your child off to college — only to find yourself feeling anxious once it actually happens? It can be confusin
Dani Spongé
Aug 265 min read
The End-of-Summer Blues Are Real — Here's Why
Article Contents Why the End of Summer Feels Different The Psychology of Seasonal Transitions Signs You May Be Experiencing the End-of-Summer Blues Gentle Ways to Ease Into a New Season When It May Be Time to Reach Out Frequently Asked Questions As August comes to a close, you might notice a subtle shift in your mindset. It may happen as you notice the evenings get darker a little earlier. Store shelves fill with school supplies, sweaters, and pumpkin-flavored everything. Ca
Dani Spongé
Aug 214 min read
What No One Tells You About Being a First-Generation College Student
Article Contents What Being First-Generation Really Means The Pressure to Succeed Feeling Like You Don't Belong Balancing Two Different Worlds Caring for Your Mental Health When to Ask for Support Frequently Asked Questions Starting college is a major life transition for anyone. New routines, new expectations, new friendships, and often a completely new environment can feel overwhelming. But if you're a first-generation college student, those challenges can come with extra pr
Dani Spongé
Aug 144 min read
ACR Counseling Blog
Insights for Real Life
Practical mental health resources, therapy perspectives, and conversations that meet you where you are. Explore our latest thoughts on wellness and growth.
Recovery Isn't Linear, and That's Completely Normal
The truth is that recovery can be messy. You might have a few really good weeks and then suddenly find yourself struggling again. Something you thought you'd moved past may come back up. A stressful event may leave you feeling like you've lost progress. You may even wonder, “Why am I back here again?” But recovery isn't a straight line. Whether you're recovering from substance use, an eating disorder, trauma, depression, anxiety, or another difficult experience, progress can
43 minutes ago8 min read
Anniversary Reactions: Why Certain Dates Can Bring Back Difficult Memories
Certain dates can carry a lot of emotional weight. For many people, September 11 is one of them. Each year, as the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, people may find themselves experiencing emotions, memories, or physical reactions they weren't expecting. This can be especially true for people who were directly affected by the attacks, lost someone, witnessed the events firsthand, lived in or around New York City or Washington, D.C., or simply remember what it felt l
5 days ago7 min read
Should You Talk to Your Child About 9/11? 5 Tips Every Parent Should Read
September can bring a lot of reminders of 9/11. Memorials appear in the news. Schools may discuss the attacks. Children may overhear conversations or encounter videos and images online. And for parents, that can create an uncomfortable question: Should I talk to my child about 9/11, and how much should I tell them? If your child wasn't alive on September 11, 2001, you may wonder whether they need to know about it at all. If they are older, they may already have heard about it
Sep 94 min read
How to Support Your College-Aged Child Without Hovering
Sending a child off to college can bring a strange mix of emotions. You might feel proud, excited, nervous, relieved, or even a little lost. After years of knowing where they are, what they're doing, and whether they've eaten something besides cereal, suddenly you're not part of every detail of their day. And that's actually the point. College is often one of the first major opportunities for young adults to practice making decisions, handling setbacks, managing responsibilit
Sep 47 min read
Can Generational Trauma Be Passed Down Through Families?
Trauma doesn't always end with the person who experienced it. Sometimes, the effects of a difficult or traumatic experience can influence how families communicate, cope with stress, form relationships, and understand the world around them. Those patterns can sometimes continue from one generation to the next. This is often referred to as generational trauma. The idea can raise some complicated questions. If you didn't experience something yourself, why might you still be affe
Sep 27 min read
Why Change Feels Scary (Even When It's Good)
Article Contents Why Does Change Feel Scary? The Hidden Grief of Life Transitions How Change Affects Your Mental Health Missing Your Old Life Is Normal How to Cope With Change When to Seek Support Frequently Asked Questions Have you ever looked forward to something for months — starting a new job, moving into a new home, getting engaged, becoming a parent, or sending your child off to college — only to find yourself feeling anxious once it actually happens? It can be confusin
Aug 265 min read
The End-of-Summer Blues Are Real — Here's Why
Article Contents Why the End of Summer Feels Different The Psychology of Seasonal Transitions Signs You May Be Experiencing the End-of-Summer Blues Gentle Ways to Ease Into a New Season When It May Be Time to Reach Out Frequently Asked Questions As August comes to a close, you might notice a subtle shift in your mindset. It may happen as you notice the evenings get darker a little earlier. Store shelves fill with school supplies, sweaters, and pumpkin-flavored everything. Ca
Aug 214 min read
Why Change in Routine Can Feel So Disruptive for Neurodivergent People
Article Contents Why Routine Matters What Happens When a Routine Changes It's Not About Being "Rigid" Gentle Ways to Navigate Change When Extra Support Can Help Frequently Asked Questions Most people have experienced the frustration of having their plans unexpectedly change. Maybe a meeting was canceled at the last minute. Maybe traffic made you late for work. Maybe your favorite coffee shop closed for the day. It can be inconvenient, but for many neurodivergent people, a sud
Aug 194 min read
What No One Tells You About Being a First-Generation College Student
Article Contents What Being First-Generation Really Means The Pressure to Succeed Feeling Like You Don't Belong Balancing Two Different Worlds Caring for Your Mental Health When to Ask for Support Frequently Asked Questions Starting college is a major life transition for anyone. New routines, new expectations, new friendships, and often a completely new environment can feel overwhelming. But if you're a first-generation college student, those challenges can come with extra pr
Aug 144 min read
How to Create a Routine That Fits Your Life (Not Someone Else's)
Article Contents Why "Perfect" Routines Don't Last Build Around Your Real Life Give Yourself Permission to Adjust When Support Can Help Frequently Asked Questions If you've ever searched for tips on creating a healthier routine, you've probably seen some version of the same advice. Wake up before sunrise. Exercise every morning. Meal prep every Sunday. Journal every night. Drink more water. Meditate. Read. Stretch. Get eight hours of sleep. On paper, it sounds wonderful. In r
Aug 123 min read
Do You Compare What You Eat to Others? Here’s Why It Can Hurt
Article Contents Why Do We Compare What We Eat? The Dangers of "What I Eat in a Day" Videos How Food Comparison Can Affect Body Image Pay Attention to How Your Feed Makes You Feel How to a Build a Healthier Relationship With Food How Therapy Can Help “What I Eat in a Day.” You’ve probably seen the videos: Someone walks you through their morning coffee, breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and maybe dessert — all neatly edited into a 60-second video. Some are posted by dietitians
Aug 76 min read
Sometimes Setbacks and Relapses Are a Part of Recovery
Article Contents What Does Relapse Mean in Recovery? Common Reasons People Experience Relapse How to Respond After a Relapse Recovery Is a Journey, Not a Destination How Therapy Can Help After a Relapse You were doing well; maybe you hadn’t had a drink in months. Maybe you stopped engaging in a behavior you were trying to change. Maybe you finally built a routine that made you feel more like yourself. Then something happened. Maybe one bad day became two. An old coping mechan
Aug 74 min read
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