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Hello Pamela ,
During this season of giving thanks, I want to take a moment to thank you for being here with us along this journey, with the ups and downs and all-arounds, we are still here together and are paths are still crossing. I am thankful for you and appreciate the opportunity to share this newsletter with you.
Read on to learn about the mental health benefits and risks of exercise as you evaluate your own relationship with exercise in your life.
All my best to you and yours,
Dr. Pam McCaskill
office@mccaskillfamilyservices.com
734-416-9098
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McCaskill Family Services Newsletter
Term: Fall | Issue 47| November 22nd, 2023
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Balancing Exercise for Mental Health
With ongoing literature of its vast benefits, exercise is frequently talked about in the mental health community as a way to support optimal functioning. Research shows us that exercise is linked directly to increases in important neurotransmitters that impact our mood. It also improves our energy levels, boosts our self-esteem, supports proper sleeping habits, and prevents cognitive decline as we age.
Despite its benefits, the age-old saying still rings true, "Too much of anything is a bad thing" as excessive exercise can lead to negative impacts on one's physical and mental health. Exercise becomes unhealthy when the participant no longer feels in control of their exercise habits, often causing one to experience immense guilt or frustration when they can't meet their exercise expectations. Excessive exercise can increase disordered eating patterns, lead to social withdrawal and isolation, and even decrease bone density over time.
Unsure if your relationship to exercise is healthy? Our MFS eating disorder therapist, Sydney Rumley, TLLP shares with us some important questions to ask yourself.
Read below!
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At McCaskill Family Services, we specialize in working with adults, children, teenagers and families with various presenting issues. If you or someone you know could benefit from our services, please contact us. Our clinicians are trained in empirically-based techniques, and would be happy to promptly schedule an appointment in person or via tele-health. We can be reached by phone at 734-416-9098 or by email at office@mccaskillfamilyservices.com.
Our MFS therapists are available for immediate openings and are currently accepting new patients.
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Food For Thought:
A new monthly newsletter addition from our Dietitian and Eating Disorder Recovery Team.
November Food for Thought - Holiday Support
The holiday season can be so exciting, full of family traditions, celebrations, travel, and more. Many times those get-togethers with co-workers, friends and family can be particularly focused on food, which can be a stressful topic for many. Here are our quick tips to help deal with any sticky holiday situations that may pop up:
Feeling self-conscious or down after a hurtful comment on your food choices or body?
Gather your troops - Find your people who will support you, let you vent, remind you you are amazing, and help you stick to your recovery goals.
Notice you are feeling irritable, down, or anxious?
Treat yourself - Self-care should not be an option and can be incredibly helpful around times of potential stress. Work with your therapist or support system to brainstorm what may work for you. Starting small is okay.
Not feeling great about participating in an annual family activity?
Make new traditions - It's okay to try something new and to start new traditions. It's also okay to have emotions around those changes.
Is diet-culture messaging a constant in your friend group?
Strengthen those boundaries - It's okay to say no. It's okay to share your feelings. It's okay to protect yourself, your mindset, and your emotions. You can't control what others do, but you can share your feelings, share potential helpful changes, and remove yourself from harmful situations.
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Sydney earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and her Master’s degree in Clinical Behavioral Psychology from Eastern Michigan University.
Sydney is passionate about working with adolescents and emerging adults on issues related to eating disorders, body image, self-esteem, anxiety, and mood disorders. She is a core therapist to the MFS eating disorder treatment and recovery team, and also works with couples or those struggling with interpersonal/relationship concerns.
Sydney has a strong background in behavioral- and attachment-based therapy and takes an integrative approach to treatment. She utilizes evidence-based treatment approaches such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) to create a treatment plan tailored for a client’s specific needs and goals.
Outside of work, Sydney enjoys coaching, listening to music, exercising, spending time with family/friends, playing with her dog Layla, and reading.
Check out her Eating Disorder Recovery group below!
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Here are two yummy recipes (one savory and one sweet)
to help kick off your holiday feast !
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Newsletter Editor's Notes | |
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What your therapist wants you to know.
Article Four
We want you to know that:
We hope that you do your assigned homework outside of session.
While we never want to add more to your already busy plate, sometimes therapy requires some homework. Whether it be practicing coping skills, logging your meals, tracking your mood, conducting a social experiment, or filling out a gratitude journal, working towards your goals outside of the therapy room can be just as important as the therapy itself. Most empirically supported treatment methods require the patient to practice therapeutic techniques outside of session, as the real world setting is much different than the confinement of the therapy room.
We love having you in our office once a week for 45 minutes, but we know that true and lasting change takes much longer than that. It takes anywhere from 30-60 days to break or make a habit when this habit is focused on consistently. Unless you are attending therapy on a daily basis, practice of your goals/skills in between sessions is vital to the success of your therapy. It's the same as learning any new skill: if you don't practice, you won't improve; the more frequently you practice, the quicker you get results and the easier it becomes to make that skill a part of your every day life.
Trust us! We know it can be a pain, but we also wouldn't ask you to do something if it wasn't truly beneficial to you. Doing your homework in between sessions helps to keep us on track, see patterns/progress over time, and allows us to help you problem-solve through real-world scenarios that may get in the way of achieving your goals. Homework can help to speed up the therapeutic process, and there is nothing we want more than to see you in a better head space. Unlike your 10th grade geometry teacher, we won't ever assign anything superfluous, we won't expect you to remember every equation or surprise you with a pop quiz, and you definitely won't be graded down if you don't complete it. Promise.
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Happy Holiday Season! I'm a masters level clinician at McCaskill Family Services who specializes in the treatment of OCD, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders for all ages. I co-run the McCaskill Family Services DBT groups for teens and adults, and specialize in psychological assessment. I am also our monthly newsletter editor and social media manager!
I'd like to personally thank you for staying in touch with our practice, and hope you find this newsletter inspirational and informative. If you or someone you know would like to schedule an appointment with me, please contact our office at 734-416-9098 or email us at office@mccaskillfamilyservices.com. I look forward to working with you!
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409 Plymouth Road, Suite 250, Plymouth, MI 48170 • 734.416.9098
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