Hello!
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones! From our MFS family to yours, we wish you some moments of peace and joy as we close out the year 2020 together.
We each shared our favorite holiday song with you (search the newsletter!). We would love to hear your favorite song to add to our playlist.
Check out our MFS Facebook post to add your song to our list!
All my best always,
Dr. Pam McCaskill
734-416-9098
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McCaskill Family Services Newsletter
Term: Winter | Issue 12| December 22 ,2020
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Holidays Are Fun! So Why Can They Feel So Overwhelming....
How to Set Healthy Boundaries This Holiday Season
One thing that has been difficult for most of us this year was establishing togetherness and community. The last thing we want to do is put another divide, another screen, another week in between seeing the people we care about. However, most of us are still keeping our distance while trying to cultivate normalcy. This becomes increasingly difficult as many people move into their own different stages of grief and response to the pandemic.
This is bound to bring about disagreements when you have to decline someone's invitation and they persist, "But it's the holidays!" or "It's just a small get together." Setting boundaries is difficult because most of us are people pleasers, and we fear the outcome if we say "No". It doesn't make it any easier when we feel like our relationships are already threatened due to lack of socialization over the past 10 months.
We have said "Yes" all year to constant changes and commitments, and maybe we just need a little break and time to ourselves. Despite how uncomfortable setting a boundary may be, it is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your relationships.
Click the link below for Jaclyn Rink's, MS, LLP Top Tips!
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We know how hard this year has been! 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.
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Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup table salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- Glitter, paint, and ribbon, etc. for decoration
- Polyurethane spray, for preservation
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Instructions To Make Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Slowly stream in the water while stirring until it comes together. Finish mixing together with hands. Knead until dough is soft, about five minutes.
To Bake Ornaments
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Place half of the dough between two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll out until 1/8" thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment.
- Using cookie cutters, cut shapes (leaving them on the parchment). Peel away the excess dough. Transfer the parchment with shapes to a baking sheet.
- Using a straw or toothpick, poke a hole for ribbon or an ornament hanger. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until hard.
- Once cooled, decorate using glitter and paint. To make sure the ornaments last a long time (years and years), spray with a light coat of polyurethane spray. Thread on a ribbon and hang on tree.
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Holiday Healing with Horses Made The News! |
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3-Day Grief Workshop
January 11th-13th, 2021
Struggling this season? Grief and loss can become increasingly difficult during the holidays. Consider joining our next 3-day Equine workshop for extra support, with the assistance of Dr. Nicole Wozniak and an equine-friend.
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Dr. Scott Gaynor provides telehealth services for adolescents and adults. His focus is on bringing the best of contemporary psychological science to the specific life circumstances of each client.
He is well-versed in empirically supported treatments for specific diagnoses/problems (e.g., anxiety disorders, depression) as well as applying evidence-based practices to target greater personal well-being, relationship satisfaction, and quality of life.
In his spare time, Scott enjoys spending time with his family, coaching baseball, following a range of Wisconsin sports teams (Brewers, Packers, Bucks... UGH, but it’s where he was born and raised), exercising, reading, and listening to science and history podcasts.
If you and/or someone you know could benefit from working with Dr. Gaynor, please contact our office at
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Our Most Effective
Stress Management Strategies
By Dr. Nicole Wozniak
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Survival Strategies for Parents on Coronavirus Triple Duty:
Teaching, Parenting, Working
By Emily Kavanagh, MS, LLP
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Am I OCD or Just COVID Anxious?
How to Spot the Difference
Presented by Jaclyn Rink, MS, LLP
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Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Webinar
(Free Webinar)
Presented by Dr. Nicole Wozniak
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Our Favorite Holiday Songs |
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Dr. Pam: "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" Gayla Peevey
Dr. John: "Here Comes Santa Clause" Elvis
Emily B: "The Christmas Song" Nat King Cole
Jaclyn R: "What Are You Doing New Years" Harry Connick Jr.
Dr. Nicole: "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" N'Sync
Jennifer S: "I Like Presents" Poppy
Devany C: "Last Christmas" Wham!
Emily K: "Silver Bells" Michael Buble
Truc N: "Like It's Christmas" Jonas Brothers
Dr. Amy: "Hark the Harold Angels Sing" Charlie Brown
Karla V: "All I Want for Christmas (is a real good tan)" Kenny Chesney
Dr. Amanda: "All I Want for Christmas is You" Nat Vance & the Valiants
Dr. Michelle: "It's In Every One of Us" John Denver & the Muppets
Cobi (our service dog): "Run Rudolph Run" Chuck Berry
Dr. Scott: "Frosty the Snowman" The Ronettes
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Newsletter Editor's Notes
The day after Thanksgiving, I start watching Christmas movies. I have a collection of favorites that I watch over and over, and even use as background noise throughout the season. They all have different lessons and heartwarming messages, but my favorite comes from "The Grinch."
We all know the charming story about the smelly outcast who doesn't want to be a part of the towns Christmas celebrations. Why? Because they make him FEEL something. Once he experiences an act of kindness and inclusion from a little "Who" girl, his life changes forever. The Grinch suddenly realizes that it was not Christmas that he hated, but loneliness he feared. The moment he discovers this about himself (and he did it without a therapist!) his heart warms, grows 3 sizes and he becomes a loving friend to the "Who's".
One person, one moment of kindness, is all it took to change his life. When was the last time you stopped to reflect on who in your life needs your kindness the most? Is it yourself? Your argumentative teenager? Your grumpy, lonely neighbor? Kindness is the true gift of the holidays, holding more weight than the biggest package, and far more value than the perfect gift.
In the closing scene of the 2018 animated version, at the Grinch's first Christmas dinner with the "Who's," the poem reads, "And the Grinch raised his glass to lead the Who's in a toast, 'To kindness and love, the things we need most.'
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Happy Holidays Everyone! 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 co-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 meeting you!
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409 Plymouth Road, Suite 250, Plymouth, MI 48170 • 734.416.9098
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