Dr. Lena Agree logo featuring her name and title as a licensed psychologist, emphasizing professional psychological services.Dr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and Associates

Emotional Wellbeing: Expert Tips & Resources from Dr. Lena Agree

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Common Questions About Therapy and Coaching: What They Are, How They Help, and How to Choose

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Therapy and coaching serve different but complementary purposes: both help people reduce distress, clarify priorities, and build skills that lead to meaningful change. This guide lays out what each service does, why it works, and how to choose the right path for goals like mental health recovery, performance growth, relationship repair, or parenting support. You’ll find clear answers about what happens in a session, common modalities (including attachment- and mentalization-based approaches), and practical decisions about telehealth versus in-person care. The article also walks through first-session expectations, how coaching tracks progress toward measurable goals, differences in scope and licensing, and practical factors like cost and insurance. Step-by-step guidance is included for high-achievers, business owners, adolescents, couples, and families so you can…

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Practical Strategies for Social Situations: Overcoming Social Anxiety and Building Confidence

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Social anxiety—often called social phobia—shows up as an intense worry about being judged and a tendency to avoid situations where scrutiny feels possible. This guide explains common contributors to social anxiety, reviews evidence-based treatments that reduce symptoms, and offers practical tools for navigating networking, public speaking, dates, and workplace interactions with more ease. You’ll find immediate coping tools (breathing, grounding, quick cognitive checks), medium-term skill-building (social skills practice, role-play, assertiveness training), and longer-term clinical approaches (CBT, structured exposure, mindfulness, and medication when appropriate). The material lays out clear steps—from in-the-moment strategies to structured therapy and coaching—and explains how assessment and individualized plans speed progress, especially for high-achieving adults. Keywords like social anxiety, social phobia, CBT for social anxiety, exposure therapy…

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Managing the Winter Blues: Practical, Evidence-Based Support for Seasonal Depression

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Shorter days and reduced sunlight trigger mood shifts for many people. For some, that looks like temporary “winter blues” — mild low mood and low energy that often improves with self-care. For others, symptoms meet criteria for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a recurrent, winter-linked form of depression that can be disabling. This guide helps you tell the difference, explains how reduced light and circadian changes affect mood, and lays out evidence-based steps that reliably ease symptoms. You’ll find practical self-assessment cues, lifestyle and light-therapy strategies, how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and coaching support high-achievers, and clear indicators for when to seek professional care. The page covers symptoms, causes, home-based remedies, therapy options, safe use of SAD light boxes, and decision…

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How to Improve Self-Worth: Practical, Evidence-Informed Steps to Strengthen Confidence and Self‑Esteem

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Self-worth is your sense of intrinsic value — the belief that you deserve respect and care regardless of success or external approval. Strengthening that sense of worth supports mental health, healthier relationships, and sustained performance at work and in life. This guide lays out practical, evidence-informed strategies to bolster self-worth, clarifies how it differs from related ideas like self‑esteem and self‑confidence, and points to when professional help is the right next step. Many adults, adolescents, and high-achieving professionals notice that persistent self-criticism, imposter feelings, or perfectionism undermine a steady sense of worth. Below you’ll find clear definitions, a numbered set of actionable strategies with exercises, comparison tables for quick decision-making, guidance on therapy versus coaching, approaches tailored for high‑achievers, parenting…

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Couple sitting in bed, woman looking upset and withdrawn, man appearing concerned, reflecting emotional distress and communication challenges in relationships.

How to Tell if the Man in Your Life is Depressed (and if You Could Be Too)

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Do you suspect that a man in your life may be depressed? Unlike women, who are often sad or weepy when depressed, men typically exhibit anger, irritability or complain of “stress.” This is in addition to other depressive symptoms, including loss of interest or pleasure; either sluggishness or agitation; change in sleep, appetite or concentration; feelings of guilt or worthlessness and recurrent thoughts of death. Five or more of these symptoms for 2 consecutive weeks could signal a depressive disorder. However, depressive symptoms aren’t limited to the bouts of moodiness described above. Some people have a “depressive personality,” which can manifest early in life and just kind of “simmer.” There are 2 subtypes of this form of depression: Introjectively depressed people…

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