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Eating & Weight Issues

Remote Therapy Appointments Available

by Dr. Sarah Allen
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Remote Therapy

Remote Therapy For Difficult Times

How are you holding up? Life has certainly taken an unexpected turn for all of us the past few weeks. The fear and uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic and the huge effect it has had on our lives in such a short period of time has caused a lot of fear, stress and uncertainty about what life might look like for the next few weeks or months.

I have talked with many people who have felt that sheltering in place, either alone or with their family, has exacerbated issues such as anxiety, depression and anger that they were already dealing with. Isolation can cause loneliness and overthinking or maybe grieving for events you were expecting to happen but no longer are. For others, such forced togetherness has made old relationship and parenting issues come to the surface again.

How Can Remote Therapy Help?

Although I have never had to help my clients deal with a pandemic before, I do have 25 years of experience helping people develop coping strategies for managing difficult times and through the use of remote therapy (also called teletherapy and is provided by phone or video sessions similar to Skype but HIPAA compliant), I can bring support and counseling to your home, office or other location.

Here are some questions I am frequently asked about Remote Therapy.

What Issues Can be Helped by Remote Therapy?

All the issues I typically help people with:

  • Anxiety / Worry
  • Depression
  • Eating/Weight Issues
  • Pregnancy & Postpartum Mood Disorders
  • Parenting Issues
  • Relationship Difficulties
  • Stress management and navigating life transitions

Therapy provides a means of helping you gain a different perspective and insight about what you are experiencing and Cognitive Therapy (CBT) gives you the tools to manage overwhelming emotions.

The important thing at the moment is that you are carving out some time to look after your own mental health. During times of stress, you are more able to deal with your own stress or issues with your family or spouse, if you take time for your own self-care.

Is Remote Therapy Confidential & Private?

Yes! I conduct remote sessions from my home office which is in separate area from the rest of my family so no one can overhear or interrupt our sessions. When we are no longer sheltering in place, I also conduct remote sessions from my Northbrook office.

I use a HIPAA compliant video conferencing platform that can work on wifi or cellular data which means it enables my clients to find a way to talk to me in whatever way they can, whether it is a place in their house where they won’t be disturbed (I don’t mind if the only place you can get a bit of privacy at the moment is in your bathroom or closet!) or they sit in their car in their garage or parking lot or go out for a walk.

Is Remote Therapy Covered By Insurance?

Although there are some variations depending what policy you have, most healthcare insurance plans provide coverage for teletherapy in the same way they cover in-office therapy.  I am out of network with all insurance companies and you can read more about my fees and how out of network insurance works, including questions to ask your insurance company before you start therapy on this page Dr. Allen’s Fees and Out of Network Insurance.

Is Remote Therapy As Good As In Office Therapy?

Yes! The American Psychological Association (APA) published an article stating that research demonstrates that psychotherapy delivered via the phone is as effective as the care delivered in person. A review of 13 studies found significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression when therapy was provided via telephone (Coughtrey and Pistrang, 2018) and the World Journal of Psychiatry concluded that there is a large evidence base that supports teletherapy being as effective as in office therapy.

How Do Remote Sessions Actually Work?

Head over to my website page all about remote counseling to read the practical information about the video platform and the forms that need to be completed before our first appointment Dr. Sarah Allen Teletherapy page. I have been conducting therapy remotely for many years with clients who live too far away to come to my Northbrook office or for their convenience i.e. someone has a new baby. During the pandemic I am only providing remote sessions until it is safe to meet in person again.

I want you to know that you are not alone in how you are feeling, and I am still here to help!

 

Dr. Sarah Allen has 25 years of experiencing providing therapy to individuals and couples, adults and teens. If you would like to read more about her areas of specialty and training visit her bio page.

If you have any questions at all, please contact her on the form below or by calling 847 791-7722.

 

    Dr. Allen's professional license only allows her to work with clients who live in IL & FL and unfortunately does not allow her to give personalized advice via email to people who are not her clients.

    3 Proven Ways to Boost Your Body Image

    by Dr. Sarah Allen
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    Do you ever look in the mirror and focus on a particular body part you are unhappy about and then start to be hypercritical and notice and worry about other parts of your body too? You wish your bum wasn’t quite as big in those jeans and then you notice your thighs and the wrinkles on your knees and soon your negative, super critical thoughts are out of control. Here are three ways you can nix those negative thoughts and give a positive boost to your body image.

     

    1. Get Grounded

    Thoughts race from one thing to another because they are fueled by adrenaline. We think something negative about one part of the body and those thoughts spiral, increasing our anxiety about how we look until we can start to feel utterly hopeless about our whole body.

    This simple grounding trick helps you get out of your brain and into your body so you can feel how strong and capable your body is. Start by standing up. Feel that negative energy fueled by those criticisms you are saying to yourself. Let the energy travel down from your brain, through your body and down through your legs and feet. Like roots of a tree the energy is connecting you to the floor. Feel how strong your legs are. Feel the energy coming down your arms and out of your fingertips, shake it out.  Be present in your body and breathe in slowly for the count of 4, hold for 4 and breathe out for 4.

    For more grounding techniques read 7 Simple Grounding Techniques For Calming Down Quickly

     

    Now that your brain isn’t racing, let’s take a calm look at those critical things you are saying to yourself and challenge their validity.

     

    2. Stop That Critical Voice & Be Kind To Yourself

    Try to notice what exactly you are saying to yourself when you are being critical about your body. You are probably being very harsh on yourself. You wouldn’t dream of saying those things to anyone else so why is it okay to talk to yourself that way?

    Write down a list of your top-ten strengths: What do you like about yourself? What do you do well? Many people I work with find it hard to come up with a list of positive things about themselves, so I suggest they ask a couple of supportive friends to chime in too. Not just about how you look but who you are as a person. When you stop judging yourself so harshly, you begin to see your strengths, as well as your perceived flaws. Build up yourself-confidence by talking nicely to yourself and by reminding yourself of everything you have to offer the world is a powerful tool you can use to head of self-criticism.

     

    3. Use Your Body To Trick Your Mind

    Another way to get your body to influence your mind is to do the “Wonder Woman” stance, feet apart, hands on your hips , chin up and shoulders back. Smile! Tell yourself you are great. Louder, I didn’t hear you! That’s right, loud and clear, smile and tell yourself how great you are!

    Ann Cuddy’s research on body language found that adopting a positive and strong body pose can actually subconsciously change the brain to give us a message that we are a confident person. It also reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone)and so reduces stress levels. Cuddy’s research showed again and again that when people adopt an expansive confident stance they actually feel more confident and better about themselves.

    To read more about the Wonder Woman stance click Presence – A Simple Way To Increase Confidence

     

     

    I was recently interviewed by Reader’s Digest for their great article with advice to boost body image. Please click this link if you would like to read it 12 Proven Ways To Boost Your Body Image in 10 Minutes or Less.

    Body image issues often go hand in hand with eating and weight issues. To find out more about emotional eating and to download the free booklet Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating (which includes questionnaires to find out what if you are an emotional eater and if yes, type of emotional eater you are) use the sign up form below the book.Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating

    You've just been sent an email that contains a confirmation link. Check your SPAM/JUNK folder if you don't see it within a couple of minutes. In order to activate to receive your free booklet, click on the CONFIRM link and you will be sent a second email with the booklet. It may also be in your SPAM folder.

    Dr. Sarah Allen specializes in empowering women to live the life they want.

    Visit www.drsarahallen.com for more blog posts on a variety of issues relevant to women.

    She sees clients in her Northbrook office or via telephone or Skype sessions.

    She can also be reached at (847) 791-7722 or by the form below.

     

      Dr. Allen's professional license only allows her to work with clients who live in IL & FL and unfortunately does not allow her to give personalized advice via email to people who are not her clients.

      What Is Emotional Eating and How Do You Overcome It?

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

      Thank you for joining me today as I share some information about what emotional eating and binge eating are and also some strategies to help with overcoming them.   To find out more about emotional eating and to download the free booklet Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating (which includes questionnaires to find out what […]

      Read the full article →

      3 Questions That Help You To Stop Emotional Eating

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

      We all eat for emotional reasons sometimes but when eating becomes your main strategy to manage difficult emotions it can become a health and weight issue. It is a temporary coping strategy that can cycle into guilt and shame, ending up with us berating ourselves. We don’t tend to reach for a carrot or a […]

      Read the full article →

      Five Ways To Soothe Frayed Emotions Without Food

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

        Hands up anyone who has reached for chocolate when you are feeling upset. When I say chocolate I mean the whole family-sized bar not a Hersey kiss or perhaps crunchy, salty is your thing and we are talking about a huge bag of  chips. It could be anything unhealthy and it could be happening […]

      Read the full article →

      What Is Emotional Eating? Is It A Type Of Eating Disorder?

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

      We have all heard the term emotional eating but what does it actually mean? Emotional eating is a term used when your intake of food is affected by your emotions in some way. It might be that you eat more food than you need to quell hunger or that there are certain foods that you […]

      Read the full article →

      Number 1 Question That Helps Reduce Worrying

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

      So Why Do We Worry About Things? Worries bother us. We can’t sleep or concentrate because we have pessimistic thoughts going round and around in our head, but in a way, worries make sense as they pull us in to a false sense of feeling in control. We’re doing something, even if it is just […]

      Read the full article →

      3 Ways To Curb Emotional Eating

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

        Ever find yourself standing in front of the fridge searching for just the right something, even though you are not hungry? Are you crunching your way through a whole bag of chips because you are really angry? Perhaps your emotions have changed your relationship with food. The occasional soothing of emotions by comfort eating […]

      Read the full article →

      Research Shows Anorexia, Bulimia & Body Image Linked to Disturbance in Brain Region

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

      Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa – disorders characterized by extreme eating behavior and distorted body image and a landmark study at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, suggests that the altered function in the brains of some people contributes to restricted eating in anorexia, overeating in bulimia as well as distorts self-image. […]

      Read the full article →

      Northbrook Therapist Helps Depression And Anxiety In Chicago Northshore

      by Dr. Sarah Allen

      I was really quite nervous the day that a reporter from the Northbrook Star came to interview me about my practice and the work I do in the community. I have talked with the press quite a bit in the past because of my role as spokesperson for the Postpartum Depression Alliance of IL and […]

      Read the full article →
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      Eating & Weight Issues

    • Download This Free Booklet

      SIMPLE STEPS TO OVERCOME EMOTIONAL EATING EBOOK

    • Please Enter Your Email To Download This Booklet

      You've just been sent an email that contains a confirmation link. Check your SPAM/JUNK folder if you don't see it within a couple of minutes. In order to activate to receive your free booklet, click on the CONFIRM link and you will be sent a second email with the booklet. It may also be in your SPAM folder.

    • Testimonials

      I have always been on a diet and my mood went up and down as my weight did. My internist thought I might be depressed and referred me to Sarah. I was willing to give anything a try but really thought I just needed more self discipline to stick to my diet. By talking things through with her I quickly realized that not being able to stick to a diet wasn’t really about food, although I certainly craved sweets. I learned to notice how different emotions and situations triggered my overeating and S… Read more

      Anonymous

      When I first came to see Dr. Allen, I was sick of struggling with my weight. With her help, I realized that a lot of my eating habits were a way of dealing with the bad relationship I was in. With her support, I made some big changes in my life, increased my self-confidence and found better ways to deal with my stressful job. Now I don’t need to eat my way to feeling better, I have much better ways to cope with life’s difficulties.

      Ann C.
      • Remote Therapy Appointments Available
      • 3 Proven Ways to Boost Your Body Image
      • What Is Emotional Eating and How Do You Overcome It?
      • 3 Questions That Help You To Stop Emotional Eating
      • Five Ways To Soothe Frayed Emotions Without Food
      • What Is Emotional Eating? Is It A Type Of Eating Disorder?
      • Number 1 Question That Helps Reduce Worrying
      • 3 Ways To Curb Emotional Eating
      • Research Shows Anorexia, Bulimia & Body Image Linked to Disturbance in Brain Region
      • Northbrook Therapist Helps Depression And Anxiety In Chicago Northshore
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