Abigail Schmink, LCSW is a counselor in Morris, IL specializing in counseling and social work. Abigail Schmink, LCSW is affiliated with Duly Health and Care and DUPAGE MEDICAL GROUP LTD.
1401 Lakewood Drive Suite A
Morris, IL 60450
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Depression
Everyone knows what it feels like to get the blues once in a while. But depression is a serious illness that is more severe than a bad day and lasts much longer. Symptoms of depression stop a person from being able to function and enjoy daily activities for weeks or months at a time. It can happen to anyone, and it isn't something that people can control by force of will or "snap out of it."
Some common symptoms of depression include:
We don't yet know what causes depression, but it's thought that it is a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and social influences. Because of this, the most effective treatments for depression combine medication with psychotherapy. Therapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, can be extremely helpful in resolving the negative thoughts and feelings that come with depression. It gives patients new tools that they can use themselves to cope when their depression is making them feel down.
Some of the common medications used to treat depression include antidepressants such as SSRI's (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft) or atypical antidepressants (Cymbalta, Wellbutrin). It's important to remember that these medications have different effects on everybody, and no one medication works right for everyone. Patients may have to try a couple before finding the one that works just right for them. If the first medication they try doesn't work, they should talk to their doctor about trying something else. In extreme cases where medication is not enough, electro-convulsive therapy and hospitalization may be the answer to keeping a severely depressed person safe.
Depression is a difficult illness to deal with, but it is more common than believed and there are many people who can help. With the right treatment, individuals with depression can get back to fully enjoying life again.
Family Issues
The famed writer Leo Tolstoy once wrote, "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Family issues are problems that occur amongst members of an immediate, extended, or adopted family. Many forms of family issues exist and can vary in intensity and in duration. Nearly every family will experience a negative family issue at some point.
Each family member can be affected by an issue in an individual and unique way, typically depending on age, maturity, and involvement. This means that family issues are often inequitable, with one or more family members bearing a disproportionate weight of the problem. A frequent example is parental divorce. While both parents may appreciate the immediate relief, divorce can rapidly threaten a developing child's sense of stability and self-confidence. Similarly, a mother who is subject to domestic abuse may conceal the issue in order to shield her children from her distress. In some cases, family issues are generational; a father may cause residual guilt or disagreements from his childhood to carry forward to his own son. While each family's experience is unique, common family issues can include:
Some family issues are inevitable – such as retirement and minor lifestyle disagreements – while others can be unexpected and dramatic. Unsafe household environments, abuse, and neglect can lead to severe trauma and intervention by social services or law enforcement.
Most common family issues can be addressed through therapy with one or more family members. Family therapy involves sessions led by a licensed mental health therapist. These sessions often include family discussion, resolution strategies, and other activities to promote family harmony. Another form of treatment for family issues is couples counseling, in which a couples counselor can help spouses communicate and employ problem-solving techniques to improve the strength of their relationship. For children, specialized child therapy can help children and adolescents manage and overcome family issues with age-appropriate methods.
Some people find individual therapy or counseling beneficial in resolving family issues, especially for those who are unable to attend family therapy with other family members. Therapists may encourage the creation of family boundaries. At an extreme, therapy may cause an adult to come to the conclusion that communication with a narcissistic parent must stop in order to preserve mental health and wellbeing.
Self-Harm
Self-harm occurs when people hurt their own bodies on purpose. People who self-harm may feel an emotional or psychological release after hurting themselves. This release can become a coping mechanism to deal with negative thoughts and feelings. While not a mental illness in itself, self-harm may be a response to abuse, trauma, or other mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Those who self-harm typically do not have suicidal intent, but are at a greater risk of attempting suicide. They may also conceal their self-harm from others, making their behavior and injuries all the more risky. Self-harm frequently arises in adolescence or adulthood. Some self-harm once, while others may self-harm more frequently and for longer periods of time.
People may self-harm by a variety of means, including cutting themselves with sharp objects, burning themselves with matches, or hitting and bruising themselves. Symptoms and signs of self-harming include:
Therapy can treat patients who self-harm. Therapists ask people to explore current and past experiences and emotions that may contribute to the desire to self-harm. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a specialized form of therapy, can also reduce self-harm by encouraging patients to identify negative patterns of thought and to develop coping strategies that do not involve self-inflicted injury. Those suffering from more severe self-harm may require in-patient hospitalization to recover mentally and physically.
Volume of procedures performed by Abigail Schmink, LCSW for Medicare patients.
The highest averages for the top procedures that Abigail Schmink, LCSW treated as a counselor in Morris, IL were mental health therapy.
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The highest averages of the most common conditions of Medicare patients that Abigail Schmink, LCSW treated were depression, high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes.
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She has a state license in Illinois.
Licensed In: Illinois
Abigail Schmink, LCSW is associated with these hospitals and organizations:
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Ms. Abigail Schmink is a specialist in social work and counseling. Ms. Schmink's areas of expertise include depression, adolescent issues, and adjustment disorders. She is affiliated with Duly Health and Care.
