Sidebar Counseling’s Blog
Starting Therapy for the First Time: What to Expect When You've Never Done This Before
You've never been in therapy before, and the idea of doing it yourself feels strangely intimidating. There are things you're not comfortable talking about – things you've never discussed with another person or even said out loud. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Learn what to expect in your first therapy session and why it's often easier than you think.
When Perfectionism Becomes a Problem: Understanding Workplace Perfectionism and Mental Health
Perfectionism can drive excellence, but it can also exact a serious toll on mental and physical health. Research shows that while self-oriented perfectionism may boost performance, socially prescribed perfectionism—believing others expect perfection from you—leads to significant workplace stress and burnout. Learn to distinguish between productive standards and problematic perfectionist patterns.
From Overwhelmed to Optimized: Evidence-Based CBT Techniques for Busy Professionals Managing Anxiety
Workplace anxiety affects nearly 29% of professionals, but it doesn't have to derail your career. Discover the evidence-based "Think-Act-Be" CBT framework that's helping Wisconsin professionals move from overwhelmed to optimized—with practical techniques you can implement immediately, even in high-pressure work environments.
Running Hot Without Burning Out: A Lawyer's Guide to Sustainable Performance
Lawyers report experiencing burnout 52% of the time, with 40% considering leaving the profession entirely. The legal profession's culture of overcommitment creates unsustainable work patterns, but there's a path forward. Learn three evidence-based strategies for sustainable legal practice: doing less to preserve mental resources, optimizing workflow to maximize effectiveness, and managing anxiety constructively. Discover how Wisconsin lawyers and legal professionals can maintain high performance without sacrificing well-being.
Spinning Wheels and Winding Up: The Amplifying Nature of Anticipatory Stress
Anticipatory stress amplifies anxiety by making us mentally experience threats before they happen. When we worry about future events, we pay the psychological and physical price each time that worry surfaces—often making the actual event far worse than it needs to be. Learn two evidence-based strategies to break the cycle of future-focused worry and manage anticipatory anxiety effectively.
The Lawyer's Burden: How Goal Obsession and Hindsight Bias Lead to Burnout
Goal-chasing and hindsight anxiety shape the lawyer's mindset—understanding these patterns is the first step toward sustainable practice
Anxiety: Managing fear when it comes time to perform
Anxiety is a strange thing and people tend to have a complicated relationship with it.
But it can give you everything you need to get up there, focus, and perform.
Beyond Band-Aids: Creating Effective Wellbeing Initiatives for Legal Professionals
Interpersonal connections are crucial protective factors.
Supportive relationships between peers and managers are "the biggest single thing that influences my feeling of well-being at work."
5 Practical Strategies for Managing Anxiety
When we start to feel anxious, our bodies immediately enter into "fight-or-flight" mode. If you are struggling to get your anxious thoughts under control, here are some strategies to help manage them more effectively.
Mental Health in the Workplace: Addressing the Stigma Amongst Doctors, Lawyers, and Other Professionals
Mental health in the workplace has long been a topic of concern, but the conversation is especially critical when it comes to high-stress professions such as medicine, law, and finance. Professionals in these fields often struggle in silence, fearing judgment, career setbacks, or even a loss of their professional license.
Workplace Anxiety: How to Stay Calm and Focused
Excessive workplace anxiety can hinder productivity and impact mental well-being, which may take all the focus out of actually completing the work. The good news is that there are effective strategies to manage workplace anxiety and to learn to keep calm and focused mindset.
What to Know About High-Functioning Depression
"High-functioning depression" is a term used to describe individuals who appear to manage daily life successfully, but are silently battling persistent feelings of sadness, exhaustion, or emptiness. This innternal struggle can go unnoticed, making it challenging for both the person and those around them to recognize the signs.