Thriving Sparrow Counseling & Wellness, PLLC

Proud to support one of our talented therapists, Keri Daniels-Munger, in her family farm adventure! Nature and connecting with food through farming is a big part of our overall mental health and wellness. Keri understands that first hand and is living it out!!

Munger Manor Farm A small, family owned market garden in central Illinois

Proud to support our Intake Coordinator, Sarah Priess, in her work to help others relax and heal.

Chakra Aligned Hammock Sound Bath | Creation's Wellness Float into a state of tranquility with our Chakra Aligned Hammock Sound Bath, taught by Sarah Preiss, at Creation’s Wellness. Experience the soothing vibrations of crystal singing bowls, gong, chimes, and more while suspended in an aerial hammock. This unique wellness experience is designed to ali...

Tonight is the night! We hope to see you all soon! ❤️

We are 1-year old!!
While our owner has been in the field for 22 years, our group is a baby. Thank you for being a part of our early story!

Thriving Sparrow Counseling Medicaid mental health counseling available throughout the State of Illinois with qualified and experienced therapists. Meridian, Molina, Blue Cross Blue Shield Community, Aetna Better Health.

Amy Grant, the Office Team Lead at our Grayslake location, and I were working yesterday to prepare our new expanded office space for meeting with clients starting November 1st!

Check out our latest website updates!!

Thriving Sparrow Counseling Medicaid mental health counseling available throughout the State of Illinois with qualified and experienced therapists. Meridian, Molina, Blue Cross Blue Shield Community, Aetna Better Health.

Exciting news - we are growing our Grayslake team and expanding the office to serve more clients in Lake County.

We are excited to announce our newest office location in Grayslake, Illinois at 649 Barron Blvd!!
Amy Grant and Jennifer Rochon were melting in today’s heat as they officially took occupancy today. We can’t wait to work with you in this new space!

**Freedom Friday**

We often become isolated from our friends and family while in relationships with Narcissistic Abusers.
It is important to reconnect and repair those relationships as part of your healing journey. It may require softening ourselves to make peace with those broken bonds.

**Freedom Friday**

Experiencing Narcissistic Abuse can make you feel crazy. A Narcissist can be clever and complex in their approach to manipulating you. We hope this graphic helps you see the cycles and behaviors that are a part of this abuse.

Thriving Sparrow is excited to introduce Celeste Faulkner, LPC. She is providing video therapy sessions from her home in Chicago, Illinois. Her expertise is with teens and adults with complex mental health needs and she has extensive experience treating trauma and adverse life experiences.

You can learn more about her on our website: https://www.thriving-sparrow-counseling.com/celeste-faulkner

**Self-Care Sunday**

Be gentle with yourself. Be your own Best Friend.

**Freedom Friday**

Here are some more ways to put the Gray Rock method into practice to bore the Narcissist right out of your life.

**Freedom Friday**

In order to begin recovering from Narcissistic Abuse, a person MUST stop contact with the Narcissist when possible. We call this "going no contact."

In situations where you cannot stop contact (you share children), we recommend using the Gray Rock Method when interacting with the Narcissist.

The goal is to become so uninteresting to the Narcissist that they do not want to interact with you anymore.

**What's Next Wednesday**

The ending of a marriage or serious romantic relationship can sometimes shock us, particularly if we did not initiate it.
An essential part of moving forward in our lives post-break-up is practicing acceptance.

It is natural to have regrets, wish things had turned out differently, and wonder whether you could have done anything to prevent it. You might also feel some confusion, even denial, and find accepting the ending challenging.

But despite these (completely valid) feelings, the fact remains: The relationship has ended. Holding too tightly to the past, or the future you envisioned, can get in the way of your healing and make it difficult to move forward.

So, try to gently redirect your thoughts when you begin to notice them drifting down the path of:
• “If only I had…”
• “But we were so good together.”
• “How could they throw it all away?”

Instead, try reminding yourself:
• “The break-up happened, and there’s no changing that.”
• “Life may not turn out as I planned, but I can still find contentment and peace.”

Acceptance doesn’t happen overnight, so don’t worry if you need time. What matters most is treating yourself kindly as you come to terms with your loss. We are here to walk alongside you should you want to talk with someone about your journey.

It's National Workaholics Day which is why we are up and at 'em so early today with this post!!
In all seriousness, while we celebrate strong work ethics, we care about your mental health and want to make sure you reflect on your work/personal life balance today and consider ways you might improve upon it for better self-care.

Meet our Team Mondays!
Amy Grant, LSW recently left school social work to better focus on meeting the mental health needs of children and teens. Amy is an experienced grown-up who enjoys finding creative ways to teach young people about mental health and coping skills. She will be heading our Grayslake office location and has availability beginning in mid-July. You can learn more about Amy on our website:

About 1 — Thriving Sparrow Counseling Amy Grant, LSW I am a seasoned professional with a background in a variety of caregiving roles including lactation consulting and school social worker.  I am passionate about working with adults and youth through relationship and life transitions.  I am a compassionate and supportive therapist tha...

**Self-Care Sunday**

Let's focus on caring for ourselves and others by asking these questions regularly.

My presentation proposal was accepted and I was selected to be one of the presenters for the National Association of Social Work Annual Conference in November!

My efforts to create that Star Wars themed boundaries and countertransference presentation paid off and I am excited to use more creativity to further develop this!!

Any votes for which character I should dress up like?

**Freedom Friday **

Continuing with Dan Seigel's "name it to tame it" strategy - It is important to recognize how Narcissistic Abuse can impact us so we can better understand the areas in which we need to heal.

Narcissistic abuse can lead to many long-term psychological effects ranging from mild to severe. Some of the possible long-term effects include:
-Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
-anxiety
-depression
-feelings of unworthiness
-low self-esteem
-mood swings
-sensitivity to criticism
-self-destructive behaviors
-racing thoughts
-difficulty sleeping
-tendency to people-please
-trust issues
-disconnection from others

If you believe you were the victim of Narcissistic Abuse and would like someone to walk alongside you during the recovery process, we are here to help.

https://www.thriving-sparrow-counseling.com/

** Freedom Friday **

As we begin our journey to recover and heal from Narcissistic Abuse, it is important to first identify it - "name it to tame it."

Narcissists portray false confidence, and they try to maintain a sense of control over you. They may use different tactics to do so, such as:
-gaslighting
-emotional abuse
-lying
-lacking empathy
-financial abuse
-using superior behavior
-ignoring your boundaries
-using manipulation
-playing the victim

Narcissistic abuse isn’t limited to romantic relationships. It can also happen with:
-parents
-other family members
-friends
-neighbors
-coworkers

It is important to form boundaries with those around you who engage in unhealthy behaviors. We will continue to inform you how. Stay tuned for our next Freedom Friday post at 11am.

No matter what the situation - a struggling marriage, unfulfilling career or parenting struggles - if we don’t focus on making those situations better, they will become dead grass. We can’t avoid caring for our lawns and expect a bright green field.

**What's Next Wednesday**

This series of posts will focus on life after divorce or the ending of a significant relationship. Transitioning from having "your person" to being alone can be difficult and sad. We are here to walk with you through life's challenging times.

We are grateful to begin partnering with rural churches to help increase access to Medicaid mental health services and learning ways to help meet folks’ basic needs so they can thrive.

Healing from trauma is an ongoing process. Sometimes it can feel like healing is taking forever. But there are signs to look out for along your journey that will let you know change is occurring within you.

Today is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day.
We want to recognize that traumatic experiences can impact a person's life experience and relationships.
Let's extend grace to those who have survived adversities and traumatic experiences in all of their forms. And, most importantly, let's extend grace to ourselves as we evolve beyond our traumas.