Katie Seavey Pegoraro supports employees with issues of stress and balance, providing tools and resources to cope when life feels overwhelming. Katie is a contact for those who may be coping with issues of mental health, substance use, or grief and loss. A young professional herself, Katie is a unique support to employees who are navigating the many life transitions that occur in your 20's and 30's.
For the last two months I’ve seen commercial after commercial with smiling faces, catchy tunes, and kids running around houses full of good food, presents, and family. This season, we’re encouraged to remember what “matters”. Here’s something else to remember: the goal of these commercials is for the company to
You’ve probably grown accustomed to seeing men with more facial hair in the month of November. First, there's the No-Shave November movement, when men do not shave their beards to “evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness”. This is an honorable mission however there is another one of a similar nature
"Take care of yourself!" Sound like something you hear often? This instruction may conjure up fixed ideals of what "taking care" means: getting to the gym, making smoothies, meditating, or getting more sleep. But gym memberships aren’t for everyone, not everyone has a blender, and we may not be able
There are many articles and blog posts about the benefits of quiet time and daydreaming. The concept sounds great, but also easier said than done. Creating the time and space for this "day dream" state can be difficult. I get it. I literally have to trap myself on a bus
Dr. Enrique Lopez, Adult Medical Services Director of Holly Hill Behavioral Health Hospital, sat down with Work/Life to discuss mental health crises treatment and support. The first podcast explores what one can expect when seeking treatment at a behavioral health hospital. The second podcast addresses how to provide support to
I recently hosted a Digital Dial-Back Challenge. For two weeks participants chose a form of technology they wanted to assess and potentially reduce their use of. This was not a detox. Instead, by creating a plan including strategies and "alternative actions", participants found increased opportunities to be aware of their
In this post I wanted to bring attention to the book Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents. Of the 2,000+ books that are in our Work/Life Library, this is a book that I refer to most often. I continue to receive
This Mother’s Day I admired two rose bushes as I arrived at my parents' house. There was a yellow bush that we planted the Mother’s Day after my mother’s mom died. And a pink bush that we planted a different year, the Mother’s Day after my father’s mom died. The
In two podcast recordings, therapists Hilary Mandzik and Ruth Amos explain the multiple impacts of perinatal loss and opportunities for support. Hilary Mandzik, PsyD is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in Cary, NC; she also sees clients remotely throughout NC and VA. Dr. Mandzik's specialties include perinatal mental
In a college class on addiction I learned about the “gas/brake” metaphor for how our bodies respond to substances (think stimulant- puts on the gas / depressant – puts on the brake). Our bodies want to maintain homeostasis. If a substance causes one response (gas), then our body will cause
What are emotional affairs and how can a couple move forward after an emotional affair has occurred? Jillian Knight, LMFT, answers these questions in two podcast recordings. Jillian Knight is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Millennial Couples Counseling in Raleigh, NC. Jillian is a PREPARE/ENRICH Assessment
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. For this final blog in the series, we asked our experts… How do you thrive as a single person? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and Relationship Coaching
Every year Lisa and I look forward to our dating clinics where we meet with employees to talk about all things dating and relationships. We offer these as part of our annual February Relationship Series. Although we promote these in February, we can meet with employees anytime to talk about
For our February Relationship Series, Candice Creasman sat down with Work/Life to share her insights into patterns that can occur in dating and relationships. There are three recordings in this post, we invite you to listen to one or all three! Candice Creasman, PhD is a Licensed Professional
You run the same route every day, a flat track. You run the same distance in the same amount of time. You know the route which means you don’t have to pay much attention. One day you arrive to find the shape of the track has changed and the terrain
The Work/Life Book Club is back for another year! We hope you will explore our choices for 2019 and join us for any or all discussions. Book Club discussions will take place from 12:00 - 1:00pm in the designated month and are open to SAS employees and family. Check the
Yesterday I heard someone recount a story of arriving to a show only to realize their tickets were for the next week. As I heard this story, I had flashbacks to Thanksgiving a few years ago, arriving to a vacation rental home on the wrong week. I wrote a post
Not long ago I read this New York Times article on The Power of Positive People. After reading about the unsurprising benefits of having a constant support group, I was inspired to think of how I could create opportunities for people in my social circle to get together and support
This is a two-part podcast recording to address the topics of postpartum depression and anxiety. Thanks to Ruth Echols Amos for sharing this information. Below you will find two podcast recordings: Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety. Ruth Echols Amos, LPC, is a therapist in Cary, NC. Her background is
The Work/Life Center is here to provide support through life transitions. With college semesters in full swing, we're aware that some of you may be facing the transition of "empty nesting". "Empy nesting" occurs after kids leave the home. This transition can occur any time of the year and for
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. This is a suicide prevention training that is taught to individuals, teams, and organizations across the world. This training is applicable for the support of family and friends of all ages. Avoiding the topic of suicide when someone is in crisis can have harmful
In May the Work/Life Team set out with questions for Global Employee Health and Fitness Month. If you answered a question, you got bubbles. Yes, bubbles for adults! They are a great reminder to stop and take a deep breath. Now, I can't inter-office you bubbles if you answer these
The most simple definition of self-compassion is to relate to ourselves as we would a dear friend. Heidi Stern is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator in Cary, NC. She is the owner of Wholeheartedly Daring, PLLC, where she provides Daring Way(TM) groups and workshops that
Most people in the throes of grief long for the day when the pain and confusion will lessen, when grief will 'loosen its grip' so that they can experience happiness again, even when they can’t really believe that day will ever come. But when that day does come — the
There’s a common response I encounter while supporting people dealing with loss of all kinds whether that be death, divorce, illness, etc. After vulnerably revealing a bit of their sadness they quickly jump to, “but I know someone out there has it worse than me”, and this signals the end
When describing the SAS Work/Life Center, I like to say our job is to help you make your life as good as it possibly can be outside of work. So when things aren’t going so great i.e. stress, caregiving, kids won’t sleep, divorce, illness - we appreciate that you think
Most of the time we speak of grief — when we do speak of it, that is! — we refer to the person who died as the 'loved one'. We assume the relationship was one of love, and that the person left behind is saddened by the loss of that
Working in hospice I learned there was nothing I could say to erase a person’s pain, sadness, anger etc. I didn’t have that power and it would be irresponsible to think that I did. However, through education, I found that I could often ease the unnecessary additional suffering caused by misinformation and
Thank you to Katie Pape, LPC for this Friday's guest post for the Work/Life Center 2018 Relationship Series. In a new relationship or a first date scenario, you might think you have to downplay who you are or change your persona to get a needed laugh from your interesting date,
Thanks to Amelia Kelley, PhD for this guest blog post for the Work/Life February Relationship Series. Trying to date and find a meaningful relationship can pose challenges to most any person who has ever tried. But when these challenges are coupled with a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, otherwise known
