Blog Articles

Craving Nonfood Substances? It May Be Pica

You chew on your hair. Your fingernails. You sneak a piece of plaster. Or swallow some paper. If you or your child craves and eats nonfood items, a rare eating disorder called pica may be at the root of the behavior.

Nov 2nd, 2024

Supporting a Loved One Who's Been Through Sexual Abuse

Someone you love was sexually abused. Either they told you directly, or you’ve inferred the abuse from comments they’ve made or a situation you’ve witnessed. What do you say? Should you say anything? Should you report the abuse? How can you help?

Oct 9th, 2024

Who Can Benefit from Family Therapy?

Whether your family is in crisis or faces unwanted change, you could benefit from family therapy. This short-term intervention helps you communicate more clearly to resolve conflicts and support one another. Is family therapy right for your family?

Sep 17th, 2024

7 Signs of a Mental Health Issue In Your Teen

Teens are surly, rebellious, and difficult — right? But if your child’s mood or habits have changed dramatically, it could be a sign that they’re struggling with a mental health issue. Following are six signs that they could use some help. Everyone know

Aug 6th, 2024

Our Expert's Insight on Handling Grief and Loss

When you lose a loved one, your health, or a job, you may feel as if you’ll never recover. Any significant loss can trigger grief and make you question your future and your purpose. Grief is overwhelming, but normal. We can help you handle it.

Jul 1st, 2024

Could You Be Depressed and Not Realize It?

Depression is often equated with feeling blue or sad, but depression symptoms vary among individuals. When you’re depressed, you think that your situation is hopeless. Therapy helps you reframe your thoughts so that you can feel better, faster.

Jun 4th, 2024

Why Am I So Angry All the Time?

Even before the pandemic, rates of anger were on the rise around the world. If you're in a near-constant state of irritation and anger, the stress affects your relationships, your work, and your health. Anger management puts you back in control.

May 14th, 2024

Help! I Think My Teen Has an Eating Disorder

At first, your teen seems interested in staying healthy by making good nutritional choices. But you notice troubling signs and symptoms. They restrict the foods they eat. They’ve lost or gained weight. Do they have an eating disorder?

Apr 1st, 2024

Tips for Getting Your Partner on Board With Couples Counseling

You’re ready for couples counseling. Your partner isn’t. You certainly can’t do it alone. How can you help your partner understand the benefit of working together to increase communication and harmony? Here are some tips.

Mar 1st, 2024

5 Common Depression Myths Debunked

Considering how common it is, depression is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions. Depression can influence every aspect of how you feel and function. Following are five myths about depression that need to be debunked — for good.

Feb 1st, 2024

Reducing Binge Eating: How Expert Counseling Helps

If you binge eat, making a New Year’s Resolution to eat less will probably only lead to overeating and feeling bad about it. Instead, resolve to find out why you binge eat, and get the expert counseling you need to change.

Jan 16th, 2024

How Effective Is Anger Managment Therapy?

When somebody suggests you might benefit from anger management therapy, you probably feel skeptical and … angry. Isn’t anger management just a waste of time? Anger management can’t really fix your problems or make you feel better, can it? It can.

Dec 15th, 2023

Generalized Anxiety vs. Social Anxiety: Understanding the Differences

It’s normal, and even beneficial, to feel anxious when confronted with an unfamiliar or challenging situation, but if you feel anxious all the time, you may have an anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety and social anxiety are two common ones.

Nov 17th, 2023

How to Manage Intense Sadness After a Pet Loss

When you lose the unconditional love of your beloved pet, you feel bereft and heartbroken. Sometimes the sadness is so intense that it interferes with your life, your other relationships, and even your vision of the future. Here's how to cope.

Oct 2nd, 2023

5 Signs of Depression That Show Up in the Workplace

Depression is the most common mental illness in the United States, so it only stands to reason that it shows up in the workplace as well as in the home. How do you know if you or your coworkers are depressed at work? Here are the signs.

Sep 1st, 2023

4 Underlying Causes of Frequent Angry Outbursts

When your anger spirals out of control, you and those around you may be left wondering why. Anger is a normal emotion, but anger that’s out of proportion or frequent isn’t. Are you chronically angry or prone to rage? Here’s why that might be.

Aug 1st, 2023

How to Pave the Way to Post-Traumatic Growth

After you’ve suffered major trauma, you may feel like you’re trapped in the nightmare of reliving it again and again. But, with help, you can pave a new road for yourself that leaves the trauma, fear, and grief in the past.

Jul 10th, 2023

You Can Stop Being So Indecisive With These Self-Esteem Treatments

When you take longer than anyone else to choose an item from a menu, or if you go back-and-forth on even small decisions, you may be grappling with low self-esteem. Self-esteem affects every aspect of your life, including how quickly you choose.

Jun 1st, 2023

6 Telltale Signs You Have Anxiety

Having an anxiety disorder is different from feeling anxious or nervous once in a while. An anxiety disorder can affect everything from how you sleep to how well you digest your food. Do you have anxiety? Here’s how to tell.

May 1st, 2023

You Don't Have to Suffer with Pica. We Can Help!

The plaster in your walls is suddenly appetizing. Or you find yourself chewing paper. Or you have an uncontrollable urge to eat ice. Pica is uncommon in adults, but may be under-diagnosed. If you compulsively crave non-food items, you can get help.

Apr 1st, 2023

Telehealth Is a Great Way to Get the Help You Need from the Comfort of Your Home

If you struggle with mental health issues, you no longer have to leave the comfort and safety of your own home to get the care you need to feel better. HIPAA-compliant telehealth counseling appointments offer support, safety, and convenience.

Mar 1st, 2023

Can Divorce Mediation Help Us Keep Our Relationship Civil?

Few people enter a marriage hoping to divorce one day, and absolutely nobody longs for a traumatic divorce that keeps you in turmoil and conflict. How do you stay civil while hashing out the details of a fair settlement? Divorce mediation helps.

Feb 7th, 2023

What I See in the Mirror Is Not What Others See: What's Happening?

You’re disturbed by what you see in the mirror. Whether it’s a flaw in your face or your body, you feel like hiding away so that nobody can judge you. But when you listen to others, they see something totally different than you do. Why?

Jan 5th, 2023

There's Alcoholism in My Family History: Am I Destined for Addiction, Too?

When you grow up in a household with one or more members who are alcoholic, you may worry that you’re doomed for alcoholism, too. Although genes are involved in alcoholism, your genes aren’t your destiny. Here’s why.

Dec 1st, 2022

It's Time to Get Help for My PTSD: Where Do I Start?

If you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you’re caught in the nightmare of your past. Anything from a loud noise to a familiar face triggers an episode in which you relive your trauma. With help, you can leave the past behind you.

Nov 4th, 2022

I've Suffered Sexual Abuse: Can You Help?

When you suffer sexual abuse, one of the consequences may be an unwillingness to trust others. In almost all cases, women, men, and children are abused by somebody they know and, until the moment of attack, trusted. You can learn to feel safe again.

Oct 6th, 2022

How to Treat Pica Eating Disorder

Pica is a rare eating disorder in which you crave and consume non-food items, such as paper, hair, dirt, and plaster. Pregnant women sometimes experience pica, but it’s most common among children. If your child has pica, what can you do?

Sep 1st, 2022

Understanding the Different Types of Anxiety

Anxiety is a common mental health issue that comes in many forms and affects all ages, genders, and races. Just because anxiety’s common, it doesn’t mean you must tolerate it. You can learn to feel more comfortable, confident, and anxiety-free.

Aug 1st, 2022

How Family Therapy Can Help with Caring for Elderly Members

Most people would prefer to age in place, surrounded by loving family members. But longer lives come at a cost to those family members, especially when the older loved one has a debilitating physical or mental illness. Family therapy helps you cope.

Jul 1st, 2022

Understanding the Difference Between Grief and Depression

You lost someone or something you loved, either through death, break-up, or life change. You’re devastated. You can barely function. You cry all the time. Grief is a normal stage of dealing with loss, but if it persists, you may be depressed.

Jun 1st, 2022

Treating Your Alcoholism with Group Therapy

If you struggle with alcoholism, you may also struggle to maintain positive relationships, leaving you feeling abandoned and hopeless. Group therapy helps break your addiction while it provides a supportive community for healing.

May 1st, 2022

How Couples Counseling Can Play a Role in Helping with Anger Management

If you have trouble managing your anger, it affects everyone in your life, including your partner. Couples counseling helps both of you deal with your anger more effectively by teaching you new communication skills. Here’s how.

Apr 1st, 2022

Understanding the Most Common Eating Disorders

About one in 10 people throughout the world have some type of eating disorder. Eating disorders are on the rise, especially among young people whose lives were disrupted by the pandemic. Do you or someone you know have an eating disorder?

Mar 1st, 2022

What Problems Are Good to Talk About in Couples Counseling?

If you’re having trouble communicating with your partner, or getting your needs met, you may benefit from couples counseling. With the help of an expert counselor, you and your partner can talk about anything and everything that’s on your mind.

Feb 1st, 2022

The 8 Phases of EMDR

If you’re plagued by anxiety or PTSD, you might benefit from a novel, drug-free therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Through eight phases, you learn to process traumatic memories and move into your future with ease.

Jan 1st, 2022

How Anxiety Affects You Physically

Anxiety is a “mental health” disorder, but you can’t separate mental health from physical health. You’re a single being composed of multiple, interconnected systems that influence one another. Here’s how “mental” anxiety affects you, physically.

Dec 5th, 2021

Do You Crave Dirt or Other Non-food Items?

If you crave or eat non-food items such as dirt, clay, paint chips, or paper, you may have an eating disorder called pica. Sometimes pica is temporary and caused by nutritional deficiencies. But if it persists, pica can be life-threatening.

Nov 3rd, 2021

The Many Benefits of Couples Counseling

The last thing you want is a failed relationship. Whether you’re still in the blush of new love or you’re encountering your first — or hundredth — bump in the road, couples counseling helps your relationship grow and deepen.

Oct 7th, 2021

A Closer Look at Recovery from Substance Abuse

You know you need to get your substance use under control. But you aren’t sure you can do it. What will life look like and feel like when you stop self-medicating with recreational drugs, alcohol, food, or other substances? Here’s a glimpse.

Sep 12th, 2021

The Lesser-Known Symptoms of Depression

You aren’t depressed, you insist. You’re just ticked off. Or you can’t focus. Or you’re sleepy all the time. Those traits, and others, are some of the lesser known symptoms of depression. Depression can be treated. Treatment makes you feel better.

Aug 3rd, 2021

Are You at Risk for Alcoholism?

A couple of drinks take the edge off your day. And maybe a couple more help keep your spirits high and the conversation flowing when you’re out with friends. You think you’re in control of your drinking. But are you?

Jul 7th, 2021

Eating Disorders in Men: Why Early Treatment Matters

The stereotypical view of eating disorders is that they affect teen girls, who have anorexia or bulimia. But eating disorders strike all ages and all genders. If you’re a man with an eating disorder, early treatment is essential. Here’s why.

Jun 9th, 2021

Signs Your Anger Is Out-of-Control

Anger is a normal human emotion that you may experience when a situation spirals out of your control. However, you feel angry most of the time. Or your anger is explosive. Is your anger normal? Or is it hurting you and others? Here’s how to tell.

May 3rd, 2021

Intergenerational Trauma: How Therapy Can Help

Traumatic incidents can affect your wellbeing, even if they didn’t take place in your own lifetime. If your parents or other progenitors were victims of rape, genocide, oppression, or abuse, you may suffer the aftereffects. You can get help.

Apr 1st, 2021

5 Reasons to Seek Couples Counseling

You’re madly in love. Or you’re not. In either case, you wonder if you and your partner could benefit from couples counseling. When is it time to seek outside help? Do you have to be in crisis?

Mar 1st, 2021

Getting Help for Your Anger

Your anger may feel like a normal extension of your personality. But if your anger disrupts your relationships and puts you at risk of committing violent acts, it’s working against you, not for you. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Feb 2nd, 2021

Understanding the Different Types of Depression

Depression is a serious mental illness that affects other aspects of your health, too. If you have any type of depression, you’re more at risk for dementia, heart disease, other life-threatening conditions, and suicide. All depression is treatable.

Jan 5th, 2021

How to Know if You Have an Eating Disorder

Just about everyone you know has some sort of diet or eating plan that others find “peculiar”: Paleo, vegan, keto, fasting. So, the fact that you’re super conscious about what — and when — you eat is absolutely normal, isn’t it? That depends.

Dec 6th, 2020

Why Couples Counseling Might Be Your Answer

You love your partner, but you’re wondering if you’re going to make it in the long haul. The more time you spend together, the more you seem to clash. Once upon a time, you were on the same page. What happened? How do you get back there?

Nov 5th, 2020

Do You Need Family Therapy?

Dealing with family — during any time or circumstance — can be a challenge. Individual needs sometimes conflict with one another. Communication styles differ. How do you preserve the peace and help your family thrive? Family therapy paves the way.

Oct 8th, 2020

How Genetics Contribute to Substance Abuse

Your parents, aunts, or uncles drank or did drugs. Now you abuse drugs and alcohol, too. Is substance abuse a learned behavior? Or a condition you inherit? It’s actually a little of both.

Sep 10th, 2020

Combat Negative Thinking with Cognitive Therapy

The world is messed up. You’re a failure. Everyone’s out for themselves. If you’re caught in a trap of negative thinking like that, you have false beliefs that reduce your enjoyment of life. Cognitive therapy helps switch that around.

Aug 13th, 2020

How We Can Help You Manage and Treat Your Anxiety

Feeling anxious is a normal response to troubling or uncertain times. If your anxiety persists, however, it becomes a trouble, too. Despite what’s happening in the world or in your life, you don't have to feel overwhelmed by fear. You can get help.

Jul 14th, 2020

Dealing with Trauma Caused by Sexual Abuse

Whether you were a child when it happened or whether it happened this morning, sexual abuse is a traumatic event that can affect every aspect of your life for years or decades. How do you cope with the aftermath of an act you never wanted?

Jun 22nd, 2020

Understanding EMDR Therapy for Trauma

You’ve heard that a new therapy called “eye movement desensitization and reprocessing” (EMDR) helps you process trauma without spending years in an analyst’s chair. What is EMDR? How does it work? And is it really as fast as everyone claims?

May 12th, 2020

Unfaithful Spouse? Couples Counseling Can Help

You always swore that if you got cheated on, you’d leave. Immediately. But now the worst has happened, and you wonder whether it’s better to leave or stay and repair the relationship? Couples’ counseling helps you answer those questions and more.

Apr 21st, 2020

This could be very, very scary to some of us.

Do You Need Professional Help for an Eating Disorder?

You like to stay slim and trim. However, if you’re eating in secret or vomiting to undo a binge, you have an eating disorder. Is willpower enough to develop a healthy relationship with food, or do you need a helping hand?

Mar 2nd, 2020

Want to Be Happier? Learn to Let Go!

Anthony Freire, Clinical Director of the Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling in New York City, speaks to the Huffington Post about how to be Happier by letting some things go.

Feb 25th, 2020

Signs You May Have OCD

“I’m so OCD!” folks exclaim when they obsess over details, make extensive plans, or go overboard with keeping their spaces clean and tidy. But OCD isn’t obsessing about cleanliness or organization. It’s a serious, disruptive thought disorder.

Jan 31st, 2020

The Benefits of Couples Counseling

Good communication is the hallmark of a successful relationship. But, these days, you and your significant other aren’t communicating well at all. Whether you’re fighting, or feeling distant or neglected, you could benefit from couples counseling.

Jan 1st, 2020

Myths and Facts About PTSD

You’ve heard about PTSD for years, but that’s a condition that only applies to veterans, right? And if you don’t have flashbacks, then you don’t have PTSD … or so you’ve heard. Both of those statements are myths. Get the facts about PTSD right here.

Dec 1st, 2019

6 Things You Can Do to Help Someone Who is Grieving At the Holidays

Anthony Freire, Clinical Director at The Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling in New York City, is quoted on MSN.COM about how to help someone deal with grief during the holidays.

Nov 23rd, 2019

The Soho Center helps Huffington Post readers Deal with Grief During the Holidays!

Grief is hard enough. The holidays can make it feel worse. Anthony Freire, Clinical Director of The Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling, speaks to the Huffington Post about ways in which we can deal with grief during the holidays.

Nov 22nd, 2019

Living With Bipolar Disorder

When you receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, you finally understand why you’ve experienced so many highs and lows. Although you may be distressed to realize you have a disease, you can learn to manage your symptoms and live a rich, full life.

Nov 1st, 2019

5 Grief Coping Tips in the Wake Of Unexpected Loss

The unexpected death of someone who’s important to you, or losing something you valued triggers an intense emotion called grief. Grief is a normal response to loss, but sometimes grief’s intensity threatens your wellbeing. Here’s how to cope.

Oct 1st, 2019

Here's How Stress Affects Your Mental Health

New York City is one of the most exciting places on earth. But excitement, like other aspects of modern life, can be stressful. Here’s how to tell if stress is affecting your mental health.

Sep 1st, 2019

Unethical to not work with a person affiliated with a group whose values differs from your own?

Anthony Freire, Clinical Director of The Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling, writes op ed piece for New York Post about ThriveNYC's recent pull-out from a scheduled psycho-education training with NYC police because of #BlueLiveMatters sponsorship.

Aug 17th, 2019