Goals for the New Year

01.12.2021 by Jill Smith //

Another start to a new year typically means New Year’s resolutions for most of us. Especially after a year like 2020, many of us are looking ahead with hopeful hearts for change and to leave the past year behind. Making resolutions can be a great way to look to the future but formulating a goal without a plan can make it difficult to achieve.

Some estimates show around 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February. With any new goal, it’s typical to see motivation high at the onset of change and then wane. Making a plan to set a goal, how you plan to achieve it, and planning for bumps in the road can help you beat this statistic. Some great ways to start are:

Examine your motivating factors. Why am I doing this? Who is this for?
Set goals using the SMART acronym. Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Relevant or Realistic. Time-Based.
Build support. Make your goals known to your support system and let them know how they can help.
A lapse does not mean a relapse. Acknowledge the lapse and start again.
Address “all or nothing” thinking such as “I ate a piece of cake when I said I wouldn’t, so I might as well have dessert with every meal today”.

Aside from the typical resolutions such as to exercise more, to save money, and quit smoking (which are always great goals) consider resolutions to improve your emotional health. Some ideas that can lead to improved emotional health include:

Improve communication with loved ones by setting aside check in time daily.
Start a new hobby or learn a new skill to improve cognitive skills.
Set a goal to reach out or socialize with others daily or weekly.
Improve sleep hygiene by engaging in relaxation activities before bedtime.

Whatever your goals or resolutions are for 2021, working with a professional such as a health coach or therapist can support you through the process from formulating your goal, processing motivation, providing accountability, and addressing barriers that may arise. Working with a professional might just mean this is the year you beat the 80% statistic and achieve your goals!

See you at our Coaching Session!

Penny Toman

Health Coaching at JSA

01.12.2021 by Jill Smith //

Welcome to Health Coaching at JSA!

A lot of us are looking to 2021 with feelings of hope. 2020 forced many of us to slow down and prioritize. Some of us took up new hobbies and even changed the way we work and interact with others.

At Jill Smith and Associates Counseling, we did some growing, too. We added a new office in downtown Columbia as well as telehealth to meet you safely.

One more change: we now offer Health Coaching. Health Coaching is rooted in evidenced-based interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing to provide support to clients looking to make health and wellness changes.

Even though our physical health (of course) is discussed in typical therapy sessions, Health Coaching is specifically focused on physical health and developing healthy habits. For example, you may decide this is your year to stop smoking, sleep better and lose that weight. Maybe you have a new diabetes diagnosis and are overwhelmed by the lifestyle changes. You might need a professional to help you with your food choices, your glucose and insulin levels, and the grief and anger about the diagnosis, too. Health Coaching it is!!

Health Coaching can support clients who are facing a new diagnosis of a chronic health condition or those who have been living with health challenges looking to improve their health. Coaching is also a great option for clients who are in good overall health but are looking to develop healthy habits.

As health coaching is very different from therapy, we are always happy to offer a brief phone consultation to discuss client goals and needs. We can also work with your physician or referring provider on clearance to participate in a health coaching program and to formulate health and wellness goals such as:

Sleep hygiene
Weight loss
Increasing movement and exercise
Stress management
Chronic health conditions such as diabetes and autoimmune disease
Healthy aging
Family health and wellness

If you are looking towards 2021 as a year of change and growth, we would be honored to partner with you and your health care team to support you as you reach your goals. Give us a call to schedule at 803-814-5559.

Wishing you health and wellness,

Jill Smith

PS look for future blogs posted here by our Certified Health Coach, Penny Toman, LISW-CP

Telehealth for Your Mental Health

03.23.2020 by Jill Smith //

One service that we have always offered at JSA is “telehealth.” Simply put, it’s the phrase we use to describe online therapy. As our country is on the move these days and so connected to our laptops and our phones, telehealth has become a more and more popular option because it’s easy to fit into your day and into your travel schedule.

Telehealth, for us, has been more of a back-up option to in-person therapy. We have used it for couples that live too far away to commute to our office, for clients who have had a broken leg and were unable to drive, and for clients who have moved to the low country or to the upstate but still wanted to continue their therapy with us.

Because of COVID-19 and recommendations from the CDC for helping to slow the spread, most of us are practicing and encouraging “social distancing.” We are actively doing both here at JSA so our team is moving all of our sessions to telehealth. This is temporary and we will resume our normal office family life—of which you are a huge part—as soon as we are given the “all clear” from the CDC.

How does telehealth work?

It’s easy!

You will be given access to a website that lets you into our “portal.” From there, you will click on “appointments” and find a link to click to start your session. You can do this from your laptop or your smartphone… and you can do it anywhere! Ideally, you’ll have a quiet, private place to retreat to for your sessions just like you do when you come to our office in person.

This was an exceptionally tough decision for our team to make—your faces and your voices in our office literally make our day each day. This is a friendly, warm office and we love inviting you in for your appointment. We love welcoming you, opening the door when you forget your code, saying goodbye in unison, sharing a chuckle and a comment with you on the weather or the issue of the day. Not having this in person interaction with each of you is something that we will miss terribly during this time.

However, it was an easy decision to make when we took into account the safety of each of our clients, the safety of our staff, and the safety of the community that we all love so much. We support the CDC, our state government, and our federal government in all ways throughout the duration of COVID-19.

Know this: our important therapy and work together continues. We are not taking a break from our work with you. Therapy continues, as do all of our policies, standards, and goals. We do not take lightly the work of healing, exploring, and growing that happens in this office. You trust us to do our best and to show up ready to work. We trust you to be here with your honest openness.

Onward ever. Backward never.