Joy Gergis : AuthorI offer a supportive environment where you can make sense of your story, gain deeper self-understanding, and learn practical ways to move forward. Suffering can carry meaning, and therapy can be a place where you explore your identity, purpose, relationships, and faith in a way that leads to greater clarity and freedom. In my practice, I integrate clinical insight, a Christian worldview, and a culturally-informed perspective. I have experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds across a wide range of issues, including adjustment stress, trauma, identity development, and more. My goal is for you to feel grounded, emotionally equipped, and connected to yourself and the Lord.
Have you ever found yourself jumping to the worst-case scenario before you have all the facts? Your phone rings unexpectedly late at night. Your supervisor asks if you have “a few minutes to talk.” Your child doesn’t reply to your text as quickly as usual. Your spouse answers your question briefly before walking away. Before you’ve had a chance to gather the facts, your mind has already written the story's ending. Something is wrong. I’m in trouble. They’re upset with [...]
It is in our nature to want to gravitate to the things that we enjoy, and to steer clear of those that we do not. We typically do not go out of our way to put ourselves in situations where we feel embarrassed, out of place, and not having a good time. The question is, when we experience these adverse situations, what do we do about them? Sometimes, rather than face situations head-on or enter difficult situations more than once, we retreat from them and begin to avoid them. When a situation induces [...]
Overeating is a common occurrence for many people around the holidays. We gather at our family’s home and enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter dinners a little too much, eating way beyond full and leaving uncomfortably full or falling asleep in front of the television. But some people struggle with overeating regularly. They eat until they are in pain and may not know how much they have consumed. They consistently serve themselves too much, eat too fast, or graze throughout [...]
Binge-eating disorder is a serious mental health condition that typically requires professional counseling to work through, but it is possible to overcome the eating disorder. However, people often miss the signs or wait too long to seek binge-eating treatment. Know the signs of binge-eating disorder, take your treatment seriously, and lean on your faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and you will take your life back. What are the signs of binge-eating disorder? Sometimes the line between [...]
If you have ever lost your temper to the point of getting physical, raising your voice, or saying things that you later regret, you are in the majority. Everyone gets angry on occasion, and often an angry response is warranted, logical, or at least understandable. However, if your default response is anger, there might be something else going on. If it doesn’t take much for you to fly off the handle and say or do things you regret, anger [...]
Sleep, blessed sleep. There’s a verse in Scripture that says the Lord gives His beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2), and that would suggest that sleep is a good thing and it is a gift. However, sleep anxiety is a reality for some who wrestle with it daily. Sleep and nighttime can be a significant source of anxiety that undermines one’s well-being. Sleep Anxiety: What is it? Many different things make people anxious. Among some of the more common are coming [...]
Our emotions are an important part of being human, so acknowledging them and learning to express them in healthy ways promotes our well-being and flourishing. We are told in the Bible that human beings are made in God’s image, that we reflect who God is (Genesis 1:27). God rejoices over people turning from the things that destroy their lives, and He gets angry over what diminishes His creation. So, it is no surprise that we, too, have things we [...]
Codependency in friendships can be a slippery slope when it comes to teens and young adults. Especially when examining relationships your teens have that are new to you, it’s important to understand what codependency in friendships looks like and how you can recognize its roots in either your child or someone else. Teens and Young Adults Are Particularly Susceptible to Codependency in Friendships While anyone can be in a codependent relationship, teens and young adults are especially susceptible. This [...]
When you read about advice for new moms on motherhood websites, you may encounter a ton of baby counsel: how to swaddle or use the Shhh method to help your infant sleep, whether or not to integrate formula into your breastfeeding routine, or where to find the safest baby products. However, what’s a new mom to do after those first three to nine months? What if you suddenly hit the 14-month-old stage and you don’t know what to do? [...]
For those who deal with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, romantic relationships and meaningful friendships can be difficult to navigate without obsessions and compulsive behavior getting in the way. Among all the different types of OCD-related compulsive behavior, there are two that most frequently complicate relationships and keep people stuck. The compulsive behavior of confessing can create difficult relationship dynamics. Confessing is a compulsive behavior that comes up in many different OCD subtypes, but it is in the context of [...]
Have you ever found yourself thinking about what could go wrong or what is going wrong right now? Maybe you are thinking about it repeatedly. You may find yourself feeling uneasy or being overly concerned about a situation or problem you are facing, but you find that all that thinking does not help you find peace or resolution. Instead, you end up feeling anxious and apprehensive, with the problem looming larger in your mind. That is what worry does to us. Our lives are full of [...]
You’ve probably seen them on TV. Those couples who fight all the time, complain about each other in their social circles, or who seem to have this weird co-dependency where they aren’t happy when they’re together, but they also can’t stay away from each other. Maybe the toxic couple that came to mind when you read the title of this article is you and your partner. Toxic couples display a recurring pattern of emotionally damaging behaviors. They disrespect each [...]
