FLORIDA PSYCHOLOGIST DISCUSSES TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN WEIGHT LOSS

Being successful in maintenance of weight loss after surgery requires a drastic change in lifestyle. The majority of my patients exploring the idea of bariatric surgery understand only that they will have to make changes to their eating habits and to start exercising. It is important to realize, however, that long term success requires a change to all aspects of our lives. The way we treat ourselves will reflect greatly on our success down the road.

Integrity is the main ingredient to success. Being honest with yourself will help you in learning about yourself and personal growth. If you sneak food behind your spouses back, it does not so much matter that you are lying to your spouse but rather than you are lying to yourself.  If you come in for a follow up visit and fail to share your struggles, you are only cheating yourself the opportunity for guidance and additional support.

Establishing a supportive network is another key ingredient to success and to your happiness. Surround yourself with healthy and successful people and those people who you admire and respect. You may be surprised at how their positive energy rubs off on you.

Many of us are scared to go to a doctor when something does not feel right because we are afraid of what we may find out.  Similarly, we put off going to the dentist or for annual checkups that are a necessary part of preventative health. Being proactive in our healthcare is important and necessary to our general wellbeing.

It is also important to ask questions and to understand fully what instructions or information we are given by doctors before we leave their office.

Become aware and tune into your body.  Sore feet at the end of the day may mean that you have worked too hard and that your legs and feet need to rest. Soaking your feet in warm water, elevating them or staying off your feet can help to replenish them and help them to heal. The alternative option is to continue to push your feet until you wear them down, resulting in a larger problem. The same goes for the rest of your body. If you are sick, take a sick day. The world will go on without you being there.

Slow down and make sure you have time for fun. Balance in life is important. Setting priorities and goals are essential in success. If you are engaging in any behavior to extreme, even exercise, you are neglecting other important parts of your life. Many of my patients who are successful and maintain a healthy weight long term have even changed their careers because they know that their career for example, in the food industry, was not conducive to healthy decision making.

However far out of surgery you are, you must realize that you do have to sacrifice and make changes if you want to be successful for life.  It is a process and may require support or guidance of a friend, supportive family member or professional.

The end results will be worth it!

By Heidi R. Cherwony, Psy.D.

FLORIDA PSYCHOLOGIST ANNOUNCES WEIGHT LOSS CONSULTING

Press Release URL:

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Press Release Headline

Florida Psychologist Announces Weight Loss Consulting

Press Release Company:

Florida Psychologist or Florida Weight Loss

Press Release Full Text:

Dr. Heidi Rimer Cherwony, Florida board certified psychologist, offers professional, weight loss consultation for individuals dealing with the personal challenge of increased body weight. Dr. Cherwony’s website www.MindAndBodyDoctor.com informs clients about the importance of a total balanced plan for permanent weight loss and long term weight management.

Individuals may arrange consultation with Dr. Cherwony via telephone (561-699-4639) or by selecting one of the convenient and secure online internet options, live chat or email. For Boca Raton residents,

the Mind And Body Doctor office is centrally located near Glades and I-95 at:

2200 NW Corporate Blvd, Suite 311

Boca Raton, Florida, 3343

In today’s fast paced world, long-term and weight loss rarely go hand in hand. The diet industry is booming, yet weight issues and obesity rates are higher than ever. Related conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are also skyrocketing at alarming rates. Although most of us understand the concept of eating healthy foods and the need to exercise, people often turn to radical changes in short term diet. This leads to immediate weight loss only to be shortly followed by the inevitable weight gain,

leaving you even more frustrated and less motivated than when you started.

Achieving long term weight loss is a major focus of the doctor’s

goals with her clients. Dr. Cherwony states,

“Remember, weight loss and maintenance is a journey, a lifestyle.

Success is not about achieving an arbitrary number on a scale.”

Rather, we will go on a journey together to achieve your long term health, happiness, calm, balance and high self-esteem that

will allow you to live a fuller & much improved life.”

TESTING

Knowledge is the key to unlocking potential and opening doors to success. To get started down the road to a more rewarding life, you need to be able to identify strengths as well as any specific challenges that may stand in your way. Psychological Evaluations give you answers to these questions and serves as your map to be your best.

Bariatric Evaluations

Gifted Testing

Psychoeducational Testing

Developmental Evaluations

BARIATRIC EVALUATIONS:

Many insurance companies and bariatric surgeons now require all patients to undergo a bariatric evaluation prior to going through weight loss surgery. The patient must receive psychological clearance that states that he or she is prepared for surgery and will be able to follow through with the aftercare protocol once the surgery is over. There is so much valuable information that we gain from these evaluations. Dr. Cherwony has specialized in bariatric evaluations and counseling with bariatric patients for over 12 years. Her evaluations consist of a clinical interview and the use of psychological assessment. The evaluation takes approximately 1.5 hours. Once the data is compiled, Dr. Cherwony will meet with you and discuss the results. She will provide you with feedback on how you can be successful for long term weight loss following the surgery. She will provide you with a treatment plan with recommendations so that you can begin your healthy journey for the last time. Dr. Cherwony is then available to you for support of the lifestyle changes once your surgery is over.

GIFTED EVALUATIONS:

Gifted testing is used to evaluate whether a child is intellectually gifted and would benefit from receiving a more rigorous academic program at school. The gifted test measures overall cognitive abilities, that have been found to be related to school performance.

In order to qualify for entrance into a gifted program, the child must meet three criteria:

1. A Full Scale IQ Score of 130 or more on an individually administered test of intellectual functioning, such as Wechsler Intelligence Test for

  • Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V)
  • Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV)
  • Stanford Binet Intelligence Test (SB 5)

2. A score of 90 percentile or higher on either the reading or math portion of an individually administered achievement test (which measures

    what has been learned), such as

  • Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III)
  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT-III)

3. Exhibit the majority of characteristics of gifted students on a district checklist. The child’s most recent teacher must complete a checklist of

    gifted characteristics demonstrating that child shows a need for a challenging curriculum.

Although parents come in for the gifted evaluation to find out whether or not their child meets criteria for a gifted program, Dr. Cherwony believes that it is important to use the evaluation to gain further insight into the strengths and weaknesses of a child. She will be able to tell parents a child’s particular learning style as well as areas that may be of concern and require early intervention. Dr. Cherwony includes a feedback session with parents to go over results and to help parents decide the most appropriate school placement for a child. Parents are typically overwhelmed with decisions about their child beginning the school years. Dr. Cherwony helps provide you with a profile of your child’s intellectual and academic status and find what is right for your child.

PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL TESTING

Psychoeducational testing is often referred to as psychological assessment or psychological testing. The purpose of this evaluation is to gain a comprehensive understanding about the way a person learns and to determine an individual’s current level of academic and emotional functioning. These tests are most typically conducted when an individual is struggling in school or is having difficulty with test taking. A Psychoeducational Evaluation is often conducted in order to determine whether a specific learning or other disability (e.g., ADHD, Dyslexia or Nonverbal Learning Disability) may be impacting significantly on a student’s academic performance.

For instance, the presence of a learning disability, attention deficit disorder, or emotional disorder can result in a great deal of academic frustration and inability for a student to perform at his/her level of innate potential. For example, it has been estimated that 15 to 20% of students are learning disabled. A learning disability is diagnosed when assessment results reveal a significant discrepancy (difference) between a student’s scores on achievement tests (in reading, mathematics, and/or written language) and his/her educational expectancy range (based upon age, educational background, and intelligence.)

In addition to determining whether a student has a specific disability that impacts upon learning, plainly stated a Psychoeducational evaluation provides a good indication of how a student learns best (i.e., his/her learning style) as well as individual strengths and weaknesses. This information is then used as a guide for making recommendations about which teaching, remediation, and compensatory strategies will be most effective for a student to succeed. Once the teacher, parent, and student are empowered with this knowledge, they can make adjustments in order to maximize the student’s learning potential.

Learn More About

ADHD/ADD

Dyslexia

Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD)

RELATIONSHIP ISSUES

Life isn’t perfect, but it’s wonderful!

Relationships are essential to happiness and emotional health. They can affect our physical health and overall well being. Research has consistently shown that loneliness increases the likelihood of disease, and that relationships have a positive effect on physical, emotional and spiritual well being.

Often couples come in for couple’s therapy, when in fact each needs to work on themselves. What many people fail to realize is that the most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. The relationship you have with yourself determines your self-esteem, your passions, your ability to go after what you want and your ability to connect with other people.

The better we treat ourselves, the healthier our relationships will be. It is important to learn healthy coping skills to manage stress and emotions in a more productive way. Assertiveness skills will allow you to remain true to yourself in a relationship rather than losing yourself.

One’s self-love and acceptance will ultimately teach others how treat you. As you become more accepting of yourself, you will also be more tolerant of other’s imperfections. The more self-confidence you have, the more likely you are to just be yourself in a relationship. Rather than being caught up with trying to fit an image you think your partner wants, you can act and speak up in a manner that is natural and comfortable for you.

The way you view and treat yourself, your gratitude, how you spend your time, who you spend it with, and how well you look after yourself, all have a direct bearing on your health and happiness.

Dr. Cherwony works from a model of empowerment. She will help you to look within yourself to make small changes that will in turn help you to create a better life from the inside out. She will help you to gain a deeper self-acceptance of yourself thereby understanding yourself better physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Once you are comfortable with yourself the task of exploring your beliefs, habits and attitudes is not as threatening as it would first seem. Instead it becomes a journey into knowing yourself better and making positive change in your desired areas.

PREGNANCY AND NEW PARENT SUPPORT

The journey of parenthood, from efforts to conceive, delivery and caring for a newborn does not often go the way we dreamed it would be.

Becoming pregnant, giving birth and becoming a mother for the first time, has enormous impacts on women of all ages. Regardless of socioeconomic status or culture, women experience a variety of psychological stresses and changes. In spite of a mother-to-be’s longing for a child, she may find herself feeling fearful and sad during her pregnancy or after delivery.

Pregnancy is a time when a positive connection between mind and body can make a world of difference. Your outlook can influence your overall experience of pregnancy. Dr. Cherwony helps new mothers reduce their fear during and/or after pregnancy and helps to strengthen the bonds between newborn and mother.

Pregnancy is a drastic life change, full of growth, enrichment, and challenge. The combination of the fluctuations in hormones, changes to one’s physical body along with shifting body image, as well as cultural and individual expectations all play a role in creating a woman’s own unique experience.

For many, pregnancy is a time when you confront your fears and expectations about becoming a parent. You may also begin reading books and talking to other parents. Regardless of whether the pregnancy was planned, unexpected, or after many long awaited years of trying, parenthood causes psychological changes in both mothers and fathers. According to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), between 14-23% of women will struggle with symptoms of pregnancy depression or maternal depression.

During the critical period of fetal development, many parents-to-be experience anxiety about maintaining their pregnancy and having a healthy baby.

Moms may be having pregnancy symptoms such as nausea that make their daily functioning seem challenging. As the pregnancy progresses, the anxiety may reduce and is often replaced by an increase in emotions. For women who have experienced previous miscarriages or loss during pregnancy, their anxiety may be heightened throughout pregnancy. As one’s bodies begin changing, some may start to feel insecure with their weight gain and bodily changes. Approximately 10-15% of women may experience perinatal depression at any time during pregnancy. During the third trimester, it is normal to anticipate birth and delivery.

At this point, many moms have difficulty sleeping and often have intense or strange dreams. While the women are carrying the babies, fathers are also going through their own emotional and psychological changes. Some may feel left out during the pregnancy or may become anxious about their ability to be a good father.

Approximately one out of every six couples experience fertility issues. For these individuals, the months and years of trying to conceive and maintain the pregnancy can be emotionally taxing and take a great toll on a marriage.

Whether a woman is a first-time mother or expecting another child, the process of nurturing and raising children is anxiety producing for any parent. Motherhood is an ongoing relationship, with all of its responsibilities and rewards.

Psychological concepts common among new moms:

• Control: The unfamiliar territory of pregnancy and early motherhood can leave women feeling that they have lost control over their lives. Along with a new baby comes a shift in focus from oneself to the needs of the growing baby.

• Support: Support from family and friends are very important at this time. For moms experiencing post natal depression or post partum depression, increase in support is an initial goal of treatment.

• Increase in depression or anxiety: Anxiety and depression after pregnancy is very common.

• Stress: The awaited day of bringing home the baby from the hospital is for many new parents also the time when they first realize that this infant will be completely dependent on them. This realization can quickly turn to a new parent anxiety, uncertainty and self-doubt.

• Pressure: Mothers often place enormous amounts of pressure on themselves to be perfect parents. As role models, they may be aware that others judge everything they say or do, especially as children enter school and interact socially with other groups of children. Women often set impossibly high standards for themselves, leading some to feel a sense of failure for not maintaining these unrealistic standards.

• Isolation: Some new mothers may feel isolated from old friends and family members who don’t have children, leaving them feeling left out of gatherings, events and social opportunities they enjoyed previously. This situation may be especially true of single mothers.

• Superwoman syndrome: Women today feel that they should fulfill and exceed all personal and societal expectations as a woman and a mother. Motherhood is already stressful without this added and unhealthy stress.

Talking about how you are feeling, learning healthy ways of managing your stress, and learning healthy relaxation strategies can greatly reduce your fear, improve your perception of your pregnancy and parenthood, as well as overall wellness during this time.

Dr. Cherwony offers moms and dads a safe place to discuss their struggles. She helps parents learn how to nurture themselves, as they care for their children. Parents must promote their own well-being in order to both enjoy and provide good leadership and role-modeling for their children.

POST-PARTUM DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

“What’s wrong with me? I haven’t been myself since my baby was born…I feel like I am going crazy, why can’t I just pull it together?”

Having a baby is supposed to be the happiest time in a woman’s life. However, for many women, the arrival of their new baby also brings the most stressful and anxiety producing life transition that a woman will ever experience. It is not unusual for new motherhood to bring a wide range of intense feelings during the first year after birth. For one out of five women, these feelings may develop into post-partum depression (PPD). If you are one of them, please know that you are not alone and there is help available for you.

PPD is a common and treatable condition with symptoms and you should not blame yourself. It is not your fault. You may be suffering from some of the following symptoms:

  • frequent crying and feeling overwhelmed with sadness and feelings of inadequacy not being able to sleep even though you may be physically exhausted
  • eating disturbances
  • disorientation and confusion
  • inability to cope
  • feelings of anger/irritability
  • suicidal thoughts
  • anxiety or panic attacks
  • emotional detachment from your infant

Society tends to focus only on the positive aspects of becoming a mother. The idea that the birth of a child is a wonderful time makes it difficult for women to admit to problems after the birth. Unfortunately, due to guilt and shame, many new moms suffer in silence. New mothers often feel scared, anxious and alone.

If you believe you or someone you know is experiencing depression/anxiety during pregnancy or after the birth of a child, help is available. Dr. Cherwony provides emotional and mental support, as well as educational information for pregnant and postpartum women and their families, facilitating the transition from pregnancy to parenthood. Dr. Cherwony will work with your OBGYN or midwife to coordinate treatment care.

Dr. Cherwony also works with parents in helping them adapt to a new lifestyle and finding their balance between parenthood, work, and overall wellness.  Please call for an appointment at her Boca Raton or North Palm Beach office.

OBESITY AND COMPULSIVE OVEREATING

Compulsive Overeating, sometimes referred to as emotional eating disorder, indicates that the individual struggles with a food addiction. People feel a temporary relief to their stressful days or painful emotions by eating without regard to whether or not they are hungry. In order to stop emotional eating, it is imperative that an individual understands that no matter how much they consume, they will not feel full until they address their reasons for feeling empty/deprived. Food and eating are a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stress and problems in their lives.

Binge eating can take place at one time during the day or an individual can snack or graze on small amounts constantly throughout the day. Regardless, they are taking in a large number of calories. For many, night eating is common. Left untreated, compulsive overeating can lead to medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, GI problems, kidney failure, anemia, high cholesterol, gallbladder disease, cancer, obesity, joint pain, anxiety and depression, among others.

A compulsive overeater may also have an alcohol or drug addiction. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), people with eating disorders are 5 times more likely to also abuse drugs and alcohol. Also, addicts are 11 times more likely to have an eating disorder.

Dr. Cherwony works with patients in her Boca Raton and North Palm Beach offices to help

them identify and treat their eating disorders.

LONG-TERM AND HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

The topic of wellness and self-growth epitomizes my approach to therapy no matter the reason that you reach out to me for support. I work from an empowering approach to help you take care of yourself from the inside out. Our goal of helping you achieve a sense of balance and calm in your life will ultimately also help you relieve stress, manage feelings of depression and anxiety, and lead you forward toward positive self-growth. Because of the powerful and undeniable connection between mind and body, these in turn will also help with health and prevention of conditions caused by and exacerbated by stress. Healthy eating, good sleep, regular physical activity, support, and gratitude are the building blocks to wellness.  Self-growth results in happiness, confidence, and personal success in all that you do.

 

Long-Term & Healthy Weight Loss

I want to take a moment to discuss long-term weight loss with you. In today’s fast paced world, ‘long-term’ and ‘weight loss’ rarely go hand in hand. The diet industry is booming, yet weight issues and obesity rates are higher than ever. Related conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are also sky-rocketing at alarming rates.

Although most of us understand the concept of eating healthy foods and the need to exercise, people often turn to radical changes in short term diet. This leads to immediate weight loss only to be shortly followed by the inevitable weight gain, leaving you even more frustrated and less motivated than when you started.

I will teach you what I have been teaching my clients successfully for years, that the missing component to successful long term weight loss and maintenance is the psychological component. I will give you the tools to take care of yourself first.

To help you create a balanced, happier, healthier life. Eating patterns are not isolated to physical cravings and hunger. Our eating patterns and eating problems are dictated by our emotions, our ability to deal with stress and by how we feel about ourselves.

Remember, weight loss and maintenance is a journey, a lifestyle- and success is not about achieving an arbitrary number on a scale. Rather we will go on a journey together to achieve your long term health, happiness, calm, balance and high self-esteem that will allow you to live a fuller & much improved life.

 

GRIEF/LOSS

Grief and mourning are natural responses to loss.

Grief Counseling

Grief is an individual’s internal emotional reaction to the loss of a person or thing in which a close bond has been formed. Grief can also include other major loss, such as job loss or the breakup of a relationship. Grief has several components: physical, behavioral, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. Grief is often described by those that have gone through it as a prolonged heaviness and mental anguish. For some, it can be so pronounced that it affects a person’s physical self and can even present as illness. While grief is an expected and normal response to loss, severe or prolonged grief can cause problems.

What is normal grief?

Most people experience normal grief. This refers to grief that is eventually lessened as a person readjusts to their loss. Grief is usually not something one “recovers” from because the loss is never regained or replaced. Rather individuals describe their lives after loss as “different.” For some, it changes their entire identity and they will divide their lives into “before” the loss and “after” the loss.

What is abnormal grief?

Prolonged grief refers to a response to loss that lasts more than one year. Rather than the individual learning to adapt to their life without the lost person or thing, the bereaved person experiences ongoing longing for their loved one, so much so that their grief reaction intensifies to disrupt many of their close relationships and beliefs.

Grief can be chronic in that the individual has trouble finding closure and returning to normal activities over an extended period of time. It can also be delayed, whereby the individual postpones working through the grief process. Rather than accepting the loss, the individual chooses to avoid dealing with it. A small percentage of individuals, in particular for those who experience a very sudden and unexpected loss, experience an exaggerated or intense reaction such as major depression, nightmares, abnormal fears and thoughts of suicide during their grief process. Other symptoms may include sleep or appetite problems to isolation from other loved ones and difficulty functioning at home, school, and/or at work.

The risk factors for experiencing more serious symptoms of grief for a longer period of time are related to the survivor’s own physical and emotional health before the loss, the relationship between the bereaved and their loved one, as well as related to the nature of the death.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is known for her DABDA model for understanding grief. In her book on Death and Dying, she outlines Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance as the stages that individuals move between when dealing with either loss of loved one or one’s own mortality.

Denial– difficulty believing what has happened

Anger– questioning the fairness of the loss

Bargaining-wishing to make a deal with fate to gain more time with the one who was lost

Depression– the period when the bereaved person gets in touch with how very sad they are about losing their loved one

Acceptance-feeling some resolution to their grief and more ability to go on with their own life.

Grief and mourning are deeply personal and unique to each individual. Dr. Cherwony is here to help you get through this difficult and painful time. She will help you to regain your sense of self, to start to look forward to and plan things for your future. Eventually, you will be able to think about your lost loved one without pain. You will once again anticipate some good times to come, and yes, even find joy again in the experience of living.

Call today for an appointment and to speak personally with Dr. Cherwony at 561-699-4639

GIFTEDNESS

DR. CHERWONY IS A LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST WHO CONDUCTS IQ AND GIFTED TESTING IN HER BOCA RATON AND NORTH PALM BEACH OFFICES

The term gifted refers to an individual’s ability to perform a skill at a level not reached until later years. An individual can be gifted artistically, musically, intellectually, socially, emotionally, and within one achievement area for example mathematically. Although many people tend to throw this term around to mean “very bright,” true giftedness is considered a special need. While a child may be developmentally advanced in one or many areas, they may not necessarily be advanced in all. This means that a child can be intellectually gifted however, may be lagging behind in other areas. Many struggle socially and/or emotionally and tend to do better with other gifted children to whom they can relate.

Gifted children and adults observe the world differently. They tend to be emotionally intense and have complex thought processes. Gifted individuals tend to be “too” in most everything that they do, for example, too sensitive, too perfectionstic, too moral, too driven, and too serious. Their parents often state that their gifted children ask “too many questions.” The higher one’s IQ, the more difficulty he or she may have in finding a playmate or in conforming to a typical school curriculum. For this reason, it is important to identify children who are truly gifted, as gifted. Left unlabeled, these children may feel misunderstood and that they don’t belong. Additionally, without the proper school placement, these children may in fact underachieve, despite their high IQs.

Signs of giftedness can be observed in early childhood:

  • A good thinker with excellent reasoning skills
  • If interested, has a long attention span
  • Learns rapidly without much repetition
  • Has strong curiosity/ inquisitive
  • Is a keen observer
  • Has extensive vocabulary
  • Has an excellent memory
  • Has a vivid imagination and/or highly creative
  • Has facility with numbers
  • Intense
  • Perfectionist
  • Perseverant in their interests
  • Extremely sensitive
  • Morally sensitive
  • Has a high degree of energy
  • Prefers older companions or adults
  • Has a wide range of interests
  • Early or avid reader (if too young to read, loves being read to)
  • Concerned with justice, fairness
  • Tends to question authority

Unfortunately, many gifted children are mislabeled because of these very signs that contribute to their giftedness. For example, they may have a high amount of energy, and not pay attention unless they are interested. A child such as this may be misdiagnosed as having ADHD. A child who does not interact well with his peers may be seen as having social difficulties. However, when this same child interacts with other children of same intelligence, or with older children and adults, may do great.

To learn more about identifying gifted children, please click on these links:

Gifted Testing

Frequently Asked Questions about Gifted Testing

SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted Children)

National Association for Gifted Children