Behavioral Health Clinic

  Let us help your student(s) right in their school setting with our expertise in telehealth. Telehealth has been found to be as or more effective for most children and adolescents. Emotionally healthy students are: More likely to have less difficulty engaging in learning and school activities, Have supportive and caring connections with adults and young people, Use appropriate problem-solving skills, and Demonstrate positive/pro-social behaviors. Between 12 and 22 percent of school-aged children and youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Youth spend a significant amount of time in school and academic environments play an increasingly critical role in supporting these students. Schools provide a safe, non-stigmatizing, and supportive natural environment which is often preferred by youth for addressing emotional health needs. In fact, adolescents are more comfortable accessing health care services through school-based clinics and like the idea of accessing services in a si...

  Judy Lemke, MS, LPC, LCSW Judy Lemke is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a wide variety of experience in Mental Health and Substance Abuse issues. She completed her Master’s Degree in Counseling at the University of Wisconsin –Stout and her Bachelor’s Degree in Comprehensive Social Work from the University of Wisconsin — Eau Claire. Clients who counsel with Judy will find her to be engaging, patient, thorough, and genuinely interested in them as individuals with unique strengths and abilities. She has extensive experience in assisting individuals with co-occurring disorders, relationship issues, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, change of life events, trauma, self-esteem issues, and post-divorce co-parenting struggles. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, person-centered and solution-focused interventions are an integral part of her approach in encouraging her clients to become confident in their creation of achievable goals...

  These last two years have been challenging for many, no matter what your beliefs are about the state of the world. I have been noticing more recently that people have been struggling to maintain their connections with co-workers, friends, family, with people in general. With the  holidays   very near, I want to share information on how to encourage connection and closeness in your relationships with others so that you may get the connection you’re looking for over the holidays. Go into your holiday conversation with connection in mind.  The holidays are a time of sharing uninterrupted time with loved ones, connecting conversation, good food, and other holiday traditions. Only use your electronics to connect with others. Keep the political talk feeling productive, or don’t use this time to talk about it at all. It’s ok to “set down” topics that are emotionally charged until you are ready to pick them back up again. Your physical and emotional wellness comes first. S...

  Too often people wrap up their holiday season feeling frazzled. Here are some reflection points to help you go into the  holiday season   so that you may set yourself up for the best chance at wrapping up 2021 feeling fulfilled, connected, and energized into the new year. Check-in with your needs/feelings.  How are you doing? The honest answer beyond the “I’m fine” you give to the attendant at the grocery store. How are you truly doing? Give yourself the care, attention, and love you need by answering that question honestly, and expressing yourself authentically. Once you have the honest answer to that question, as yourself “what do I need to be well (comforted, satiated, cared for, etc.)?” Check-in with expectations.  How do you expect your holiday to go? Are you planning to drive to 4 different houses, splitting your time evenly between each? Are you planning to stay close to home, only celebrating with yourself and those in your household? Whatever the case...

  Everyone can agree that we’re not in tip-top shape without a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, it’s on-trend for our population to miss out on the amount of sleep we really need to be able to function effectively during the day. It can also be difficult to differentiate these symptoms from mental health disorders in diagnostic testing. According to the CDC, approximately 35 in every 100 people in the United States report having a short-sleep duration (less than 7 hours of sleep per 24-hour period.) Additionally, those who reported sleeping less were more likely to report substance abuse and chronic health conditions — including depression, heart attack, and stroke. For mental health, there are prevalent complications that come with a lack of sleep, as well as a consistent connection between those who have mental health disorders and significant sleep disturbances. Americans in general are sleep-deprived, but chronic sleep problems affect 50–80% of patients in a typical psychiatr...

  WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) — Instagram implemented a “Take a break” feature on Tuesday. When scrolling too long, a break reminder pops up. “Too much of anything can be a bad thing,” said  Luke Severt, licensed professional counselor   at  Behavioral Health Clinic in Wausau . Severt said something many people find themselves guilty of with social media is procrastination. “You’re there all day and then suddenly you’re feeling bad because you didn’t accomplish anything,” said Severt. Click here   to watch the video. That’s what the new “Take a break” feature on Instagram aims to diminish. Unlike Tik Tok, which automatically gives these reminders to viewers, Instagrams’ has to be set up. Here is how to set it up. Go to your profile. Click on the three horizontal lines on the top right of the screen. Then click “your activity” and finally “set a reminder to take breaks.” It will give an option of 10, 20, or 30 minutes. When you hit the scrolling limit you’ve set, a remin...

  Group therapy can be an equally effective and powerful form of treatment. Our interactive “skills group” therapy sessions provide our patients with helpful strategies and tools that they can use in their everyday lives. These group sessions offer a mini classroom format with a more interactive approach, personalized for each individual member’s needs. Our “process groups” are more unstructured and focus on discussion and interaction among the individuals within the group. Additionally, Behavioral Clinic offers single-session appointments and short-term group classes for other “everyday” challenges. Patients will feel safe, comfortable, and at home during either one of these group sessions. Each group member will take with them important lessons and life skills they can use for the rest of their lives in order to manage their mental illness. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety and fear, weight and self-esteem, depression, or any other issues, individuals, couples and families c...

Where in the world have the past few months gone? Summer came and went before we knew it and Fall is ahead of us. Fall is my favorite time of year, not too hot and not too cold. The leaves change colors and everything pumpkin comes out. Yes, I am that girl, Pumpkin Spice Latte’s, and let’s just be honest, anything pumpkin goes. This time of year, a lot changes, some good, some challenging. School is back in session, parents are running their kids from here to there and back again, attending sporting events and trying to keep up with the household chores. All on top of working, maintaining relationships, and trying to find time to make dinner and get enough sleep. Does this sound like you? Stress can create several changes to our personalities including irritability, lack of interest in taking care of our needs or appearances, social withdrawal and isolation, and procrastination or reduced work productivity. Stress can also create changes to our cognitive functioning including difficult...

  Meet Emily Wereley, MS, LPC Emily Wereley is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with a specialization in children and adolescents, at Marquette University, and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at UW-Stevens Point. Emily has experience working with children and adolescents with a variety of symptoms and diagnoses, including clients with trauma and behavioral concerns. She currently serves clients ages 3 years old and up, individually. She also provides family and  group counseling .  She utilizes a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy, positive psychology, and solution-focused therapy. Emily’s approach allows clients to learn and develop skills to process and handle emotions, as well as learning and developing a sense of who they are as a person. Emily’s therapeutic interests include: Behavioral and Conduct Disorders Trauma ADHD Anxiety Adjustment issues School Problems Click here   to...

  Facebook photo lives are unrealistic, yet so many of us strive to obtain them. So, what is a “Facebook photo life?” By now many of us have come to understand that magazine covers, ads, billboards, the “click bait” material online, and so much more; are not just a picture of an individual holding a product. They are societies expectation of what is beautiful/handsome that has been digitally enhanced after the work of professional make-up artists and hair stylists and taken by a professional photographer. This leads people to desperately seek to obtain a form of beauty that is not obtainable which can cause low self-esteem, depression, and much more. Unfortunately, we took this phenomenon and added a new layer in our own social media. What picture do you have on your social accounts? Why did you choose it? Odds are your answers are the same as others. We chose the best picture we had of ourselves or our family, so as a person scrolls through with the lives of others on full display...