Growth through Creativity-New Ways of Reaching Others

This morning,I headed over to Loyola's Watertower campus to partake in a continuing education workshop called Growth through Creativity-New Ways of Reaching others. As a licensed therapist,I am required to collect continuing education credits in order to maintain licensure. I received an invitation from Loyola's Alumni Association regarding this topic and it really intrigued me,and I am still short of credits,so I figured why not. I graduated in 2006 from The School of Social Work here and it really felt good to come back on campus,located in the heart of Michigan Ave. It was great reminiscing the days as I grabbed myself a cappuccino at Argo Tea next door(it started at 10am so I needed a little perk) as I headed upstairs to the 13th floor of the building.

The speakers that were there were excellent. One talked about providing therapy to her brain injury patients through "Dance" which was great. Another speaker uses Drama techniques to assist her Alzheimer's patients. Another used "Adventure Therapy" such as sea kayaking and rock climbing to work with at risk youth. The other one used Yoga to work with her clients that have Depression,Anxiety, Substance Abuse,etc. One clinician started a program devoted to at risk youth on the South Side talking to younger children about staying off the streets and prevent violence.

I had to applaud these clinicians as they chose to "think outside the box" as far as providing therapy. No longer are the days where the only therapy setting provided is the typical Sigmund Freud-laying on the couch- while the therapist speaks aside-from you.Conventional ways may not always work and are found to be very stigmatizing. Creativity and the Arts can provide a great tool to help those patients navigate their lives and improve their inner well-being.

If you or someone you love need a counselor and would rather partake in these such therapies as opposed to traditional therapy,email me and I can refer you to these therapists.

Fashion Night Out 09/10/10. Location:Everywhere.

As summertime in Chicago comes to an end,we are now into the crisp cool days of fall. With that comes along a whole new set of fall season threads waiting to be sported along the city's "public runway".

Another love that I have is my passion for fashion(that rhymes! lol). Tomorrow evening, beautiful people and clothes will be coming together all around the world to participate in the annual Fashion Night Out(FNO). Among the stores participating will range from stores in the Water Tower to Neiman Marcus,to Chanel. This is a one night event that is going to occur at the same time all over the world.

Participating stores will be offering fashion/trunk shows,dj music,cocktails, and much more. The event will go from 5-9,a perfect after hours activity to begin the weekend.

For more details and a list of stores participating,check out Chicago Fashion Resource a site that deals with Chicago's fashion scene. If you are from another city check out events near you.

See you in stilettos!

Dj Colette at Green Dolphin

Dj Colette not only spins but she also sings.

As you have read my previous posts, I love love love house music. Chicago is the House capital of the world no doubt. I have been real busy with the summer and all so this post is a little late.

I went to see one of my favorite dj's ever,Colette,at Chicago's Boom Boom Monday nights at Green Dolphin,a haven for house music and house music lovers alike. Dj Colette is a native Chicagoan who was on a tour called "Second City Sessions" and did her final round in Chicago on August 16th. I actually got to meet Dj Colette after my husband spotted her mingle amongst the locals and told her how much of a big fan I was of hers-imagine how surprised I was! She was sweet and down to earth,which cannot be much said about a lot of these djs these days.

I enjoyed listening to all her classic tracks including "What Would She Do for Love" and "Hypnotized" as well as many others. A little known fact:DJ Colette grow up singing in a choir and has a GREAT voice. She also sings with her tracks which makes her a truly special Dj. Also,she is one of very few women House Djs out there these days,so more power to her.

As I mentioned, Green Dolphin is the place to be on Monday nights. Monday nights is "Boom Boom Room" nights in Chicago that features great underground house music. There is no dress code here so everything goes,and it truly is a place for people to go to listen to great house music and dance the night away(in your Puma sneakers of course). I also love this place because it has such a different vibe to it then your typical club/lounge on Saturday nights. It's mainly local people that go and that's what makes it so great because they are not there to show off,or to act pretentious, but to really enjoy themselves to local music.

What I also love is the diversity of the place. You may be wondering what kind of people attracts to this place and the answer is: everyone! All walks of life come here making it a truly unique experience. I much rather go out here on a Monday nights then on a Saturday nights anyways. You know the saying goes:weekend are for amateurs!(hehe) People are amazed when I tell them that this place is opened until 4am! That's Chicago for you :-)

You must think it's crazy to go out on Monday nights, especially if you work a 9-5 job everyday. Just take a PTO on Tuesdays and check it out,you will not be disappointed-it's totally worth it.

Coming soon-Documentary series on Chicago's House Scene.

Check out this trailer from 5 Magazine,a local publication that focuses on house music. The series will present 40 interviews from Chicago's hottest house music djs. If you have read my previous posts,you know that I love house music,especially underground house from Chicago:

Chicago's House Music Scene

Why do people drink so much?

Hey guys-long time no blog! Just enjoying what is left of my summer. I just got in from a co-worker's bachelorette party at the Trump Hotel and I must say that hotel is s-p-e-c-t-a-c-u-l-a-r. Beautiful views of the city on the 26th floor suite. We then headed to Rebar on the 16th floor and it was just as lovely. It was packed for  a Friday night. Just be prepared to bring a  lot of cash-I paid 15 bucks for a wine spritzer.

Anyways, my husband always wondered why people get SO drunk and excited about the nightlife here in Chicago. Even anywhere for that matter,let me tell you why and what I tell him.

Here in the US,there is a whole lot of stress. A whole lot. The stress can come from a variety of situations. Maybe it's that spat you had with your boyfriend. Or maybe you just had a grueling 40 hour power study session for that final exam that you pray you passed. Or maybe it's your job and you are having a really crappy day. Or maybe you just finished a 60 hour work week. Whatever the case may be,you will want to relieve what caused you this stress.

The healthy ways of course is to exercise,deep breathe,mediate,yoga,whatever, to decrease your level of stress. A lot of times however,people hit up the bars and do some heavy duty drinking instead. Or they just go on an all out shopping spree to help them relieve this stress as well. Too much and even too little can be detrimental to your physical and emotional health on some level.

This is why. People do work hard,but they play hard as well. This is my motto.

As long as it doesn't destroy your overall well being and  you get to a point where you cannot function in today's society.

Well,time to take this makeup off,and get ready for bed,and hit up brunch somewhere in the city tomorrow. Goodnight!

Summertime in the city part 2

Well here I am,my last day off before I have to head back to work(yes I counted the weekends as well).
With this 90 degrees weather we have been having,I have to say,in a city that keeps us hostage with the extreme cold temperatures in the winter time,this 90 degrees heatwave we have been having is a punishment for all the complaints we make in those winter months.

With that in mind it has been way too hot to cook,so I have been heading out to different spots for food and drinks. One of them was a neat place in Uptown called Fat Cat-they had great martinis there. I also discovered this great coffeehouse based out of Vienna called Julius Mienl. Here they got great coffees,healthy gourmet sandwiches and wonderful desserts.

 I also was able to head to Oak St beach as a bathed in the sun amongst the city skyline.

I did some shopping here and there,before the sun got really strong or right before the sunset,because that was really the only time that was the most comfortable. I got a killer navy blazer for half off at Zara,a retail based clothing store from Spain. Oh how I love shopping in Chicago.

Summer isn't over yet for me however,and I am half dreading to go to work and half of me just needs to go back. I just can't imagine being off for more than a week if I am not planning on going anywhere. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy what our city has to offer,especially in the summertime.

Now if it can just cool off "just a little bit" so that it can be comfortable to dine al fresco.

Summertime in the city.

Here's me at the annual Kidney Walk to benefit The National Kidney Foundation. The event took place on June 27th starting at Soldier Field and ended at McCormick Place. It was raining pretty bad that day but it turned out to be a success regardless. Plenty came out and did the walk along Chicago's beautiful Lakefront.

As you can see,I have been out and about since summer kicked off here in Chicago. Other things I have been up to are:

Going to the beach. With the beach a block away from me who wouldn't take advantage of that?

Lunch at the Signature Room. My parents came out last weekend and me and my husband took them to the 95th floor of the John  Hancock Building. They feature a great lunch buffet between 11:30-2:30 every Saturday for only 20 bucks!. The view up there is beautiful as you can see the whole city skyline. We had a view of Navy Pier and the lake. Day or night this place is a great stop.

Shopping and dining al fresco. This is the best time to go to Michigan Ave because the weather is nice enough where you can walk around without a coat. I bought some great threads from the ever so popular international brand United Colors of Benneton. This store has sleek,classic but stylish threads for the modern woman. I finally checked out Kuma's Burger and Sweetwater which are excellent options for dining.


I finally took off a week from work,so I will definitely be checking out other hot spots here around the city. I won't be blogging as much because I will too busy enjoying my time off,but I will definitely keep you updated when I return.