HAPPY November, 2025
November 2025
Welcome to the November edition of the Inspire Behavioral Health Newsletter. Please let us know if you know someone who would like to begin receiving our newsletter and will be happy to send them a copy. We offer high quality and compassionate mental health care and addiction treatment to people living in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, virtually and in-person with offices in Vienna, Fairfax, Sterling, Washington, D.C. and Bethesda, Maryland. Our experienced psychiatrists, addiction psychiatrists and psychotherapists strongly believe that we all have solutions to resolving our struggles within us. We believe enjoying our mental health is a matter of learning how to tap into these solutions. Providers at Inspire Behavioral Health help people heal, cope and manage their mental health by allowing them to focus on their strengths and harness their available resources. We work together to treat your symptoms while helping you to identify the underlying causes for those symptoms, and by encouraging the use of more effective techniques to cope with life’s difficulties. We try to help you in building resilience to help maintain your optimal mental health. Call us for more information and to schedule a convenient appointment in the near future at 703-592-4600. We are often able to offer clients an appointment the same day of your call or the next day. Please visit our website:www.InspireBehavioralHealth.com.
And, as we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving may we become more aware of our feelings of deep gratitude, especially for life and love. Perhaps you will begin a gratitude journal this month, or begin living your life with “an attitude of gratitude.” Regardless, may we each feel loved and appreciated. And, as we grow to appreciate ourselves and others, we may discover it is time to really start taking care of ourselves and invest in our mental health and emotional well-being. If it is time for you to begin living your best life and learn how to free yourself from the worries and problems that burden you, then please call us at Inspire to schedule an appointment to see one of our mental health providers. Happy November! Happy Thanksgiving!
Mental Health and You in November
There are many reasons to focus on mental health in November. Many people are experiencing a range of feelings and emotions with regard to the state of our nation and the state of our world. You may have been affected by the government shut-down or by the economy. You may be following a number of controversial issues in the news. You may be feeling confident about the future or not as resilient as you typically do. Remember that isolating is not a feature of healthy living and so try to connect with like-minded people to find the support you may need. If you are in recovery, remind yourself that this is not the time to either celebrate or give-up by relapsing to unhealthy and self-destructive behaviors. Instead, try to re-connect with your recovery support network or join a new one. Call a friend or a family member, donate to a charity that you feel does important work, volunteer to help others in need, forgive an old grudge, and if the time is right for you, call to talk to one of our therapists at Inspire who can help you sort through your feelings and deepen your understanding of what matters most to you.
November makes many of us think of Thanksgiving and of gathering with those we love to celebrate. Thanksgiving is one of the most cherished holidays in the United States, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. It dates back to 1621 when the Pilgrims, who had arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared a harvest feast with the Wampanoag Native Americans.
HIV Awareness Month/World AIDS Day
This November, the nation is taking meaningful action to raise awareness, share knowledge, and continue the fight against HIV. The month will highlight current prevention efforts, the importance of testing, and the ongoing need for education and community engagement. The media is committed to sharing share daily posts featuring facts, resources, statistics, and moments from HIV history.
The month will conclude with the annual World AIDS Day observance on Monday, December 1, a time to honor those we have lost, celebrate the progress made in prevention and care, and reaffirm our shared commitment to ending the HIV epidemic.
I AM ALS National Caregiver Month
Resilient. Selfless. Overworked. Underappreciated. Caregivers contain multitudes, and every caregiver’s journey is different, but at the root of it all is one thing: care.
Throughout the month of November, “I AM ALS” is amplifying the stories of some incredible caregivers from the ALS community and beyond. Stories that capture the joyful moments of closeness with a loved one, as well as the moments of heartbreak, frustration, and feeling overwhelmed.
And as you read and watch some of these stories on the I AM ALS website, (community@iamals.org), we hope you’ll be moved to share your own caregiver story. It could be what moves a Congressperson to support ALS-related legislation. It could be what motivates a fellow caregiver to reach out for support. It could help someone feel a little less alone. That’s the power of a story—of YOUR story.
GRIEF and LOSS
The autumn season can be a special time of year, and if you’re grieving, struggling or missing someone, it can be especially hard. Many of us are seeking deeper connections these days. That connection can come with the intention of being more kind and compassionate to ourselves and others. It can also explore a deeper spiritual connection to offer support when feeling isolated, afraid, and alone. Connection can be a breath of hope. Disconnection can be a sigh and cry of pain and struggle. We’re all struggling in our own unique way. Perhaps that is our universal connection.
In moments of feeling disconnected, it’s important to know ways to self-regulate when feeling anxious, hurt or lonely. It’s also important to connect to tools that can invigorate and boost energy when we’re feeling tired and depressed.
Connection to those mind and body tools for support are important. We urge you to consider calling us for grief and bereavement counseling. You will find here a supportive program where you can learn techniques to help you cope with the pain of loss, trauma, and change to find new and empowering ways to open your heart and move toward more love, connection, and purpose. Please call us to schedule an appointment to open the door to the hope and healing that can help you to heal a breaking heart.
Gratitude, health, and longevity
How can the power of gratitude affect our lives? Recent research has pointed to gratitude’s myriad positive health effects, including greater emotional and social well-being, better sleep quality, lower depression risks, and favorable markers of cardiovascular health. Now, new data from the long-term Nurses’ Health Study shows that it may extend lives.
Try this: Six questions to evoke gratitude
Not feeling especially grateful today? You have the power to change that. Asking yourself certain questions can evoke gratitude, such as
- What happened today that was good?
- What am I taking for granted that I can be thankful for?
- Which people in my life am I grateful for?
- What is the last book I read or movie, show, or social media clip I saw that I really appreciated, and why?
- What am I most looking forward to this week, month, and year, and why?
- What is the kindest thing someone has said or done lately?
Gratitude Suggestions
Keep a gratitude journal
Have a tech-free breakfast
Set a gratitude alarm
Send hand-written thank you notes
Say hello to strangers
Visualize the people you are grateful for
Think if three good thing
Growing Relationships with Gratitude
When we focus on what we are grateful for, we reshape our neural pathways, enhancing mental health and increasing joy. Regular gratitude practices also transform how we see ourselves and connect with others. In relationships, gratitude becomes an act of deep listening: recognizing unspoken gestures and kindness in everyday acts that are often taken for granted. Nurture trust and strengthen relationships simply by telling the people in your life what they mean to you; let them know they are seen and valued. Celebrate the amazing things and tell them how awesome they are: appreciate what makes them unique and excited. Your inner circle is supposed to treat you well, support you, and be loving towards you, but that doesn’t diminish the importance of what they do. Be sure they know you appreciate it all. Make them feel special even for the mundane things they do. Take time to appreciate, approve, admire, and attend to the people in your life
Holiday Shopping Advice
Don’t let scammers play the Grinch this holiday season. While you’re hunting for perfect gifts, they’re hunting for your information.
Your Shopping Safety List―Checked Twice:
Shop with trusted retailers―if a deal seems magical, it probably is!
Use credit cards for better protection―Santa’s helpers don’t ask for your credit card.
Keep an eye on your accounts—unusual charges aren’t gifts!
Remember: Real holiday magic doesn’t require your password or PIN.
Your Mental Health
Remember that help available if you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health or substance use issue, and now is the time to get the help you or they need. Please call us at Inspire Behavioral Health to schedule an appointment to talk with one of our clinicians.
What Is Your Story? How can we help you build a life worth Living?
We each find ourselves from time to time wondering how we will get to the next step and out from under our own personal struggles. We may have self-doubt and question our motives and abilities, asking if we have what it takes to take action or keep to a plan. These thoughts and feelings are normal. Our competence and confidence may be in a vulnerable spot at times and we may be unsure where and who to turn to for help. We may find ourselves engaging in harmful behaviors, negative self-talk, self-sabotaging, second-guessing and questioning ourselves obsessively, losing sight of who we are in the world, drinking excessively, using drugs or engaging in risky behavior that has clearly become out of control.
Substance Use and Addiction
Do you wonder whether your use of alcohol is excessive? Do you worry that that you may be heading toward problematic drinking, or has your drinking begun to cause issues or concerns for your health, in your relationships, at work or with the law? If this sounds like you, then take the CAGE (free on-line).
Call us at IBH to talk with one of our providers who can offer you an evaluation by an addiction psychiatrist or a certified substance use therapist. They will then work with you on an effective treatment plan that may include talk therapy, anti-craving medication, or Medication Assisted Therapy, (MAT), such as Suboxone. We also strongly encourage attending community-based recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Sex Anonymous and other Twelve Step Programs.
Inspire Behavioral Health offers a full range of mental health services as well as treatment options for people struggling with substance use (alcohol and other drugs), and process addictions (food, sex, gambling, spending, Internet, video game, or social media addiction, shopping and other behaviors that are marked by poor impulse control), with medications as well as individual, couple, family and group therapy. Nearly eight million adults in the United States experience co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
let us help
Do you wonder whether your use of alcohol is excessive? Do you worry that you may be heading toward problematic drinking, or has your drinking begun to cause you embarrassment, guilt, remorse, or concerns about your health, or in your relationships at home or work. Has your drinking come to involve you with the law? If this sounds like you, then take the CAGE, which is free on-line, and below, to help determine some talking points you can have with a professional.
The CAGE Assessment is a personal assessment for substance abuse. It will not give you a formal diagnosis. It is simply a preliminary instrument used for assessment. A formal diagnosis requires a thorough evaluation by a trained, experienced and certified professional. The CAGE can be adopted for other out-of-control behaviors.
how to find a counselor
Once you decide to get professional health for a personal struggle, whether it is about anxiety, depression, grief, a mood disorder, an addiction to a substance or a behavior that has become out of control, a relationship issue, a sexual issue or something else, finding the right type of provider and service can be daunting. Where do you start? Inspire Behavioral Health can help because we are home to many caring professionals with a variety of specialties. We are confident you will find the provider who has the experience to address your particular issues and unique circumstances. Please visit our website to read our providers’ biographies, areas of expertise and their perspectives on how to help you. If you are in a rural area, you may have difficulty finding a mental health professional nearby, so remember that all of our clinicians are available to you virtually.
COMING THIS FALL
Learning and Practicing the Four Basic Steps to Men’s Mental Health
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a compassionate type of behavioral therapy that is intended to help people move toward a more mindful, aware and purposeful life. Come learn the four pillars of DBT which are Core Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation and Distress Tolerance. When you learn these four pillars and their accompanying skills and you will have to tools you need to build a “life worth living.” Men in this group offered at Inspire Behavioral Health and led by Psychotherapist, Ed Andrews, are taught the basic skills necessary to help manage life’s stressors and manage your physical health. This is done in a framework that helps people understand that we are doing the best we can while recognizing that there are new strategies you can learn that will be more effective than what are you doing now. This group is a safe, confidential place for men who are sustaining their recovery from substance (alcohol or drugs) and/or process (pornography, internet or gambling) addictions, or coping with chronic illness such as Prostate or other cancers. aging, managing stress, anxiety and/or depression, accommodating change in their lives, coping with loss and transition, dealing with sexual issues including ED, and seeking support and growth. Please contact us for more information about this important group. Call Ed Andrews for more information about this program.
Thank you for being part of Inspire Behavioral Health, we appreciate you and wish you and yours a very happy November and a Happy Thanksgiving!
Office Location:
Vienna: 2110 Gallows Road Suite D, Vienna, VA 22182
Fairfax: 11211 Waples Mill Road Suite 150, Fairfax, VA 22030
Washington, DC: 3000 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 137, Washington, DC 20008
Sterling: 46090 Lake Center Plaza, Suite 103-104, Sterling, VA 20165
Bethesda: 6203 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda, MD 20852
Ed Andrews, LPC, LMFT, Newsletter Editor
703-592-4600
info@inspirebehavioralhealth.com