Sarah Greene-Falk, MS, MA, LCPC, CEAP

Psychologist | Exercise & Sports

2568 Midland Dr Naperville IL, 60564 Show map

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About

Sarah Greene-Falk is a seasoned sports and performance psychology coach and licensed counselor with almost 20 years experience. She is most prominently known for her extensive experience and success working with athletes of various levels and sports. Sarah practices in Naperville, IL, and offers telehealth coaching around the world working with athletes, professionals, and performers. Sarah specializes in helping clients self-manage their emotions and train their brain with the use of psychological skills and mindsets to access flow state more readily and obtain consistent peak performance. Clients that seek out Sarah's services want to increase mental toughness and may struggle with performance anxiety, depression/anger, life transitions/retirement, and grief and loss/injury. Clients typically email Sarah and schedule an appointment or a free 15 minute consultation through her website www.psychedge.club

Education and Training

University of Wyoming MS Kinesiology-Sport & Perform 2003

University of Northern Colorad MA Counseling Psychology 2006

Creighton University BA Psychology-Biomed Sciences 2001

Chicago School of Prof Psychol Certificate I/O Psychology 2015

Denver School of Massage Thera Certificate in Massage Therapy 2004

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Sarah Greene-Falk, MS, MA, LCPC, CEAP

Sarah Greene-Falk, MS, MA, LCPC, CEAP's Expert Contributions

My Answers

What doctor can help with gambling addiction?
There are addiction specialists who work with gambling. There are Gambling Associations in each state where you can find these specialists and ask for help. READ MORE
What treatment is the safest for panic attacks?
Breathing exercises like box breathing, combined with medication, ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy), and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). READ MORE
Can you help someone with severe anger issues?
Severe anger can be helped. However, there can be varying factors attributing to why the anger is so frequent and intense in the first place. Irrational thoughts and inflexible thinking can create and exacerbate anger. Depression is often underlying negativity and anger. The best way someone can help themselves with anger is empathy and gratefulness. When we see where someone is coming from, it doesn't necessarily make our anger go away, but we can see why someone may have acted in a certain way and empathize. READ MORE
Can medications help schizophrenia?
Yes, absolutely! Without medication, it would be nearly impossible for them to do their coping skills to improve. READ MORE
Can therapy fix anxiety?
Think of anxiety as something that everyone has to a varying degree and in different situations. Anxiety is a naturally occurring emotion to help us stay safe. Sometimes the anxiety response does not match the stimulus though and we have to wonder why. My point is there's no such thing as "fixing anxiety". Therapy will help someone recognize and better cope with their anxiety. It's not black and white. It is gray. READ MORE
What helps someone with ADD?
What helps ADD is such a huge question. Is the person aware they have it and their tendencies due to having ADD? That's the first line of defense. If we're not aware we can't work on changing something. Aside from medication, I've seen daily amino acids be helpful in leveling energy and slowing down thinking so it can be clearer. L-glutamine can specifically help with sugar cravings. Routines are VERY important to stay organized and not forget. Everything needs to have it's place and should be put back in its place right away, otherwise it may be lost. The mindset of Nike's "Just do it" is helpful for preventing procrastination. If we don't do it now, we probably won't until it's too late. Write things down. Have a big list and make daily lists off of it. Have a dry erase board for groceries so when you think of something you need you write it down and then at the end of the week you have your list. Set reminders and alarms specifically for when you can attend to the alarm reminder. Reminders don't work if they hit us at a time we can't recognize them and act. You may have to repeat things often to your friend and they may often ask "why?". If they're a good sport, they may say, please remind me later to XYZ and I won't be mad. ADD can lead to getting easily frustrated and irritable. This is where self-care is so important. Exercise, eating regularly and balanced, alone time vs social time, etc. Purposefully tell yourself to slow down and talk yourself through things step by step so you don't make a mistake. You'll thank yourself for it and it will not take as long as you think it will. Those with ADD should have self-compassion. Kicking ourselves is not going to make anything better. Learn from the situation and do different and better next time. All kicking ourselves does is make us feel worse where we're more likely to do something stupid to make things even worse and kick ourselves again. It's a vicious circle we can get out of if we are AWARE. READ MORE
What pill relieves anxiety?
I am not a psychiatrist who prescribes psychiatric medication. However, I have seen clients greatly benefit from such drugs as Lexapro, Buspirone, and in certain cases Xanax. You can have a genetic test to find out the best medication for you and your DNA so you're not experimenting as much with what will work and not work. READ MORE
Should I see a psychologist after divorce?
If you're sending this email asking that question, I would recommend you see someone. Any life transition is difficult, but grief can be very complicated. Everyday life looks different and there can be so many important moving parts to process. The first year is always the hardest because so much is new and different. READ MORE
Can psychotherapy make you worse?
Psychotherapy can make things worse if you've been burying things (purposefully or not on purpose) and psychotherapy brings them up to help you face them. For certain people and certain situations, it can get worse before it gets better, but that's not usually what I see. I typically see those with depression seeking therapy greatly benefitting from consistent talk therapy to genuinely look at thoughts, feelings, situations, and deal with them instead of letting them fester and cause issues. READ MORE
What are the treatment methods for alcohol addiction?
Those with alcohol addiction must first believe themselves that they have an alcohol problem and truly want help. If that is not first and foremost, the changes won't take. This is ACT, acceptance and commitment therapy. If the person is a heavy drinker, they will need med assisted detox so they don't die or suffer extreme neurological problems. There are meds to take after detox to help with neurological problems so that the person does not go back to drinking to self-medicate. After inpatient is IOP (intensive outpatient therapy). Someone can go to a treatment facility and get an assessment to be placed at the correct level of care. The time spent in each level of care is somewhat subjective. After IOP is individual outpatient therapy. Some appreciate individual therapy with group therapy or AA. Everyone is different. The main piece is being real with ourselves. Until we're ready to be real with ourselves, we can't get help with anything. READ MORE
Anxiety and depression?
If you're still feeling emotional for no reason and the tightness in your chest is always there, your meds are not working and I'd suggest you talking to your psychiatrist. If your psychiatrist is not listening to you or reluctant to change things up, go see another psychiatrist. You can call your insurance to find one in network. Box breathing daily and long exhale breathing can be helpful with the anxiety and tightness in your chest. You can try to rationalize when you get teary, but you still may tear up or cry. Try to keep up self-care and self-compassion. Combine them with your kids. For example, taking the kids outside to play may also give you fresh air, sunshine and exercise. READ MORE
How long does it take for CBT to work for anxiety issues?
It depends on the person and the current thoughts. For some, I've seen gradual improvement in the first few weeks or month, while others have started seeing improvement 2-3 months. How willing are you to change your thoughts? How often do you practice awareness to be able to change your thoughts? How intense is your anxiety? How frequent is your anxiety? Are you using breathing exercises daily? These are just a few questions to ask yourself. READ MORE
How do you deal with someone with a bad attitude?
There are only a few things besides being honest and saying it nicely. Use "I feel" statements. I feel _______ when you _______. Sometimes we can summarize and validate their feelings. "It sounds like you don't want to do XYZ because it's boring to you. However, I'd like for us to do something together we both want to do." Another is to decrease how much you tell your friend and even how long and how frequent you hang out. These are things you have control over. Sometimes a natural consequence is pulling away. Most of us don't realize that when we wake up irritable and negative or experience that on a regular basis, it can be the way depression shows up. Of course, it depends on the person's lifestyle, living situation, among other things too. This can be common with ADD/ADHD. READ MORE
Is behavioral therapy for autism effective?
I'm sorry I don't work with those on the spectrum. However, I've heard of ABAB therapists being helpful by coming to your home and working with the client and family. READ MORE
How do I explain being pansexual?
Sounds like you're attracted to the person and it doesn't matter their gender. Here's a great article that can best explain the distinction between pansexual and bi. You get to choose to use whatever verbage you identify with and educate those that are emotionally safe around you. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/bisexual-vs-pansexual#pansexual-definition READ MORE
Is counseling effective for depression?
Counseling can't hurt. Counseling only helps. How effective depends on the relationship we have with our therapist, the work we put in (how vulnerable and real we are with ourselves), and the intensity of the depression. If counseling only helps so much and we've been doing all the right things, we may need to consult a psychiatrist for medication. Talk to the therapist if this is the case and usually they have in network referrals. READ MORE
What type of therapy is effective for panic attacks?
CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) and ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy. Also, desensitization therapy depending on what's causing the panic. Patterned breathing such as box breathing and meditation is primary to bring down the heart rate to control the body first. In a panic attack, one can do addition, multiplication, count tiles, etc. Panic is emotional and the examples are problem solving, so 2 different parts of the brain. Use breathing with a simple problem solving task to self-manage the emotions. If after working with a therapist over some time and practicing all the things is not working, as the therapist about consulting with a psychiatrist. READ MORE
How to fix our marriage and prevent divorce?
Both parties have to want to work on the marriage. If she's willing, I highly suggest The Gottman Method. Here is their website. They also have a store. https://www.gottman.com/blog/what-to-read-to-set-your-relationship-up-for-success/ The Gottman's have been leaders in their field for over 50 years and supported by vast research and thousands of happy couples. Here's one of their workbooks. https://a.co/d/7XsZSBX It may be helpful to find a Gottman couples therapist on www.psychologytoday.com or online to help facilitate the process. Good Luck! READ MORE
How effective is marriage counseling?
It depends on the couple. However, The Gottman Method is supported by over 50 years of research and is the leader in couples therapy. I'd encourage you to look for a Gottman therapist. You can also look at their website and they offer workbooks and many books. https://www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/ https://a.co/d/9NkmXgz READ MORE
How Can I Finally Overcome my Pain Medication Addiction?
There is help! It's med-assisted treatment. You have every reason to feel angry and confused. I encourage you not to be mad at yourself though. Your body is addicted and needs to withdraw in a safe way. Some withdraw and get sick and others have other health complications and withdrawal can result in death. Sorry, this is no longer my area of expertise. I'd recommend talking to a psychiatrist or pain management center to see your options. I have had one client that was given a different pain management drug and met with the pain management doctor monthly to talk about how to continue decreasing the amount each month and working with how it made her feel. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

Performance AnxietyLife TransitionsRetirementInjuryGrief & LossDepressionPerformance EnhancementAnger ManagementMental toughnessConfidenceResiliency

Professional Memberships

Association for Applied Sports Psychology-AASP
Illinois Counseling Association- ICA
Employee Assistance Professionals Association-EAPA
Northern Illinois Employee Assistance Professionals Association-NIEAPA
American Counseling Association

Charities and Philanthropic Endeavors

Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association
Psychological Medical Team for the Chicago Marathon
NorthCentral College

Treatments

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Solution-focused therapy

Internships

College counseling center in Greeley, CO. Loveland, CO: Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence, Sobriety maintenanceOmaha Police Department

Professional Society Memberships

Naperville Chamber of Commerce (Naperville, IL)

Professional Affiliations

Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Illinois Counseling Association, Employee Assistance Professionals Association, Northern Illinois Employee Assistance Association, American Counseling Association

Articles and Publications

Blogs on website www.psychedge.club

What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to my parents and mentors who encouraged and supported me to follow my passions and do what I enjoy.

Areas of research

How to manage emotions to improve performance. (stress, anxiety, etc)Neuropsychology evidence

Philanthropic Initiatives

Annual leader for the Psychological Medical Team for the Chicago Marathon. Speaker for local teams, Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, and NorthCentral College

Teaching and speaking

Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, NorthCentral College, local athletic teams.

Favorite Place to Vacation

Anyplace warm with a beach

Hobbies / Sports

Family time, Weight lifting, walking the dogs, sprint triathlons

Areas of research

Self-managing emotions to access flow state more readily for consistent peak performance. Neuropsychology research is important to support the psychological skills and mindsets. Sarah researches building confidence, building resilience, and improving mental health.