Quick question: Do you like yourself? When asked this question, most people respond by saying something like, “Of course I like myself.” While their words say they like themselves, what do their actions say? Are you someone who’s comfortable in their own skin? Are you happy with your appearance, or are you constantly comparing yourself […]
Continue readingHow to Begin Healing After Personal Trauma
No one is ever prepared for a tragedy. In fact, most of us go through our lives believing that tragedies happen to other people. When people do experience a distressing or life-threatening event, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack, they often develop extreme anxiety or PTSD. Many develop ongoing problems with their personal relationships and their […]
Continue reading3 Ways to Cultivate More Self-Compassion
Many people are brought up to always be kind to others. But how many of us were taught to be kind to ourselves? Self-compassion, or self-love, can often seem like a foreign concept, particularly to those raised in an abusive or unloving home. Self- compassion and self-love are not to be confused with arrogance or […]
Continue readingWhy EMDR is Effective in Treating Trauma
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is a therapeutic protocol used in the treatment of mental and emotional trauma. It has been widely praised in the United States and is currently used by agencies such as the American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Departments of Defense and Veterans […]
Continue readingWhat Happy People Do Differently
Do a search right now on Amazon books on the topic of “Happiness” and you will be returned page after page of titles, all claiming to have the secret to finding it. Why our obsession with happiness? Maybe the better questions is, why does happiness seem to elude so many people? At one time, humans […]
Continue reading3 Questions to Ask After an Affair
Discovering that your partner has been unfaithful can feel devastating. On top of the unspeakable pain from the sexual betrayal are the lies they have told – either through words or by their silence. It is common for people to feel completely lost once they discover the infidelity and not know how to feel or […]
Continue readingHow to Get the Most Out of Couples Therapy
As a therapist, I often have a front row seat to relationship miracles. Well, okay, there are no miracles really. The fact is “fixing” a relationship takes work. It takes two people wanting it to work and then putting in the effort. Having said that, I have seen couples go from nearly ending it to being back in […]
Continue readingHow To Lessen Your Teen’s Back-to-School Stress
It’s almost fall, which means store shelves are stocked with low-priced notebooks and markers and glue, et al. Soon the familiar brake hiss of school buses will be heard in neighborhoods across the country as kids head back to school. While some kids begrudge alarm clocks and mountains of homework, they still look forward to […]
Continue readingHow To Stop Beating Yourself Up
When was the last time you heard from your inner critic? You know, that voice in your head that constantly judges you, puts you down and compares you to others. The one that tells you you’re not good enough or smart enough and says things you would never dream of saying to another person. Now you may […]
Continue reading5 Steps to Better Emotional Health
When it comes to our overall well-being, taking care of our emotional health is as important as taking care of our physical health. After all, when we aren’t healthy emotionally, our bodies react by raising our blood pressure, creating ulcers, and impeding our immune system from doing its job. Here are 5 ways you can […]
Continue reading3 Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt
Self-doubt can be debilitating. It can hold you back from pursuing your dreams and living the life you really want. Self-doubt can also make it hard to complete necessary daily tasks and make simple decisions. The good news is, it is possible to overcome self-doubt and quiet that negative self-talk. Here’s how: 1. Take Charge Immediately When inner […]
Continue reading3 Emotional Challenges of Being a Stay-at-Home Mom — And How to Overcome Them!
Being a stay-at-home mom can be very rewarding, but also incredibly challenging. There’s the guilt about not bringing home a paycheck combined with, at times, significant loneliness. If you’ve ever felt joy when a salesman shows up unannounced at your front door, you know what I’m talking about! OMG! An adult to talk to during […]
Continue reading3 Ways to Stop Enabling Your Adult Child
According to the latest census data, more than half of people aged 18 to 24 live with their parents, and roughly 13% of adults ages 24 to 35 do as well. While many of these young people are hard-working individuals, trying to save money to pay off school loans, buy a house, or start a […]
Continue readingMaternal Mental Health & How it Impacts the Child-Parent Relationship
The birth of a child can be one of the most wonderful, amazing, and joyous experiences of a woman’s life. It can also be incredibly emotional and challenging, particularly if the new mother is dealing with any mental health issues. These can make it difficult to bond with her baby and feel okay and competent […]
Continue readingWhat Does Postpartum Depression Feel Like?
Most new mothers are handed their swaddled baby along with a brochure about postpartum depression (PPD) when they are discharged from the hospital. And while it’s great that awareness of PPD is growing, each woman’s experience of it can vary greatly and include everything from obsessive anxiety, OCD, to a sense of disconnect to unremitting […]
Continue readingHow to Create an Authentic Life
If creating an authentic life were easy, everyone would be doing it. Sadly, life has a way of pushing us off track, having us focus on extrinsic motivations as opposed to our intrinsic desires and dreams. Why does this happen? When we’re young, no one really tells us the importance of living authentically. We’re told […]
Continue readingWhat No One Tells You About Therapy (But Should!)
It is said we fear the unknown, which is why many people shy away from receiving therapy. It can be intimidating walking into your therapist’s office for the very first time, not knowing what to expect. On the flip side, some people assume they know everything about therapy and are then quite surprised when receiving treatment. The […]
Continue readingSleep as a New Mom: 4 Strategies to Restful, Restorative Sleep
Life before the baby came was so different. You were cleaner. You ate out more often. And the hours and hours of sleep you used to take for granted! If you’ve recently had a baby and are having a hard time getting enough rest each night, you’re not alone. According to a study by PLOSone, new […]
Continue readingHow to Tell if Therapy is Right for You
When it comes to your physical health, it’s pretty easy to know whether or not you need to see a doctor. If you catch a cold, there’s really no need to make an appointment; however, if you break your ankle, you need to immediately get to an emergency room. But when it comes to your […]
Continue readingHow to Help Children Understand a Parent’s Depression
Many parents experience clinical depression each year. As if the disease weren’t enough, recognizing its effects on your children can be quite painful. Studies have shown that children of depressed parents are at greater risk of not only developing depression themselves, but also of poor physical health, problems bonding, anxiety, poor self-esteem and aggressive behavior. Of […]
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