Aiming for Greatness
Expectations to live like our heroes can be healthy or toxic. Checking in with ourselves and keeping an honest emotional view of the self can lead to the creation of more personally realistic and healthy expectations.
Making Sense of Big Behaviors
One of the most challenging phases of parenting can be when there are big, explosive behaviors happening with our little -and not so little- children. This can be an exhausting and humiliating experience (especially when it happens in public places!) and it can create a sense of helplessness for everyone affected.
Managing Stress Around Election Day
It’s that time. Regardless of your personal beliefs and who you vote for, this time of year can be really stressful. I see the impacts of the upcoming election on individuals, families, and couples who come into my office, especially as election day gets closer.
Navigating Tough Times After Coming Out
For many LGBTQ+ individuals, coming out can be a nerve wracking experience. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself in a vulnerable position by sharing your identity with those in your life.
Give Yourself the Gift of Self-Compassion
Research shows that practicing self-compassion can increase healthy motivation for change, help us manage our emotions, increase our overall sense of well-being, and even improve mental function.
Compression and Expansion When Your Spirituality Shifts
Faith journeys can also be an interplay between the tension of compression and expansion. Some clients report the compression includes feelings such as guilt, confusion, grief, and frustration. Clients also report that expansion can be lifegiving, hopeful, and healing.
Internal Family Systems and Trauma
Why do stories matter for our trauma? Across every culture, no matter the period in time, we find evidence of humans telling stories. Why? Many theories hold this as a way to pass down information and morals to the next generation as a form of a database, continually absorbing information as it moves along, adapting and conforming to the needs of the next generation. I hold that another reason we tell stories is for a critical need as well: to process trauma.
Navigating Life Transitions: Allowing for Change and Thriving
Some of the most profound transitions people experience involve shifting their sense of identity, perhaps in regards to life expectations, faith, sexuality, or gender. These transitions can bring both deep fulfillment and intense emotional challenges. Allison Meakin, MSW Intern shares five tips to help you navigate life transitions.
Meditation 101: How to meditate
You’ve probably considered meditation to help with the overwhelm but may wonder how to meditate. Use this article as your meditation 101, or beginners guide to meditation.
How to Help Your Child Respond to Anger in Healthier Ways
Therapist Leanne Rohrbach, LCSW shares how to help your child respond to anger in healthier ways.
The Benefits of Working with a Student Intern Therapist
Therapy is a powerful tool for improving mental health, and many people seek out licensed therapists for support. However, more individuals are discovering the benefits of working with a mental health student intern therapist. Dr. Julie Hanks explains some of the unique advantages of working with a student intern therapist.
Meditation and Mindfulness: Benefits and Methods
Meditation, or mindfulness, has vast benefits for mental health. Read this post to find the benefits of meditation and mindfulness plus tips on how to meditate.
What to Expect in EMDR Therapy
Rachel Fuller, LCSW explains what happens during EMDR therapy. Because EMDR can look so different compared to each client, each targeted trauma, and each therapist, she also answers commonly asked questions regarding EMDR therapy
Understanding EMDR Therapy
EMDR is a type of psychotherapy aimed to treat traumatic experiences that get “stuck” in the brain. Here’s a brief overview of the theory behind EMDR, starting with the scientific explanation and followed by a simpler analogy I use with my own clients.
My Best Friend Is Depressed and Suicidal
Ask a Therapist: My best friend is depressed and suicidal. How do I help her? Advice from a therapist on how to help your friends who are struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide.
Healing From Purity Culture
While it is completely normal to decide to abstain from sexual activity until marriage if that is within someone’s values or belief system, purity culture has caused some side effects that negatively impact men and women. Here are a few steps that may be helpful for you as you're on your journey of healing from purity culture.
Mental Health and Shared Custody: Tips for if you’re struggling with co-parenting
Dr. Julie Hanks recently appeared on Good Things Utah with tips on the mental health of parents who share custody of their children.
Healing From Betrayal and Developing Healthy Intimacy
Humans need relationships. From infancy, we learn to depend on others for our wellbeing. As we grow we become more independent, however even as adults we need relationships to create a strong sense of self and a secure base we can fall back on when bad things happen. According to Dr. Freyd, “Betrayal trauma occurs when the people or institutions on which a person depends for survival significantly violate that person’s trust or well-being” (2008).
Navigating Alcohol Abuse in Your Partner
When a partner struggles with alcohol abuse, the emotional toll on the relationship can be overwhelming. As a marriage and family therapist, I understand the complexities and challenges that come with this issue. It’s important to approach the situation with empathy, compassion, and practical tools to foster healing and connection.
Child Social Skills Post-Pandemic
As a child therapist, I work with children of all ages who have a range of support needs. One area that almost all of my clients benefit from is social skills development. Social skills are crucial and can be learned through various channels: direct teaching from parents, guidance from teachers, therapeutic interventions, and everyday social interactions or play.