The Power of EMDR Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (or EMDR) therapy is a structured approach to psychotherapy that aims to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories. It was developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and has since gained widespread recognition as an evidence-based treatment for trauma-related conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and more.
I Just Want to Fix It: How to Help your Stressed Out Partner
Every person experiences hardships and stress from various sources, such as friendships, employment, health issues, or parenting. These stressors can create feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, confusion, and helplessness, and create physical health issues including breathing issues, inability to sleep, muscle tension, headaches, and so on. When people are struggling, it is perfectly natural to turn to our significant other to find relief and support. However, there are times when reaching out leads to pain or annoyance.
Embracing Radical Acceptance: A Path to Inner Peace
Radical acceptance is both a concept and skill that involves acknowledging and embracing reality as it is, even when the reality is difficult or painful. Radical acceptance is a concept utilized in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a distress tolerance skill. Understanding and implementing this skill does not mean that we approve of the blunt reality - we may hate it! What it means is that we are willing to lean in to the blunt reality in order to allow ourselves to more quickly and resiliently move on to focus our internal and external resources towards more values-consistent behaviors.
Journaling for Mental Health: What Do I Even Write About?
Journaling can sometimes feel like one of those clichés therapists or friends recommend to clients who are wanting support between sessions, but a lot of times we can sit down in front of a blank page and have no idea where to start. Here are some prompts to get you started.
A Therapist’s Top Three Recommended Resources
If you happen to be on a journey of personal growth and self-empowerment, here are three titles I highly recommend to help you along the way.
How to “Ground” Your Child
While you won’t be getting any discipline tips, the mindfulness and grounding techniques for kids presented here pose many benefits for you and your child, including allowing your child to be more present especially when becoming behaviorally or emotionally dysregulated.
Book Review: Come Together
Emily Nagoski, PhD, is the author of Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science that will Transform Your Sex Life. If you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend it. Her first book was aimed at women, but as a sex therapist I found the information so helpful for men who are partnered with women, so I often encourage my male clients to read it. Well, now there’s a book specifically for couples. Come Together: the Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections
Turn to Face the Change: How Therapy Helps People Make Positive Change Daily
One of the most important factors of making change with therapy is the therapeutic relationship. The therapeutic relationship is the trust you have with your therapist. It is what makes you feel comfortable with him/her as you come frequently without judgment of what you have going on.
Emotionally Focused Therapy: A Compassionate Approach to Reducing Shame
Shame is a complex and powerful emotion that can have a profound impact on our lives. From the perspective of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), shame is often intricately connected to our sense of self and our relationships with others. In this blog post, our focus will be on understanding how shame arises when we perceive ourselves as different from those in our environment, and how embracing the principles of EFT can help individuals reduce shame and foster a sense of connection.
What Are The Benefits of Play Therapy?
As a child therapist I’m often asked by parents what play therapy even is and what the benefits are. Just like when restaurants offer a children’s menu and an adult’s menu, what children need from therapy will look different to what adults need. As adults we are used to talk therapy where maybe we come in, sit down, talk about what’s going on and leave with ideas and tools. But play therapy can be very different from that. Why? Because play is the language of children.
How to Help a Loved One Grieve
Losing a loved one is difficult, painful, and lonely. Watching someone you love grieve is also a difficult place to be in. This is for you if you’re trying to help your spouse through grief or a loved one who is grieving. Here are a few tips to remember when helping your grieving loved one.
4 Ways to Celebrate Mental Wellness Month
January is mental wellness month: It’s the perfect time to shift your focus from the holidays to your own personal well-being. These four activities and practices can help you boost your mental wellness this month.
The Power of Self-Compassion
Having compassion for yourself is treating yourself with kindness, forgiveness, grace, and love, just as you would a family member or friend who you care deeply about. Having self-compassion includes nurturing patience and care for the unwanted parts of yourself, the imperfections that bring embarrassment or shame. It's having an understanding of your human-ness, and it is allowing the truth that your mistakes are stepping stones to growth. And self-compassion can be a gateway to deep inner healing and hope.
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and How Can It Help You?
ACT is one model of psychotherapy that is considered a “third wave” approach, or branch off, of CBT. Most of us have heard of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and look for therapists who use CBT to treat a variety of mental health concerns. The ACT model aims to help individuals achieve psychological flexibility.
Am I an Empath?
An empath is often described as one who identifies with another person’s emotions as if they were their own. This personality trait goes beyond the usual definitions of relating to others. For example, being sympathetic is merely understanding another’s experience. Empathy moves beyond this definition, where somebody feels for or with another person.
Beating the Winter Blues: A Social Worker's Guide to Embracing Light and Wellness
As the days grow shorter and the darkness descends earlier, many individuals find themselves grappling with the emotional weight of seasonal depression. As a social worker, I understand the impact that changing seasons can have on mental health. In this post, we’ll explore 7 effective and practical tips to help you and your child navigate the challenges of the winter blues and emerge stronger, happier, and healthier.
5 Ways Psychodynamic Therapy Can Benefit You
Rooted in psychoanalytic theory, psychodynamic therapy focuses on helping clients become aware of their unconscious processes. More specifically, how feelings, impulses, and defense mechanisms may be influencing your current behavior and personality, and why those mechanisms were created in the first place.
What is Movember and How Does it Relate to Mental Health?
Movember is primarily to bring attention to various medical and mental health issues that men often face or go unspoken, and to promote longer healthier men’s lives. Movember examines mental health from a perspective tailored to men, emphasizing preventative measures, early intervention, and the promotion of well-being.
Antidepressants Aren’t Always Medications
Did you know that depression can be influenced by a loss of connection? What areas in your life are you feeling disconnect? Perhaps it’s at work or with people, maybe you feel disconnected from joy as you seek after achievements. It’s possible to disconnect from the past, especially if you have experienced traumatic events. Disconnect can also arise in the face of inequality. Maybe a lack of movement is disconnecting you from your body or the world around you.
Tips for Parents of LGBTQIA Youth
If you are a parent of an LGBTQIA youth moving towards accepting your child's identity read this to learn the importance of familial support to LGBTQIA youth as well as practical actions to support your child through this moment.