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.
4 Ways to Help a Loved One with an Eating Disorder
Here are 5 suggestions, from a therapist, to use when trying to help a friend or loved one that you suspect may be struggling with an eating disorder.
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.
Are We Compatible? Relationship Advice For How Couples Can Fight Fair
If you’ve ever wondered if your conflict is normal, the truth is healthy couples have conflicts. Follow this relationship advice to learn how to fight fair in your marriage and create a better bond and relationship.
The Sexy Narrative
If you are struggling with an unhelpful narrative surrounding sex, give yourself a break. You aren’t broken. You’re doing the best you can with the narratives you’ve been given. Here are tips from sex therapist, Dr. Alice Roberts that may lead to increased peace and pleasure surrounding sex.
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.
10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Throwing In the Towel on Your Marriage
Making the decision to stay or leave your marriage may seem overwhelming in the wake of a revealed affair or other traumatizing event. It’s normal upon hearing that a spouse has been unfaithful to assume the marriage is over and that the love you once shared is gone forever. Both partners may feel highly emotional and perhaps hopeless about their future together.
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.
The Power of Listening Part II: Friends, Family, and Partners
Giving one another our attention is powerful. It signals that we are interested. It invites the speaker to continue to engage with us. It communicates that we are interested not only in their story, but in them. It is a subtle sign of acceptance, of inclusion, and of worth. It doesn’t mean we agree with the speaker, but it does mean that we see them.
4 Reasons Why Successful Men May Make Horrible Husbands
You can’t change yesterday, but you can certainly change today. And more importantly, tomorrow and your future by being home and totally “present” tonight!
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.
Songs For Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month
Sometimes there are no words that can help ease pain experienced in our lives. The only thing we can do is ride the waves of emotion. Sitting with emotions can be really uncomfortable and even scary. I’ve found that music can help me feel the feelings I need to feel in a controlled way so I can move with the wave until it subsides and I can feel my feet under me again.
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.