Bridgette W. Gottwald
By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC When it comes to psychotherapy, trauma is a popular word. Within treatment, I often refer to trauma and the event experienced as a trauma with a little t or a capital t, depending on the gravity of the event. Little t traumas are highly distressing events that affect the individual on a personal level. Some examples are non-threatening injuries, emotional abuse, the death of a pet, bullying, or harassment. Big T…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC It’s important to recognize that not all kids are raised by two parents, or by their biological parents at all. These children are not at a disadvantage. This blog series has articulated a large body of research within and across genders that highlight the needs that mothers and fathers (or other guardians) can fulfill as children. But don’t fret, if one or some of these needs go unmet, it does not…
Read MoreBy: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC If you read part one to this three-part blog series, you learned about what sons need from their Dads and what daughters need from their Moms. As you can imagine, both of these needs are different, and both Mom and Dad must work together to cover their bases in different ways. An open line of communication regarding meeting the needs of children together as a team is always recommended, and checking…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC For those of you that know me, you might be thinking “What is she doing writing about parenting, she just became one!” Well, I don’t blame you. Yes, I am new to this, constantly learning and researching to be the best parent that I can be to my new bundle of joy. As a clinician, I take the approach of always keeping myself open to learning. The minute one starts thinking…
Read MoreBy: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC About two weeks into motherhood, my sister-in-law sent me this “Love Letter from Your Baby” written by Jess Urlichs. While navigating the biggest and most rewarding and exciting, yet challenging thing that’s ever happened to me, also while recovering from a C-section, at the time there was nothing that I needed to read more than this. It can be a scary and confusing time, with lots of firsts and unknowns. Personally,…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Breastfeeding…if you don’t have kids, you might be freaked out by the idea of it. If you have kids, you might have tried it and had your own experience with it. Has it turned out to be more challenging for you than you initially anticipated? You’re not alone. No matter who you are, or what your experiences entail, you have likely heard someone share their opinions about it. Maternal mental health…
Read MoreBy: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Did you know that anxiety holds your deepest yearnings and that worry is driven by mood, not logic? This blog will discuss the anatomy of calm, which might turn everything you know about anxiety inside out! Often times people think that anxiety is all in their heads, but actually, it exists mostly within the body – more accurately, within the nervous system. What people tend to forget is that our nervous…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Entering the chapter of parenthood can be a scary thing, and there are so many unknowns and unexpected things that take place. The first year of life is a pivotal time, and we all want to make sure we are doing everything right for our new little bundles of joy. Newsflash – you will make mistakes, and that is okay! You are only human and your baby is too so it’s…
Read MoreBy: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC If you read my previous blog posts, this is the final part to the three-part blog series about human growth and development. It discusses the progression from what you need to know about growth and development, the evolution of children’s growth, and the final years of childhood as one slowly approaches adolescence where much of their personality and traits have already developed and are set in stone. Amidst middle childhood, which…
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By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC You might find yourself asking why is all of this information important? Well, in learning more about the developmental phase from infancy to toddlerhood, you will start to see and understand how things that took place within your earliest developmental phase and how they have affected your personality and ways of looking at life. The evolution of growth is fascinating and it happens quickly with children. Amidst the developmental stage of…
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