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The Unexpected Importance of Getting Boo-Boos Kissed: On Sharing the Difficult Feelings

September 24, 2019

The image of a parent kissing their child’s scraped knee is as timeless and iconic as it is heartwarming. Though some might say the act is more symbolic or just a placebo, there are some good brain reasons why this actually works. Louis Cozalino writes in his book, The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy, “This biochemical cascade stimulate the secretion of oxytocin, prolactin, endorphins, and dopamine, resulting in warm, positive, and rewarding feelings.” He goes on to say, ”It…

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The Mental Health Benefits of Owning a Pet: The Pet Effect

September 23, 2019

Danielle Bertini, LPC It is no secret that living in today’s world it can be easy to get caught up in the high-demand, fast-paced environment. Smartphones, social media, Internet, and constant text messages can quickly become overwhelming. Aside from some of the more “traditional” ways to fight daily stressors, such as yoga, meditation, exercise, etc., there is another way to be able to find help right at home, in the form of a wet nose or a…

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6 Ways to Find Fulfillment at Work

September 17, 2019

I work with many clients who are incredibly depressed related to not feeling fulfilled or happy at their job. My job as their clinical therapist is to help the client understand possible reasons why they are not feeling fulfilled at their job and then possible coping strategies to find some fulfillment at work. While I hope for people to be genuinely happy, I encourage clients to take a more flexible stance to find fulfillment instead of being…

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Is Marriage Overrated? Part Two

September 16, 2019

After writing my last post, I could not help but think of ways to address marital isolation and how individuals can become more aware of symptoms of marital isolation within their own marriage. I wanted to elaborate on the significance of understanding your own and your partner’s marital expectations, values, and beliefs. Feeling alone in your marriage, and feeling as though you and your partner on different trajectories is not easy. Transitions are hard and scary but…

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Is Marriage Overrated?

September 15, 2019

I recently read an article by Mandy Len Catron called, ‘What You Lose When You Gain A Spouse.’ I have decided to reflect some of my own responses to this article as a way to explore the concept of marital loneliness. As someone who has grown up in a hetero-normative family with a Mom and Dad that are still happily married, this concept of marital loneliness was new to me. Of course, society has imprinted in our…

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Playing a Game with No Winners: Blame

September 13, 2019

Steven Topper, LCPC Try a little game in the morning and see if you can go one whole day without blaming anyone, for anything. It may be harder than we’d think. Often in life we find ourselves wronged. It may be random strangers, friends, family, or significant others that have brought pain and wrongdoing. These experiences often lead to anger, frustration, disappointment, among many other uncomfortable emotions. It can be a painful and sobering experience, though our…

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Disconnecting from Others, Especially through Technology

September 12, 2019

With the world we live in today, we have a hard time disconnecting from all that is around us. We try to do “no technology days” or “no technology hours”, but everything is now on our phones. I feel like people do not own televisions or computers anymore because we can do everything that we used to do on a simple device that we can put in our pocket. Did you ever think we would get to…

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Coping with Your Own Anger

September 11, 2019

Anger is an emotion that we all have, but do we cope with it properly? We might see a partner or a friend or even a stranger act out in a way that we identify as anger, and we tend to say, “wow they are one angry person”. But what is the best way to actually cope with anger that is healthy and does not make us angrier or not feel better at the end of the…

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How Metaphors Set Traps, and How To Get Out

September 7, 2019

Steven Topper, LCPC My depression is too bad to leave the house. This anxiety is crippling me. Every time you do that I get overcome with anger and lash out. I can’t handle this. Each of these statements have a few things in common. One is that they’ve likely been said by many people, especially those of us suffering with immense pain in our lives. Each statement may look or feel slightly different, but they share this…

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3 Toxic Behaviors That Invade Your Partner’s Privacy and Breach Trust

September 5, 2019

Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor Relationships can become toxic and trust can be broken very quickly. Engaging in toxic behaviors that seem normal or make you “feel better” in the moment are a big contributor to their downfall. Toxic behaviors are usually a result of one partner feeling insecure due to a history of betrayal or low self-esteem. The truth is we have all probably felt insecure at some point in a relationship and as a result…

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