Relationships: Is Our Conflict Healthy?

Hannah Hopper, LPC, NCC Having conflicts is a normal part of being in a relationship. Healthy conflict with your partner can lead to better communication and a stronger relationship as both parties are able to talk about what’s important to them. But having healthy conflict is difficult, and most of us engage in behaviors that…

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Why Is Negative Thinking Detrimental and How Do I Combat It? Part II

By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC You may have read part one to this blog series, which began discussing the detrimental nature of negative thinking and offering interventions and suggestions for getting out of the unhealthy spiral. Below are some continued things that you can do to work against this corrupt thought process.  Release Judgment …

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6 Ways to Make the Most of Your Gap Year from School

I have worked with many clients who are new graduates from high school and college. Many times, they speak to me about their many concerns, stressors, and anxiety about the many questions centering around, “what am I going to do next in my life?” This recent spring, due to the pandemic, that question has become…

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How Can I Reset My Anxiety?

I work with many clients who are struggling with anxiety, whether it is related to the current pandemic, their jobs, parenting, relationships with others, or just general life stressors. My job as their therapist is to help the client understand what is contributing to their anxiety, and then possible coping mechanisms to help manage their…

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How Can I Improve My Emotional Intelligence?

Most times when people think of intelligence, they think of intelligence based on their IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Something that is just important, if not more important in my opinion as a therapist, is emotional intelligence. It can be a hard subject to understand and also challenging to increase emotional intelligence. I recently read an article…

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How Can You Identify a Safe Person?

Steven Losardo, AMFT Maybe more so than ever, we need safety in our lives, and that includes secure individuals. These people have attributes that include being easy to get close and dependability. Safe people are comfortable depending on others and do not worry about abandonment or someone getting too close to them (Johnson, 2013).  How…

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How Can Isolation Be a Time for Habit, Rituals, Routine, and Growth?

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC It’s no secret that 2020 has taken an emotional toll on all of us. Our lives have been disrupted, plans have been destroyed and or delayed, we’re worried about our loved ones and many of us are experiencing loneliness from prolonged isolation. When life is busy, it’s easy for feelings…

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Is it Possible to Grow from Difficult Experiences?

As COVID-19 continues to sweep our country, another crisis continues to grow. Many individuals are either continuing to battle mental health struggles or fighting this battle for the first time. Rates of anxiety and depression have increased tremendously from the current circumstances. Whether we’ve lost a loved one, have been isolated from friends and family,…

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Hustle vs. Align: Why Is Exhaustion Viewed as a Status Symbol?

By: Bridgette Williams Gottwald, LPC, NCC Are you ready to leave behind a life marked by comparison, competition and exhaustion and recraft a life marked by meaning, connection and unconditional love?  What if we all traded out the unrealistic idea of perfection for presence? What if instead of hustling so much, we focused more on…

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