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Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Imagine living in a world where you might be killed by a carnivorous wild animal at any moment. Only people who are hyperaware of danger and able to act quickly are likely to survive. This was the life lived by all our ancestors long ago, and they survived with the help of their primitive automatic responses to fear— to run away, to counterattack, to keep very still and escape notice. As human…
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling According to marriage researcher and author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, Dr. John Gottman, contempt is found to be the most damaging element in a relationship and the number-one predictor of divorce. This finding can be jarring to read as many people have a difficult time understanding what contempt is and may be unaware that it is present in their relationship. Contempt is described by Dr. Gottman…
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Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner “I don’t know what to say.” “I don’t want to make it worse.” Over the past week, I’ve heard from parents, teachers, and other adults asking how to talk to children about the school shooting in Florida. These discussions can be difficult for adults and children, but they’re vital. As adults, we need to know what the children in our lives are thinking and feeling in order to provide them with emotional…
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling In today’s society, the pressure for young adults to be “perfect” seems to be far greater than ever before. With social media so heavily present in our lives, it is easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others or wondering how others perceive us. Many people begin to wonder if they are pretty enough, successful enough, smart enough, fit enough, or “liked” enough in the eyes of others.…
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Anne Brennan Malec, PsyD, LMFT, Financial Therapist, Owner, Symmetry Counseling As therapists, we frequently work with clients who engage in a lot of negative thinking patterns. Part of providing clients with cognitive behavioral therapy is to help them deconstruct these patterns and begin to look at events more realistically. Listed below are some negative thinking traps that can befall all of us from time to time. Are you guilty of engaging in any of the following negative…
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Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner Do you struggle to incorporate new behaviors into your lifestyle? Does it sometimes seem impossible to change your established routines? If so, you’re not alone. Many people find it extremely challenging to add new behaviors into their daily lives. A former client of mine set a goal of going to the gym three mornings a week. After four weeks, this client had not gone to the gym even once. I could hear…
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Amanda Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Practitioner You’re ready to participate in counseling, but you’re not sure which type of counseling would best meet your needs. When you’re experiencing both individual and relationship issues, it’s difficult to know whether to choose individual or couples counseling. Consider the following points when making your decision. Individual Counseling You may benefit from individual counseling if: You want to participate in counseling, but your partner does not. You need to be your counselor’s…
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Having trouble maintaining your New Year’s resolutions? Once all of the holiday festivities slow down, it can be tricky to settle down to maintain those intentions. It’s easy to throw out all of your goals and kind of get into a “funk,” and getting into this “funk” can make it easy to fall into old poor habits. Returning back to old bad habits from 2017 can make it challenging to keep up with your goals for 2018.…
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As parents, loved ones, and caregivers, there is the natural desire to protect children. When difficult life events happen, such as the death of a family member, friend, pet, or peer finding the words to explain death to a child can be difficult. Of course, this is a difficult topic for adults, as well. So, what do you share with your children? First, you may wonder if your child is aware that someone important has died. The…
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling We have all heard that happy and successful relationships take work, but often the daily distractions and demands of life get in the way of nurturing our relationships. While date nights are extremely frequent in the early stages of a relationship, they tend to significantly decline over time. Many couples think of date night as a luxury, but it is actually an essential component to maintaining a healthy relationship. A…
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