Live Better. Love Better. Work Better.

counselor

Categories

Divided Americans and Couples Therapy: Reducing Conflict within Relationships, Pt. 1

June 18, 2020

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC When it comes to politics, friends, relatives and strangers are consistently shouting at each other as opposed to engaging in discussions. Emotionally charged exchanges seem to be more of the norm these days “in venues ranging from local governments to national ruling bodies across the world.” Sometimes you may be reminded of a struggling marriage when you witness these shout-fests. Couples therapists would agree and utilize many interventions that have scientifically proven…

Read More

Your Stress Response

June 16, 2020

Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC Stress is universal: everyone at some point in their lives will experience it. Stress can stem from work, relationships, anxiety or pretty much anything. In fact, stress can happen without a direct cause, or stimulus. Stress, understandably, has a negative connotation. However, it is not always a bad thing to be stressed in certain situations. A moderate amount of stress is beneficial to athletic and academic performance, for example.…

Read More

Asserting Needs

June 14, 2020

Danielle Bertini, LPC It can be hard expressing needs directly to someone, especially when our wishes aren’t aligned with the other person’s. Asking for what we need is the principle behind assertiveness (Gillihan, 2018). Being assertive often gets confused with being aggressive, as if being assertive means demanding that others give you what you want. However, according to Alberti and Emmons, being assertive actually falls between being passive or being aggressive. It’s a fine line to walk,…

Read More

Singles are Doing Better Than Ever

June 12, 2020

Megan Mulroy, LPC Single people are often stereotyped and stigmatized as miserable and lonely, when that could not be farther from the truth. Recent studies have found that married people become no happier after their nuptials than they were when they were single (DePaulo, 2019). Furthermore, research shows that if a couple divorces, they become less happy than when they were single (DePaulo, 2019). Although recent research found that singles are doing increasingly well amidst the stereotype,…

Read More

So, Can Nature Actually Help Reduce My Anxiety?

June 10, 2020

I work with many clients who are stressed and overwhelmed related to their jobs. My job as their clinical therapist is to better understand why the client is anxious at their job and then possible coping strategies to better manage their anxiety at work. One thing I often recommend to clients is utilizing a holistic approach in managing their anxiety, specifically using nature as a way to help reduce their anxiety. I recently read an article from…

Read More

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: A Lesson in Unhealthy Communication Styles

June 8, 2020

Kyle Lawell, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) It’s safe to say that nearly all couples have arguments at some point in their relationship. We may argue about whose in-laws we’re going to see for the holidays, who took out the garbage last week, or what color we should paint the kitchen. In the best-case scenario, these arguments are resolved in an adaptive, healthy, and respectful manner between the two partners. Other times, however, these arguments are filled with…

Read More

It’s Us and We, Not You and Me

June 6, 2020

Kyle Lawell, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Relationships, even the best ones, can be difficult. We often make sacrifices in our lives to make our partners happy. We might change our work schedule so we can pick up the kids after school or agree to take on more responsibility with the newborn so that our spouse can go back to work. In these times of need, it is crucial that people within a relationship remember that they are…

Read More

Should We Always Look on the Bright Side? Probably Not!

June 4, 2020

Kyle Lawell, Licensed Professional Counselor It’s common for us to grow up being told to “look on the bright side” or “focus on the positives,” but this mentality may not be as useful as we always want it to. Susan David, instructor in psychology at Harvard University, suggests in her TED Talk on saying yes to negative emotions that the act of avoiding or suppressing our negative emotions actually impacts our ability to effectively interact and deal with…

Read More

The Four Agreements: Simple Steps to a Better Life

June 2, 2020

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Interested in improving upon your life? According to NewsWire, 82% of adults within America plan to make changes to their personal well-being, so hopefully your answer to this question is yes. If your answer to your question is no, take five minutes to hear me out in regards to how The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz can make a significant positive difference within your life. With these agreements, you can rely…

Read More

Post COVID-19 Pandemic Preparation

June 1, 2020

Steven Losardo, Marriage and Family Therapist In a variety of ways, the impact of COVID-19 has been devastating to many people. Most of us are in a season of transition while waiting to get back to some kind of “normal.” The postponement of life as we know it has been a difficult adjustment. While we cannot control when COVID-19 stay-at-home ends, we can prepare to be successful when the day arrives. Most of us have been in…

Read More