marriage counseling
Melanie Lustbader, LPC As a newborn, babies are either given a blue or pink hat, depending if they’re male or female. As the infant gets older, the females are expected to play with dolls and males are expected to play with trucks or trains. Society gives gender roles and assigns either objects or certain activities to be feminine or masculine. Gender roles are culturally defined as behaviors that are seen as appropriate for males and females including…
By: Danielle Bertini, LPC At some point in your life, you’ve probably been asked the questions, “So tell me a bit about yourself?” What are your hobbies? What do you do for fun?” Maybe you’re able to answer those questions without hesitation, however a lot of people struggle with answering these questions due to not knowing who they are as a person. Some people make it quite far in life without giving their identity too…
Abby Hauer, MC, LAC Everyone on the face of earth deals with stress. Stress is a normal part of life and almost each day we may be faced with a different stressor. But how do we recognize when this daily stress has turned into something we can no longer manage? Burnout is a different feeling than stress because we are physically and emotionally exhausted, we may dread each day, and we are no longer able to give…
Jessica Pontis, LCSW One thing I see time and time again as a clinician is the anxious mind of my client’s taking over, struggling to recognize and accept their wants and needs. Instinctually we know what we don’t want, we don’t want pain, disappointment, sadness, all the things that make life seem less enjoyable. Oppositely, we aim to fill our lives with joy, meaningful connection, goodness, and fulfillment. The question is, how do we recognize the…
Steven Losardo, AMFT You may be wondering how to sustain a wellness routine at home. The good news is that it is achievable with commitment and accountability. If you are a remote worker, you may have already settled into a wellness routine during the pandemic. Many people have successfully taken up fitness programs at home, and utilized their home environment for their wellness routine. If sustaining a wellness routine is something you struggle with, don’t despair;…
Children often form their first deep bonds with the pets they grow up alongside. These relationships aren’t only about fun and companionship. Research shows that the benefits of family dogs for child development stretch into emotional growth, resilience, empathy, and responsibility. A family dog can be more than a friend. It can act as a teacher, a comforter, and a steady presence during both joyful and challenging times. How Family Dogs Shape Child Development The family dog…
By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Your attachment style was developed with your primary caregiver when you were an infant. Before understanding attachment, we must know how to recognize it and how it affects relationships and connections amidst our lives. What is Attachment? Attachment, also known as attachment bonds, is the “emotional connection you formed as an infant with your primary caregiver – probably your mother.” Typically, the quality of bonding you experienced during this first relationship…
Hannah Hopper, LPC Self-harm is something that happens often, and yet, like many other mental health challenges, there’s a lot of stigma around it. If you’ve never struggled with it before, it might be hard to understand why someone would engage in self-harm. But even though it’s hard to talk about self-harm, we can begin to break down the stigma by understanding why some people engage in it. So why do people self-harm? To feel present People…
By Eric Dean JD MBA MA MA LPC CADC Negative rumination is when we chew over and obsess about negative thoughts. When we ruminate, we tend to focus on what we perceive to be the causes, consequences, and symptoms of our distress, rather than solutions to alleviate it. Those who ruminate are more prone to anxiety, stress, and depression. In this post, I am going to review some reasons for why we ruminate. In future posts, I…
By Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC 3 Quick Tips for Achieving Peace of Mind In this time of great uncertainty, many of us find ourselves in an almost continuous state of stress. Here are some ways to alleviate stress: Manage Expectations “Expectations are premeditated resentments” – Unknown. How we feel is not only based on what happens to us, but also how these experiences align with our expectations. For example, if…