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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,…

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…

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…

What’s Your Attachment Style?

May 12, 2020

Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified  If you want to improve your relationships, it might be helpful to identify your style of attachment. Your attachment style usually manifests in childhood and impacts your attachment patterns as an adult. The four types of attachment styles are secure, avoidant, anxious, and disorganized.  Do you know which style of attachment is yours? In order to identify your style, you should look for patterns of how you function and feel in…

Attachment Figures Who Aren’t Your Parents

May 10, 2020

Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified An “attachment figure” is just what it sounds like: a figure to whom you attach. It was once thought that your main attachment figures were your parents. But the more we learn about attachment, the more we realize that people don’t just attach to their parents but attach to a variety of different figures in their lives. In fact, some people do not attach to their biological parents at all. Why?…

Fact vs. Fiction: We Can’t Always Decode Nonverbals

May 8, 2020

Danielle Bertini, LPC There are countless examples in the media, especially related to celebrities, in which a story is posted about something they are doing and make reaching judgments about what is going on. For example, a story was posted about Prince William in which he was “caught” giving the middle finger to onlookers. A journalist wrote, “You can even see a look of smug confidence on his face too.” Oops; that was actually a profile shot.…

The Impact of Screen Time on Families and Relationships

April 30, 2020

It’s no secret we’ve entered a completely new era in terms of technology. Twenty years ago, there were no iPhones, there was dial up internet and the only social media site was Myspace. Today, family and relationship dynamics look very different because technology has changed the way we communicate. How often do we go out to dinner and spend at least part of the meal on our phones? If you were to look up, would you see other people…

Book Recommendation: “Breaking up with Sugar" by Molly Carmel

April 28, 2020

Shannon M. Duffy, MFT, LCPC When a former colleague writes a book, of course it’s exciting and a must read in support. However, this read is so much more and I feel I must share it and recommend it to all. In my private practice I work with disordered eating and eating disorders and this book really focuses in on how to look at your relationship food and find peace with it. It also presents what we…

How To Get Others to Open Up

March 27, 2020

We often times meet individuals that feel more open and talkative and ones that are quieter and harder to have a discussion with.  When we are trying to get people to open up, it can be hard to get them to talk.  So how can we try to have a conversation with someone who is not going to talk?  In this blog, I help you identify ways to help someone open up, but also to help you…

Different Types of Mental Health Professionals

March 25, 2020

Mental Health Professionals are in various settings, such as private practices, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, schools, mental health clinics, etc. They perform different types of work and have similar but distinct educational backgrounds. When searching for the perfect therapist for yourself, you might see a few different letters behind their name, such as LPC, LCPC, MSW, LCSW, LMFT PsyD, PhD, MD, or even Dr. before their name. What do these letters mean, and should you consider them when…