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Is EMDR For Me?

April 30, 2021

Hannah Hopper, LPC Maybe you’ve heard of EMDR from a friend, your therapist has referenced it as a treatment to try, or you’ve seen it in a TV show. EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – is a type of therapy that uses bilateral stimulation or eye movements to help clients process and desensitize traumatic events and beliefs. It has quickly gained popularity since it was first developed, and is now one of the leading evidence-based…

What Are Love Maps and Why Are They Important?

February 23, 2021

Kyle Lawell, Licensed Professional Counselor Your partner asks you to pick up some groceries on your way home from work: ice cream, paper towels, cereal, eggs, and flour. You go to the store, quickly breeze through the aisles and grab these groceries before making your way home. Upon putting the groceries away and settling down after a long day of work, your partner comes to you and expresses frustration about the groceries that you bought. While you…

Remedies to the Four Horsemen

February 18, 2021

Hannah Hopper, LPC, NCC In my last blog I described what the Four Horsemen are, and how they can show up in romantic relationships. To recap, the Four Horsemen are unhealthy patterns that couples can fall into with communication, and once these patterns are identified they can be replaced with productive and respectful ways of responding. The name comes from the end times described in the New Testament where there are Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that…

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

February 17, 2021

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW This is part II of a series about mental health in media. If you are so inclined, please be sure to read Part I- They Really Were on A Break: Couples Therapy with Ross and Rachel. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the perennial holiday classic by John Hughes is a classic for many reasons, the indomitable comedy everyman John Candy, and the absurdist humor embodied by Steve Martin to name a few. However, one aspect…

What Do I Do If My Partner and I Have Different Love Languages?

December 29, 2020

By: Danielle Bertini, LPC There are many different ways that you can express your love to someone, as well as different ways that you might want to receive love. Not everyone speaks the same language. According to Gary Chapman there are actually five different love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch (Chapman, 1995). Having a different love language from your partner can sometimes be difficult to navigate and cause…

What Are the Stages of an Intimate Relationship?

December 28, 2020

Kaitlin Broderick LCPC  Every relationship is unique in its own way, however, there are certain stages of intimate relationships that many couples navigate through. Relationship experts the Gottman’s found through their work with couples certain stages that most intimate relationships go through. Each stage can either bring the couple closer together or push the couple further apart.  The first phase of a relationship is known as the honeymoon stage. This is the phase of a relationship where…

Why Is Understanding PTSD So Crucial Before Having an Affair?

December 26, 2020

Steven Losardo, AMFT Trust forms the emotional backbone of long-term relationships. When that trust breaks through infidelity, the impact often reaches far beyond anger or sadness. PTSD after infidelity can surface in ways many people never expect, affecting emotional stability, physical health, and family dynamics. Consider a long-married couple with children and years of shared history. On the surface, life feels stable. Affection fades slightly, routines take over, and connection feels different than it once did. One…

Transference, Countertransference, and Vicarious Trauma

December 21, 2020

Mary-Lauren O’Crowley, MA, NCC “A hurtful act is the transference to others of the degradation which we bear in ourselves” – Simone Weil Put simply, transference is the idea that clients will bring residual feelings or issues from past relationships and transfer or project them onto the counselor in the current therapeutic relationship. Clients interact with and react to people and situations in a way that reveals patterns from their past. It is through this process of projection that…

Navigating Romantic Relationships, Part II

December 20, 2020

Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC Life is all about the connections we make and the relationships we sustain that bring joy and happiness into our lives. One of the most important relationships we will have is the one with the person that we choose to spend the rest of our life with. Choosing a life partner is difficult, and following and having trust within your own path with this is key. You’re not late, you’re not early,…

Navigating Romantic Relationships, Part I

December 19, 2020

By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC My clientele ranges from age eighteen to people in their forties and fifties, so romantic relationships come up in just about every session. The dating world can be confusing, and many clients wonder what to do when they are ready for the next step, but the partner fails to commit and wants to wait and see how and where it goes. Navigating Romantic Relationships: What If They Aren’t Certain About a…