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When It Feels Like Everyone is Getting Married, Except You

September 10, 2017
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling In today’s world, social media makes it convenient to become invested in other people’s relationships and compare yourself to them. It is easy to start to panic when every day you open your Instagram account and you see a new engagement announcement. Feelings of discomfort, sadness, or anxiety may arise. You may start to ask yourself, “Why am I not there yet?” or think, “I should have found the one…

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5 Symptoms of Infatuation

September 5, 2017
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Infatuation is a strong, overwhelming, and powerful feeling that we all have felt at some point. You have just met the “perfect” person and you have fallen head over heels for them. You would give anything to be with this person, you get butterflies every time you think about them, and everything feels like a fairytale. If you are currently feeling this way about your new love interest, you may…

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Are You Speaking Your Partner’s Love Language?

August 30, 2017
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Madissyn Fredericks, Licensed Professional Counselor, Symmetry Counseling Every person wants to feel loved by their partner, and at the same time, wants their partner to feel loved by them. When this is not the case, one partner may feel unloved or misunderstood. We all express and feel love differently, and understanding those differences can help enhance your relationship. Dr. Gary Chapman discovered five ways to express or receive love in his book, The Five Love Languages: The…

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Codependency Decoded

August 15, 2017
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The term codependency has become an increasingly common part of everyday vernacular for those interested in self-improvement. It is a term that often emerges in therapy as we begin to identify relationship patterns that maintain cycles of hurt, disappointment, and resentment. You may have even heard the term described in relation to you, a relationship in your life, or someone in your sphere. Yet, despite its increasing presence in common parlance, developing an easy-to-understand and accurate description…

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Communication Strategies to Make Your Relationship Thrive

August 10, 2017
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By: Anne Brennan Malec, PsyD, LMFT Couples within a relationship are always communicating, even with nonverbal interactions when one or the other may be engaging in the silent treatment. Communication is the oxygen in a relationship – without it, the relationship dies. A common complaint expressed during relationship or marriage counseling is that couples try to talk but have difficulty because the conversation escalates into forms of frustration and disrespect. There are multiple avenues to resolving this…

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Making Change in Therapy: What Are Your Motivations and Expectations?

August 5, 2017
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What makes you decide that it is time to start seeing a therapist? There can be many reasons why a person or couple make this personal decision, but it is important to consider some of the motivating factors that can affect that decision as you begin this work. For instance, a previous therapeutic experience with a psychologist or counselor can color your perceptions. It can make starting the therapy process again feel overwhelming. It might leave you…

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Getting to Know Your Inner Child

July 18, 2017
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We all have beginnings as children, playing, laughing, loving, and interacting with the world as if it were magical. Even though we age, our earlier life experiences are still within us. Those creative, carefree, and childlike parts are still there, and so are any challenging and traumatic experiences we may have experienced in our youth. Both the positive and challenging experiences can affect our mental health into adulthood. As we age, it is common to consciously and/or…

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What is "Self-Care"?

July 11, 2017
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“Self-care” has become a familiar term in pop culture and is commonly promoted by Millennials through hashtags, personal blogging, and other media outlets. Therapists commonly talk to their clients about the importance of practicing self-care on a daily basis as a way to help with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns as well as a way to improve overall well-being. However, what may not be talked about as much is what self-care actually is and why…

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A Relationship for the 21st Century

July 4, 2017
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By: Anne Brennan Malec, PsyD, LMFT Do you want to have a relationship style that meets the needs of the 21st-century family?  This is a style that is mutually beneficial and emotionally rewarding. This is a relationship in which responsibility, accountability, and decision-making are shared. Marriage counseling can help, if your relationship is not where you’d like it to be. In order to achieve this, with or without the help of a counselor, you should try to…

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3 Ways to Keep the Spark Alive in a Relationship

July 1, 2017
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It probably comes as no surprise that many couples have difficulty keeping their “spark” alive throughout their relationship.  As time goes on, the “infatuation stage” wears off anywhere from six months to two years in, and often, desire decreases and stressors increase as a couple has children, more financial stressors, and more professional stressors that may lead them to feel the need for marriage counseling.  However, some couples seem to maintain their intimacy and desire over time,…

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