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How Do I Shift My Mindset (Just in Time for the New Year)?

February 8, 2021
How Can I Establish Boundaries with My Family During the Holidays

It’s no secret that our mindset tends to dictate the way we interpret experiences throughout our lives. If we’re in a good mood we typically look on the bright side of things. Find the positives wherever we can. If we’re in a bad mood, everything’s terrible and nothing is going our way. During my sessions with clients, I find myself frequently discussing how we can shift our perspective. How we perceive things affects how we feel and…

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How Can I Stand Up for What I Need?

February 6, 2021
How Can I Stand Up for What I Need

By: Danielle Bertini, LPC Are you the type of person who tries their best to be respectful and show compassion and concern towards others when they need it? Maybe you’re too pleasing most of the time. Or maybe you really connect with the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” But how often is it that you cater to others, but they often don’t return the favor? Learning to stand up…

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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…

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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…

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Why Is Understanding PTSD So Crucial Before Having an Affair?

December 26, 2020

Steven Losardo, AMFT This blog will review why one should seriously consider the potential impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on one’s partner before having an affair. Adding the context of a hypothetical situation, suppose you know a couple married for 20 years and who have two children. You consider their relationship to be sound and appreciate their positive perspective. That said, you realize that while they are both happy, there is less fondness and admiration over…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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Did You Know That Resentment Is Withholding Peace from Your Life?

December 10, 2020

Inner peace feels rare during stressful moments, yet it can grow when we address unresolved resentment. Lingering anger blocks emotional balance and affects how we show up in relationships. Many people struggle with this burden as it creates ongoing tension and disrupts daily life. How to let go of resentment becomes a crucial question when we want a calmer mind and steadier connections with others. Resentment acts like a reminder of old wounds. These memories replay as…

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How Can My Partner and I Increase Intimacy in Our Relationship?

December 8, 2020

Danielle Bertini, LPC There are many different aspects in relationships that are important.  And one of those aspects is intimacy. Intimacy is the sense of another person fully knowing you and loving you because of who you are. This requires a large amount of honesty and vulnerability. Intimacy can be fostered both in and out of the bedroom. Kerry (2016) offers ten ways to increase intimacy in your relationship.    Disclose more to feel closer.   A…

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