Everyone’s relationship to forgiveness is different, just like everyone’s reason to forgive is different. Forgiveness is a state of consciousness, not an action. Meaning, forgiveness is not about forgetting, but more about releasing the power of the pain that was caused. We might think that by withholding forgiveness, we hold the power.

STRESS. This word has probably buzzed through your head throughout majority of 2020. Teenagers, similar to adults, most likely experience stress every day and can benefit from learning healthy stress management. Most teens experience stress when a situation feels dangerous, difficult or painful.

When she was a little older, she realized that her brain being wired in a different way actually meant she had ADHD. When she had this revelation, she was shocked. All the kids that had THAT were troublemakers, spacey, impulsive. They were people she did not want to be. So, she held onto that fact like a secret. She worked even harder to change how her brain worked

Ever wonder why we can have such strong, opposing views and needs from those closest to us? Have you experienced recurring conflicts with partners, parents, or friends that leave you feeling misunderstood?

We all know that following a healthy diet can positively impact our physical health. But did you know that it can also help to improve our mental health? Serotonin is considered our ‘happy chemical’. Serotonin is created throughout the body, including in your GI tract and our brain, with most of it being produced in our GI tract.

If you’ve heard of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), chances are you’ve heard that PCIT is for the “bad” kids. The kids that are the troublemakers in class, who don’t listen to anyone, have extreme temper tantrums, and the list goes on and on.

We’ve all been there, everything seems to be going wrong and we can’t seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel… sounds like 2020, right? These are the moments when it is most important to remember “It’s a bad day, not a bad life.” No single moment, series of interactions, or an entire year should hold enough power to determine the quality of your day or your life overall.

Many people understand that trauma can have a significant impact on a child’s view of life, their ability to trust others, or how safe they feel. But one area of life that many people seem to forget is that trauma can affect a child’s ability to learn in the classroom.

Dyslexia and other learning disabilities can be a long, hard haul for kids as they navigate school, home, peers and higher education. A learning disability not only affects the child, it affects the family. Thankfully, so much more is known about learning challenges; schools and parents are more equipped now than ever before to find ways to best help the students learn-to-learn.

When experiencing emotional discomfort, we either cope through behaviors that numb or distract us or allow us to feel into the emotion. The behavior is either helpful or healthy.  

Many parents are struggling to adapt to the new norm of raising children during a pandemic. Between a decrease in childcare options, kids attending school virtually from home, and concerns of keeping families healthy, parents are finding it difficult to navigate the chaos.  

There is so much to consider when it comes to boundaries. Do your boundaries differ from person to person? Are they tight? Loose? Have you considered the difference between your psychological, emotional, and physical boundaries? How have your boundaries been crossed in the past? What does it look like to communicate your boundaries to others? It can feel overwhelming to explore what boundaries mean for us.

If you are like many other individuals experiencing life in this pandemic, you are likely feeling elevated levels of stress. In a recent survey done by the CDC comparing reports of adverse mental health outcomes in 2019, respondents reported experiencing 4 times as much depression, 3 times are much anxiety and 2 times as much suicidal thoughts in 2020. This is clearly a difficult time to be a human. 

I’ve heard time and time again, “but we aren’t about to get divorced, so we don’t need couples therapy.”  Think of couples therapy as exercise. You are not going to exercise only when you get lab results back saying your numbers are bad. You are most likely going to work out as a preventative measure. Sure, some couples come to therapy when they are on the brink of divorce, just like some people start working out when they have a doctor’s appointment go poorly or when something happens in their life (heart attack, etc.).  

As a therapist for teenagers I often get asked how a parent can best support their child while they are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. With the help of some of my teenage clients, parents, and fellow therapists, I created this list of possible ways parents can support their child who is experiencing anxiety and/or depression.

Hands up if your relationship with your partner has taken a toll over the last few months! You are not alone in feeling like navigating the waters of a global pandemic and relationship turmoil is just plain exhausting. Maybe you are the couple that has been quarantined with your partner more than you would like. Maybe you are feeling the stress of schedule changes, financial hardships, and childcare.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a therapeutic approach that aims to challenge and rewrite unhelpful or negative thoughts and behaviors by examining how one thinks (cognitive) and behaves (behavioral). CBT works to instill emotional regulation and coping techniques in individuals in order to solve interpersonal challenges.

Most of the time we function as beasts of empathy. We are geared to take on the emotions of those around us. If you are with someone who is angry, you will tend to take on that anger. If you are around someone who is sad, you will tend to share in their sadness. In the same way, we tend to share in happiness. 

It’s no secret that long-lasting love takes work and determination. Often at the beginning of a relationship, we are smitten with our partners. We might think “no disagreement will ever drive us apart” “or “our love is stronger than any conflict we might face”. Yet, after time passes, an argument here, a disagreement there, we might experience a drifting away from each other – yearning for the closeness we felt at the beginning of our love story.  

According to the National Association of Social Workers, “EBP [evidence-based practice] is a process in which the practitioner combines well-researched interventions with clinical experience, ethics, client preferences, and culture to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services.”