Your alarm clock goes off in the morning after a night of restless tossing and turning. You slowly get out of bed and feel “off”. Showering is exhausting, and getting dressed takes so much energy that you’re ready to crawl right back into bed. You think to yourself – “why bother? Nobody is going to […]

When we think of self-care, the most obvious thing to consider is if you are eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep.  Although this is very important to overall self-care, there are several other areas of your life to consider as well. Just like when you are flying on an airplane and it is suggested […]

Tea and Honey “I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,” said Pooh. “There, there,” said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do. Which one do you relate the most to? For me, it fluctuates. Sometimes I’m piglet, being the person offering the support. Sometimes I’m Pooh, when I’m just feeling down […]

“[…]  Pessimists can learn the skills of optimism and permanently improve the quality of their lives.” – Martin Seligman. Ph.D. My previous blog, Why Optimism Matters, established that optimism is pretty darn important. It can have a lasting impact on your health and overall well-being. Our mindset is powerful! Now that we recognize the importance […]

Persistent Depressive Disorder You’re the one always smiling and laughing to prove that you’re having fun in the social setting that you forced yourself to go to. You ask yourself, “can people see through my façade?,” and feel guilty for possibly pulling them down with you. Maybe joy comes in small waves. However, your laughter […]

Ever have those moments where you know something is bothering you, but you can’t quite place your finger on what it is exactly? Do you know general words to describe your situation, but then just draw a blank? Believe it or not, your therapist is not a mind reader. No one can tell you the […]

If you are new to this blog, we are following along what Philip J. Guerin, Jr. Leo F. Fay, Susan L. Burden, and Judith Gilbert Kautto wrote about in The Evaluation and Treatment of Marital Conflict. Family system factors, marital dyad factors, and triangle factors that impact marital conflict have been addressed in my previous […]

“Pessimistic prophecies are self-fulling.” – Martin Seligman, Ph.D. The topic of optimism reminds me of the common quote: “Life is what you make of it.” How one recovers from life events makes a critical impact. My summer reading currently consists of Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life written by Martin Seligman, […]

Defining EMDR and how it works EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, is “an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for treatment of trauma”. Created by Francine Sharpio in 1989, EMDR has evolved through practice and research all over the world. (For more specific examples, please visit https://www.emdria.org/page/emdr_therapy ) […]