Loneliness is now considered a public health crisis that affects more than 30% of people living in the United States. People ages 18-24 report the highest rate of loneliness, with older adults and veterans reporting loneliness rates that closely follow. The negative impact of loneliness on one’s health is comparable … Read More
Rehabilitation Counseling Explained – Part One
Looking for a mental health professional can seem overwhelming. You may have a picture and a brief bio, but often a name, followed by a bunch of mysterious letters, represents most of the available information. Understanding the letters behind a counselor’s name, acronyms denoting certifications and licensure type, can provide … Read More
A Closer Look at Your Inner Dialogue: How Toxic Thinking and Negative Self Talk Impacts Your Physical and Mental Health
What you think can affect your health to a greater degree than you might realize. “Negativity can actually change your brain chemistry,” says Loretta Graziano Breuning, PhD, author of “Habits of a Happy Brain.” She notes that when people default to negative thinking, there is an increase in levels of … Read More
Social Media During Divorce
According to the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory, divorce ranks second in the list of most stressful events in life. If you are going through, or even contemplating divorce, you should know that the stress of divorce is probably going to wear you down. There is no doubt that anyone going through … Read More
Alternatives to Punishment for Your Child
Do you ever feel as though punishing your child for misbehavior results in more misbehavior? When a child misbehaves, a parent’s natural response is to punish the child. However, research indicates that punishment is often ineffective, and results in the child engaging in behavior that is opposite from what is … Read More
How to Be a Great Date
When it comes to dating, there is no shortage of ‘helpful’ advice; there’s an ocean of books, blogs, friends, and strangers sitting next to you on the subway eager to share their thoughts about your dating life. And some of the advice actually is helpful, but it’s often buried under … Read More
More Than Happy: Cultivating Wholehearted Living
The pursuit of happiness: our country is founded on it, and our culture is fixated on it. But what if there is more to life than being happy? What if, at the end of our lives, we looked back to see if we had lived a full, abundant life? What … Read More
It Isn’t in My Blood
“Help me, it’s like the walls are caving in. Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I just can’t. It isn’t in my blood.” Some may recognize these words from Shawn Mendes’s hit song, “It Isn’t in My Blood.“ In this song, Mendes courageously sings about his struggle with anxiety. His … Read More
Identifying Coping Activities
In our busy culture, I find that it is often hard to identify what we enjoy doing for fun, or self-care. I ask clients regularly what they enjoy doing for fun or self-care. You would think that I asked them how to save the planet! I get blank stares, shrugged … Read More
Dating in Swipe Right Culture
Coffee Meets Bagel Tinder Match Hinge Eharmony Christian Mingle Zoosk Elite Dating Bumble …the list continues. How can we not feel overloaded with the amount of online dating platforms? In the past, when trying out online dating apps, I was left with a mixture of emotions…shame (after being asked countless … Read More