As summer comes to an end, you may notice your kids asking more questions about going back to school. The start of a new school year may also bring on a case of butterflies about all the upcoming changes. Kids may feel worried about having a new teacher, finding friends … Read More
Valentine’s Day: A couples approach to navigating sex.
Valentine’s Day is upon us, once again. As we approach a day that is supposed to be about love, affirmation, and connection, couples can overthink the idea of Valentine’s Day. We can get caught up in the idea of a romantic dinner that is going to cost a few hundred … Read More
Strengthening Your Stepfamily: Part 6
From the onset, a stepfamily has several moving parts that a first family doesn’t encounter. For the children in a stepfamily, it is an overwhelming amount of change and can feel destabilizing. Studies have shown that that the most disrupting factor for children is not divorce, but exposure to parental … Read More
Depression in Teenagers- See the Signs
Teenagers today are faced with ever-increasing pressures. From the changes of puberty, the pressure to fit in, meeting academic and parental expectations, peer pressure and the media, it’s no wonder that an estimated 3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States experienced at least one major depressive episode. … Read More
Finding Meaning in Everyday Life
We are wired to search for meaning or purpose in life. We chase after it in our goals, careers, families, etc. But sometimes it is difficult to find purpose in everyday life. Even when we have achieved major goals, we are still discontent with where we are in life. Purpose … Read More
Strengthening Your Stepfamily: Part 5
Every family has it’s own unique culture. Family cultures include a set of belief systems that include aspects such as: how to spend money, how to spend time, what acceptable behaviors are and family traditions and rituals. When a stepfamily unites, they face the challenge of merging these cultures (Papernow, … Read More
Rationalization is Unhealthy
Over the past few months, I’ve written about a number of defense mechanisms and the important role they play in human interaction. Defense mechanisms reflect the mind’s brilliantly creative approach to protecting itself. While each of them can be effective in different situations, I freely admit that rationalization is my … Read More
Decision Making with Distractions
Thanks to technology, travel, and education, we live in a world of almost endless possibilities. We have access to opportunities and experiences that previous generations couldn’t have even imagined. However, it’s also easier than ever to lose focus, to lose valuable time simply sorting through our options. It can feel … Read More
Conflict in Marriage: Two Kinds
Conflict in marriage is what brings many couples into counseling. With two unique individuals coming together, values, opinions, and personality traits are bound to collide. According to John Gottman, a leading research scientist on marriage and family, all marital conflicts fall into one of two categories: either they can be … Read More
How’s Your Emotional Hygiene?
Have you ever stopped to consider that many people spend more time taking care of their physical health than their psychological health? Ignoring psychological injuries (failure, rejection, loneliness) can worsen just as much as ignoring a recurring migraine or strained muscle. In his TED Talk, “Why We All Need to … Read More
