The Blog

6 Hours a Week to a Better Relationship

6 Hours a Week to a Better Relationship

Many couples want to have a better relationship but they don’t know where to start. They want to feel love and mutual trust but are unsure about how to build it. The first step begins with…

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Persistence and the Giant Bamboo

Persistence and the Giant Bamboo

I wanted to quit today. Badly. And the sun hadn’t even risen over the mountain ridge yet. I was finishing my third speed interval on the high school track and I felt horrible. I’ve been running consistently for three years trying to get fast enough to complete a...

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Finding Resilience in the Face of Tragedy: My Journey Through Trauma

Finding Resilience in the Face of Tragedy: My Journey Through Trauma

Grief can be a difficult thing to manage when you’re dealing with the trauma of losing a loved one to an accident. You feel like your life has been shattered and nothing can ever be the same again. But, I’m here to tell you that it is possible to find resilience in the face of tragedy. Through therapy, determination, and a lot of hard work, I was able to slowly but surely start to piece together the broken pieces of my life and learn how to cope with the trauma.

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The Crucial Role of the Therapeutic Relationship in Effective Therapy

The Crucial Role of the Therapeutic Relationship in Effective Therapy

In the vast landscape of psychotherapy, one aspect stands out as a cornerstone for successful therapeutic outcomes: the therapeutic relationship. As a marriage and family therapist, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power that lies within this unique bond between the therapist and the client. In this article, we will explore the importance of the therapeutic relationship, delve into what it is, discuss strategies for developing it, and examine its profound influence on the therapy process.

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Falling In Love: How to Follow Your Heart While Using Your Head

Falling In Love: How to Follow Your Heart While Using Your Head

When making choices regarding a healthy intimate relationship, many tend to overlook important aspects. It is easy to be fooled when falling in love, and things can get blurry.   We are overrun by the ideas that have shaped our view of what an intimate relationship should look like, and these can leave us misinformed.  Some of these views can be developed by watching our family and friends, reading romance novels, watching dramatic and unrealistic romantic movies, and our individual trial-and-error experiences.  It has been said that “LOVE is all you need,” but this is an overly simplistic statement for such a complex word.

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How to Know if Therapy Is the Right Decision for You

How to Know if Therapy Is the Right Decision for You

Unfortunately, in today’s world, there is still a relatively large stigma toward individuals receiving therapy and mental health treatment. For a lot of older generations, seeking the help of someone else to deal with personal problems can be viewed as weakness, and an inability to deal with your own issues. My goal in writing this is to help break some of those barriers that tend to keep individuals from seeking treatment, for fear that they are weak or might be scrutinized by those around them.

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Born To Flourish: How Internal Family Systems Therapy Heals Trauma

Born To Flourish: How Internal Family Systems Therapy Heals Trauma

If you’ve ever pondered, “Why, is this happening to me?” you may notice how different voices in your head start to speak up. One voice says, “It’s your fault.” Another blames your spouse, friend, or boss. Another tries to avoid the debate by suggesting ways to escape—”Watch Netflix. Get a drink. Stay late at work!” The voices don’t mean you’re crazy, it means, like everyone else, you’re made up of “parts” that each have needs, fears, and something they want you to know.

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From One Concussion Recovery Patient to Another

From One Concussion Recovery Patient to Another

Concussions are no joke. I’ve repeated that phrase countless times in the last couple of years. A traumatic brain injury can disrupt the body’s command center, the central nervous system. The once effortless pathway from one neurotransmitter to the next can be severed. Imagine this like a highway; cars are zooming down the road until one day, a big sinkhole appears. The road is then closed and detour signs are posted. The vehicles along this route will likely still make it to their destinations, only with more twists, turns, and time. 

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