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Navigating Romantic Relationships, Part I

December 19, 2020

By: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC My clientele ranges from age eighteen to people in their forties and fifties, so romantic relationships come up in just about every session. The dating world can be confusing, and many clients wonder what to do when they are ready for the next step, but the partner fails to commit and wants to wait and see how and where it goes. Navigating Romantic Relationships: What If They Aren’t Certain About a…

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Can Stress Be Good for Me?

December 18, 2020

I work with many clients who struggle with stress and anxiety. Many times, clients are looking for ways to better manage their stress. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) there is a difference between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses. Stress is typically caused by a trigger and has a short-term affect; whereas anxiety is persistent worry that doesn’t go away even with the lack of stressor. Either way, stress and anxiety are both challenging…

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Am I Burned Out From Work Due to Working From Home?

December 17, 2020

I work with many clients who are truly starting to struggle with their work transition of working from home 100% of the time due to the current global pandemic. Some clients of mine were working remotely prior the pandemic, and they too are struggling due to most of their shared office spaces/coffee shops are currently closed. One of my jobs as their clinician is to help the client understand some warning signs that they could be burning…

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What Is Traumatic Grief and How Can I Cope With It? Part 2

December 16, 2020

If you read my last blog post titled, “What is traumatic grief and how can I cope with it?” referencing the article from Funeral Basics titled, “7 Tips for coping with traumatic grief” highlighting Dr. Wolfelt’s grief counseling techniques, you may be wondering what the additional 5 coping mechanisms are.  Below highlights Dr. Wolfelt’s remaining coping mechanisms.      Don’t run or be scared of your feelings. It is encouraged to take a mindfulness stance when experiencing your…

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What Is Traumatic Grief and How Can I Cope With It? Part 1

December 15, 2020

I work with many clients who have experienced grief in their life. Whether it is a loss of a family member, loss of an event in their life, loss of a relationship, or maybe a loss of someone they cared about who unfortunately passed away in a traumatic way. My job as my clients’ clinician is to help identify terms for them, such as traumatic loss, with the hopes that identifying terms, the client and I can…

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How Can I Redefine Success?

December 14, 2020

I work with many clients who are experiencing anxiety related to the current state of the world in 2020. Prior to the pandemic, many clients in sessions would speak to what their goals were, what success looked like to them, and how they could reach their goals.   I recently have been speaking to my clients about the idea of redefining success right now. There are certain things in life that are much more challenging than prior to…

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How Can I Connect With My Coworkers While Working from Home?

December 13, 2020

I work with many clients who are struggling with connecting with others due to many interactions have become virtual since March, especially with coworkers. With this lack of social connection, I have definitely seen an increase in depression in my clients as many times loneliness and depression can go hand in hand. One of my jobs as my clients’ clinician is to better help them find creative ways to connect with others, especially while in this pandemic.…

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COVID-19: How Is Children’s Mental Health Affected?

December 12, 2020

Melanie Lustbader, LPC  PART 1 In March of 2020, everything changed for the worst. This has been a stressful year for everyone, including children. The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought increased anxiety and stress. Adults and children have been pulled from their normal routine and have had significant changes to their lifestyle.  Fear and Anxiety When a child faces significant change it can possibly cause fear and anxiety. Tolerating uncertainty is scary, even for children who typically…

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Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Midst of a Pandemic

December 11, 2020

There are two very different trains of thought that can come when thinking about winter. The first are thoughts of holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, time with family, eating delicious foods, participating in traditions, and making joyous and happy memories. The other, less desirable train of thought includes shortened days, less hours of sunlight and more darkness, cold weather, less opportunities to go outside or painful memories of past holidays that didn’t go the way you had…

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Did You Know That Resentment Is Withholding Peace from Your Life?

December 10, 2020

Steven Losardo, AMFT More than ever, we need some peace in our lives. The kind of peace that surpasses one’s understanding when it shows up during unforeseen chaos. The inner tranquility brings us a sense we are loved while providing joy, patience, kindness, and goodness. Unfortunately, the road to this mindful place can have a few cobwebs entangling us in relational discord or even hatred. Often, this is due to resentments that we may hold. I wrote…

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