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Hangxiety: What It Is and Tips to Manage It

November 5, 2020

Megan Mulroy, LPC Having a hangover is not an uncommon occurrence. Pounding headache, nausea, and fatigue are common symptoms. However, after a night of drinking many people suffer from a phenomenon known as “Hangxiety.” If you are unfamiliar, hangxiety is the intersection between a hangover and anxiety. Many people confuse hangxiety and regret. If you find yourself scrolling through your phone in fear to see what you texted or are worried about what you might have said,…

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Dysfunctional Family Roles Part 3: Are You a Lost Child or A Compulsive?

November 4, 2020

Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified  The Lost Child Aliases: “The Quiet One” “The Shy One,” “The Independent”  The “lost child” is the family member who retreats from family dysfunction due to feeling overwhelmed. They can spend a lot of time alone, pursue singular interests, and/or struggle to establish or maintain relationships with others. The lost child is rarely seen as a stressor in the family (unless they develop a compulsive coping mechanism; see #6, below).  For…

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Dysfunctional Family Roles Part 2: Are You a Scapegoat or A Hero?

November 3, 2020

Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified  The Scapegoat Aliases: “The Problem,” “The Bad One,” “The Crazy One” The scapegoat is the person in the family who is obviously struggling. They might express unhealthy behaviors, such as participation in illegal activities or acting out in the classroom or in the home. They might be viewed as unstable or as a “rebel.” The scapegoat is often in the family spotlight because they are regarded as the family member who…

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6 Barriers to Healthy Communication

November 2, 2020

By Eric Dean JD MBA MA MA LPC CADC One of the most common and important issues in couples counseling is communication. Without healthy communication, other goals such as building trust, having more intimacy, and demonstrating mutual respect are difficult to attain. For this post, I am going to lay out 6 factors that interfere with our ability to communicate effectively with our partner. Remember, when communication gets better, other facets of the relationship are also likely…

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Dysfunctional Family Roles Part 1: Are You an Enabler or a Jester?

November 1, 2020

Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, EMDR Certified  Regardless of if your family is biological or chosen, you have a role in your family. Your role may be healthy, unhealthy, or perhaps a combination of both. There are many factors that contribute to which role(s) you adopt and which one(s) you do not. It’s important to assess and change any dysfunctional roles in order to support your emotional health and improve your family relationships.  Ask yourself, do I embody…

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The Essentials of Effective Communication in a Romantic Relationship

October 31, 2020

By Eric Dean JD MBA MA MA LPC CADC When I ask couples why they are seeking therapy, I often hear “We want to work on our communication.” In a previous post I laid out barriers to effective communication. In this post I list ways to communicate in a healthy way with your partner. Assertiveness Assertive communication is about respecting your partner’s boundaries and your own. It includes being open and honest with how you are feeling…

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Does My Therapist Get Sad?

October 30, 2020

Megan Mulroy, LPC  The other day I was speaking with a friend who was going through some pretty heavy feelings and experiencing a very distressing depressed mood.  After describing what was going on for her, she looked at me and said something to the affect of, “It must be nice to know how to handle this all.” I almost laughed! I was currently going through some of my own stuff, unbeknownst to her. In reality, I was…

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The Importance of Attractive Alternatives

October 29, 2020

By Eric Dean JD MBA MA MA LPC CADC In the 1960’s, researchers conducted multiple studies with rats on the effects of drugs. The experimenters placed rats in a cage with two levers, one with drug-laced water and the other with plain water. Rats would obsessively press the lever for the drug-laced water until they overdosed and died. The conclusion then was that the chemical hooks in the drug were the most important factor in addiction; that…

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Do You Need to Change Your Spending Habits?

October 28, 2020

Kaitlin Broderick LCPC For the majority of people, our childhood and how we were raised have a direct impact on our relationship with money as adults. Beliefs about money that we learned in childhood such as “there is never enough” or “you need to value everything you own” can follow us into adulthood and can induce feelings of guilt about throwing things out that we no longer have use for.  What some people don’t realize is that…

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The Truth About Anger

October 27, 2020

Overtime, society has developed the mindset that anger is something that is bad and should be avoided. This mindset can lead many individuals to believe they have an anger or anger management problem leading to feelings of shame and anxiety. Contrary to what we may believe, anger is not actually a problem and viewing it as such can actually make things worse. Anger, like any emotion, is part of the human experience and is just as valid…

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