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How Do I Shift My Mindset (Just in Time for the New Year)?

February 8, 2021

It’s no secret that our mindset tends to dictate the way we interpret experiences throughout our lives. If we’re in a good mood we typically look on the bright side of things. Find the positives wherever we can. If we’re in a bad mood, everything’s terrible and nothing is going our way. During my sessions with clients, I find myself frequently discussing how we can shift our perspective. How we perceive things affects how we feel and…

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How Can I Stand Up for What I Need?

February 6, 2021

By: Danielle Bertini, LPC Are you the type of person who tries their best to be respectful and show compassion and concern towards others when they need it? Maybe you’re too pleasing most of the time. Or maybe you really connect with the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” But how often is it that you cater to others, but they often don’t return the favor? Learning to stand up…

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Am I Dating a Narcissist?

January 22, 2021

Kaitlin Broderick LCPC  The word narcissist is thrown around quite frequently nowadays. Many of us have had experience with a narcissist, whether it be a boss, family member, friend, or significant other. Narcissism is a personality disorder characterized by grandiosity, an excessive need for admiration, a big ego, and a lack of empathy for others. Someone can have traits of the disorder without meeting the full criteria of the personality disorder. Narcissists can be very charming and…

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What is OCD?

January 21, 2021

Kaitlin Broderick LCPC   OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has become a term that is tossed around lightly. You probably have heard people say, “I’m so organized and like to keep things in perfect order, I have ocd” or maybe you have said this yourself. It is a common misconception that just because one values cleanliness and order this makes them have OCD. Liking things a certain way and being detail-oriented doesn’t mean you have the disorder. The…

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What Does It Mean To Be Happy?

January 20, 2021

Kaitlin Broderick LCPC  Happiness isn’t something that is easy to define. People often ask themselves, how can I be happier or how can I get more joy out of everyday life?  Why aren’t I as happy as this person seems to be? Happiness is a subjective state of well-being, and what makes one person happy won’t necessarily make a different person happy. It is an emotional state that varies widely from day to day or even hour…

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Understanding How Attachment Affects Our Relationships

January 19, 2021

Matthew Cuddeback LCSW Warning: we will be discussing some lite psychological theory, something that can be considered by those who are not psychology-nerds, boring. Hopefully, you find that an interesting prospect, but even if you don’t, I assure you that we are really talking about why you have the relationships you have, and hopefully that is more interesting to you. Attachment theory which originated with John Bowlby in the 1960s refers to the ways in which our…

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Tips for Building Habits that Last

January 18, 2021

Jessica Pontis, LCSW Building and maintaining healthy habits is hard enough, add the stress of what our community is currently facing and establishing rituals that feel right seems almost impossible.  However, now more than ever we need to have routine and healthy habits that ground us in the here and now.  Here are a few simple ways to get started in building a healthy habit that will last far longer than this pandemic.   Start Small Beginning to…

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What Are You Doing Right Now to Manage Stress?

January 17, 2021

By Eric Dean JD MBA MA MA LPC CADC Distress is inevitable, so we need to find ways to manage it. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) gives us the acronym ACCEPTS to manage stress in healthy ways and use it to our advantage: Activities Participating in hobbies that you enjoy can help combat distress. Oftentimes, when we are overwhelmed, we become uninterested in activities we typically enjoy. In these situations, it is key to not wait until you…

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Reclaiming the Term “Self-Care” and Discovering What It Means to You

January 16, 2021

In our society, the term “self-care” has become a phrase loosely thrown around by many who may not actually know what self-care truly encompasses. In a previous blog post titled, “What’s the Deal with Self-Care?” I discussed the 4 different types of self-care: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. After gaining a better understanding of the different ways self-care can show up in our daily lives, we can then begin defining what self-care means to us and how…

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How Can I Discuss Politics with Family?

January 6, 2021

By: Danielle Bertini, LPC With the upcoming presidential election right around the corner as well as the holiday season, I have found that many people are anxious with not knowing how to potentially discuss politics with their families. Although not every family structure talks about politics, some families enjoy talking about politics the same way some families talk about their favorite sports teams: with a one-sided passion that they expect everyone else to share. However, talking about…

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