marriage and family therapist
Jessica Pontis, LCSW Everyone wants to have a voice, but sometimes we struggle to connect with our strength and speak our truth. We all wish to be assertive when it comes to standing up for ourselves and what we believe in, though struggle to find the words or are concerned about the perception of others. To be assertive is to show confidence and appropriate forcefulness in situations where our beliefs, opinions, or desires differ from that of…
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Steven Topper LCPC Over the past few years, we’ve seen a boom in the proliferation of mindfulness. Commodified to apps, businesses have attempted to harness the power of mindfulness to increase productivity. Within that proliferation has been a watering down of the tenets of mindfulness- which is frequently the case when ideas move into the mainstream. In an effort to reach more people, the ideas themselves become homogenized, more easily digestible. And while Headspace and Calm have…
Read MoreSteven Topper LCPC Take a moment to reflect on the last few weeks. What has been a struggle? Where has pain showed up in your days and nights? What has gone well? What do you wish could have been different? How do you wish you could have been different? See if some of these reflections yield familiar results. Themes that you’ve known about for quite a while. Commonly, our struggles are old ones, maybe repackaged for new…
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I remember one of the first times I was introduced to the concept of “fat”. I was a third grader (about 8 years old) when a friend made the comment, “my mom told me if your arms or thighs jiggle, it means your fat.” As a child I remember feeling so concerned that because my thighs gave the slightest jiggle, I must have been fat. I grew up in the diet culture of the 90’s and early…
Read MoreBy: Bridgette W. Gottwald, LPC, NCC If you read my last blog post, which was part one of this two-part blog series, you learned many things that you would be able to observe from the body language of others. It discussed studying the eyes, facial movements, and proximity of body positioning. Part two includes information about mirroring, head movements, feet and hand signals, and more! Is the other person mirroring you? Mirroring of body language or behavior…
Read MoreBy Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC This is the million-dollar question to which I am going to respond with the unsatisfying answer: “It Depends.” Of course, there is no way to accurately predict the future, especially when it comes to relationships which are inherently messy and complicated. However, there are common reasons why relationships end. In this post, I will share four of them. Overdependence on one partner for emotional well-being…
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By Eric Dean JD, MBA, MA, MA, LPC, CADC Healthy communication is essential to relationship satisfaction and sustainability. While many of us know that listening is important, we may not have a firm grasp on what healthy listening looks like. In my professional experience working with couples, I believe that the most important communication skill is Reflective Listening (“RL”). In this post I will define RL, explain why it is important, describe what it can help you…
Read MoreWritten by Kara Thompson, Licensed Social Worker Self-esteem, self-care, self-talk… If you’ve spent any time reading the hottest self-help book or participated in any sort of individual therapy, I’m sure you’re familiar with these terms. As we spend time turned inwards towards the “self,” it’s also important that we bring our awareness to another: self-compassion. As defined by Dr. Kristin Neff and Dr. Christopher Germer, “self-compassion involves treating yourself the way you would treat a friend who…
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If you asked someone a year ago if they wanted to return to “normal,” it’s likely the answer would be “yes” before you were even able to finish the question. Maybe you would’ve been met with, “Is that even a question?! Of course, I want to go back to normal!”. If you asked that same person the same question today, you may be met with a different response. Human beings are incredibly adaptable and resilient and after…
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