When Your Mind Checks Out: Understanding Dissociation Have you ever been sitting in a meeting, staring at someone talking, and suddenly realize you haven’t heard a single word they said? Or maybe you’ve been driving home and suddenly think, Wait, how did I even get here? That strange, floaty feeling—like your brain hit “pause” on reality for a bit—is something...

Begin Your Mindfulness Meditation Journey 10 Minutes at a Time When we think of the term “meditation”, we picture a serene individual sitting for hours on end with a content look on their face. Such looks are ones we yearn to have especially in current times of instability and confusion. However, just like the decline of gym membership subscriptions after January,...

ChatGPT Addiction: How AI Is Leading Us Down a Path of Addiction In the world fueled by the advancement of marvelous technologies, the visionaries of bygone days progressively become tangible pieces of innovation that exist outside of Hollywood movies. From laptops and smartphones to VR headsets and smartwatches, and now artificial intelligences that are becoming...

Handling Grief During the Holidays The holiday season can bring up lots of joyful emotions, but also negative emotions. Individuals experiencing grief during the holidays may not know how to handle this difficult time. Holidays used to be filled with happy memories and laughter, now to be replaced with sadness and holiday grief. All the happy memories turn...

Red Flags in a Relationship When it comes to relationships, no two are alike. Some things work for some relationships that may not necessarily work for others. Whatever the dynamic of your relationship may be, it is important to be able to assess when relationship red flags are present. These are some examples of red flags in a relationship to look out...

Learn How To Trust Yourself Do you often struggle with decisions, completely paralyzed and unable to move forward? Or do you text everyone you know asking what they would do? Or maybe you’ve finally decided, but then immediately doubt yourself, convinced you got it wrong? If so, over time you’ve lost touch with your intuition and the ability to trust...

Your AI Therapist Will Not See You Soon If you had asked me a year ago whether an AI therapist could ever replace my job as a human therapist, I would have said it was highly unlikely, at least within my lifetime. After all, therapy is grounded in human connection, empathy, and nuanced understanding. Yet over the past few months, a plethora of news stories brought...

How Suicide Grief is Different Than Other Types of Grief September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time when we focus on both prevention and supporting those affected by suicide loss. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than 720,000 people die due to suicide every year. This means it’s likely that you or someone you know has experienced...

Why Problem-Solving Can Cause Relationship Problems You’ve had one of those days. Work was a disaster, your family is driving you crazy, or maybe everything just feels overwhelming. You walk through the door and all you want is to tell your partner about it. You need someone to understand what you’re going through. This is a moment where relationship...

Do I Need Therapy or Marriage Counseling? You’re lying awake at 2 AM again, replaying the same argument you and your partner had last week. Or maybe this week. Honestly, they’re all starting to blur together. You know something needs to change, but you’re stuck on a crucial question: “Do I need therapy and to work on myself first or do I need...

Intellectualization: Thinking About Your Feelings Instead of Feeling Them I used to think I was really emotionally aware. When something upset me, I could explain exactly why it upset me, how it fit into a pattern, why my nervous system was responding the way it was. It all made perfect sense. And I thought this made me in touch with my emotions. Turns out I was...

The Slow Work of Feeling Suppressed Emotions Working with emotions—especially when they’ve been buried, shut down, or hard to name—reminds me a lot of orthodontics. It’s not fast. It’s not flashy. But it’s real. You can’t force a tooth into place without risking damage. And you can’t force suppressed emotions into awareness without overwhelming the system....

Photo credit: “20220814_103323” by 7beachbum, CC BY 2.0 Changes made: Photo cropped and sky made blue. Celebrating Black Owned Businesses in Pittsburgh This Juneteenth & Beyond For Black History Month, we shared an Instagram Reel highlighting 11 Black owned businesses in Pittsburgh to celebrate some of the amazing Black entrepreneurs in our...

An Unlikely Source of Military PTSD As a Marine combat veteran who has personally navigated the challenges of PTSD, I want to share an important perspective during PTSD Awareness Month that often goes unrecognized, one that could change how we understand and address military PTSD and trauma. What is PTSD? Post Traumatic Stress...

Playing the Victim? A Deeper Look at Victim Mentality If you’ve been accused of playing the victim, or if you’re trying to understand why someone you know seems stuck in a cycle of helplessness, you’re not alone. The term “victim mentality” often stirs up strong emotions and assumptions. It’s frequently associated with manipulation or avoidance of responsibility,...

Functional Freeze vs. Anhedonia vs. Burnout Life’s challenges often take a toll on our mental health, leading to emotional and physical exhaustion. However, not all forms of mental and emotional struggle are the same. Functional freeze, anhedonia, and burnout are three distinct states of distress, each with unique characteristics, causes, and effects....

Autism Facts vs Autism Myths Despite increasing awareness, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remains clouded by misconceptions, fueled by ongoing discussions and news reports. With ongoing debates about autism diagnoses and societal perceptions, autism myths persist and contribute to stigma and misinformation. These misunderstandings can obstruct progress toward...

Is Therapy Covered by Insurance? Mental health has steadily climbed the ladder of public health priorities, mirroring a growing acknowledgment of its critical role in our overall well-being. Amidst this positive shift, a practical question emerges for many seeking support, “Is Therapy Covered by Insurance?”  The answer, while hopeful, is nuanced, navigating...