10 Things Your Therapist Wants You to Know
Our therapists are here to offer mental wellness support with specific interventions to treat all major mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, grief and trauma as well as relationship issues or any life stressors that you are dealing with. We teach you new coping skills for a variety of relational, emotional, and psychological issues so that you can enjoy your...
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5 Cooling Herbs to Beat the Summer Heat
There are many herbs that can help us cool off on hot and humid days – whether by cooling and relaxing our tissues, helping open our pores to release heat, or by bringing extra moisture into our bodies. Here’s a list of 5 Cooling Herbs to beat the heat this summer and how to prepare them at home.
Hibiscus has bright and luscious flowers that are enjoyed as...
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Therapist Recommendations For Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder
There has been a lot of recent media attention surrounding Borderline Personality Disorder—Pete Davidson has been open about his diagnosis and more recently Amber Heard was evaluated to have Borderline Personality Disorder by a forensic psychologist who was hired by Johnny Depp’s legal team. I am hoping that I can show you the positive side of Borderline Personality Disorder and offer...
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Everything You Wanted to Know About Boundaries in Relationships
You may have heard that boundaries in relationships are good and worthwhile. Understandably you might have some questions about boundaries such as what are they? How do I set a boundary? How do I communicate a boundary? How do I enforce a boundary? Is there any flexibility to boundaries? I will answer all of these questions for you because as a licensed marriage and family therapist I...
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Our Therapists’ Personal Tips for How They Avoid Burnout
American Counseling Association has dedicated April as Counseling Awareness Month, a time of advocacy for the profession and celebration of the outstanding efforts of counselors in myriad settings as they seek to facilitate the growth and development of all people. This year’s theme—The Future is… Self-Care, Advocacy and Inclusion #BurnBrightNotOut—is focused on some of the avenues...
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A Therapist’s Thoughts on Bipolar Disorder Inside and Outside the Therapy Room
As a therapist I have had many clients who were diagnosed with or in the process of being identified as having Bipolar I Disorder. Similarly, I recognize experiences with acquaintances whose personalities seemed to dramatically change over time. Before learning more about bipolar disorder, I wondered what had caused these changes, was it me, them, or had our relationships simply changed....
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Healthy Alternatives to Self-Harm
Trigger Warning: Self-Harm
Coping skills are a way to deal with difficult situations, people and emotions. Many people enjoy listening to music, writing, exercising, and painting on days they do not feel the greatest. However, for some people the emotions can feel so overwhelming they turn to self-harm looking to release the emotional pain.
March 1 is Self-Injury Awareness Day— a...
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A Play Therapist’s Must-Have Toys to Use in Play Therapy
Every single person in this world wants to feel heard and to be validated. However, children do not always have the words they need to express themselves due to their developmental level. Children will then find other means to express themselves, which often becomes frustrating for the adults in their lives because this behavior may be viewed as aggression, shutting down, or other...
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Single for Valentine’s Day? 12 Tips for How to Spend the Day
Valentine’s Day can be a tricky holiday for us singles to navigate. It may bring up feelings of loneliness and comparison. Feeling jealous that we don’t have what others do. Or coming to the realization that life hasn’t gone according to plan. No matter how you slice it, February 14 will show up just as the sun rises and sets so be prepared and follow these 12 tips for how to...
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5 Ways to Move Beyond the Notion of Soul Mate and Develop Healthy Relationships
“Love isn’t something natural. Rather it requires discipline, concentration, patience, faith, and the overcoming of narcissism. It isn’t a feeling, it is a practice.”
― Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving Soul mates, the stuff of fantasies, dreams come true, love at first sight and also quite likely among the reasons you may find yourself hurling towards disappointment when...
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How To Resolve Conflict in the Workplace
We invest a significant amount of time and energy at work, whether in the office or working virtually (a much more common occurrence in the current pandemic climate and, in some cases, here to stay). We all desire to be in a role where we can express our gifts and talents to their fullest and reap the reward of our investment. If this were the only component to being successful and enjoying...
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If Children are Talking About Death, How Can Parents Best Support Them?
In the last two years there has been a noticeable increase of school age children spending a lot of their time discussing and playing out themes of death. This can be very concerning to parents as they want to shield their children from anything that is scary and death is a heavy concept, even for adults.
With the pandemic, death has been a constant topic on the news, media, and at the dinner...
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How to Beat the Winter Blues
The Pittsburgh region can be dark and gloomy during the winter months. Fear not! There are myriad ways to bolster your defenses to fight the winter blues. Stay active. When the sun is shining it is easy to remain active and enjoy the outdoors. But it might take a little more discipline to maintain an active state when it’s cold. Just remember the less active you are, the more...
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5 Healthy New Year Goals
The New Year is here! While we have all been on a whirlwind trip these past 2 years with a global pandemic, it is time to focus on the new normal, including setting sustainable New Year Goals. In doing so, we need to make sure the goals we set for ourselves in this new year can be sustainable for years to come. Here are some resolutions to help you not only improve your health, but...
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3 Ways To Ensure You Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolution
New year, new you? Well, maybe—whether you will be a wistful dreamer or a winning achiever of your New Year’s resolution really dwindles down to this; ‘How do you mentally prepare yourself for the process of change?’ We all look forward to the prospect of a new year—we start off with a fantastically shiny hope that we can do anything with these next 365 days of our life. Yet, for...
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5 Ways to Help Newly Adopted Children During the Holidays
When most people celebrate the holidays, they are surrounded by loved ones telling stories and laughing over mugs of hot cocoa as they exchange gifts. During this time of holiday cheer, many children who were adopted are faced with the realization that they will not see any of their biological family during the holidays. It is a stark reminder of the grief and loss they have...
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A Therapist’s Observations on Low Self Esteem
As a therapist working with many individuals, I have found that most people go through life wondering if anyone cares. But if we truly look deeper, we can usually see that’s not entirely accurate. So, what’s motivating the activation of this feeling that “no one cares.” Old unresolved abandonment wounds? Old feelings of neglect and/or experiences of having been rejected, dismissed...
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How to Cope with Family Estrangement During the Holidays
Holidays are steeped in traditions that are centered around the family and there is a hallmark sentiment that everyone is rejoicing in love with their near and dear during this most festive time of the year. The truth looks a bit different though. Family conflict, tension and even estrangement are more common than you may think. One study found more than 40% of participants had...
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