I was driving to work a couple weeks ago, mindlessly scanning the presets on my radio, whispering a victorious “Oh, yes!” as I stumbled upon a familiar talk show when… I had a moment. One of those, “When did this happen?” moments. You know the kind...
I do not know you as you read this, and maybe it seems impossible to ever let go of hurt or to begin to love a perpetrator. Maybe you’re thinking this is not necessary and you feel more comfortable with the middle ground (you don’t want to feel angry, but you’re not ready...
People tend to use the words Addiction and Dependence interchangeably, most people have their own idea of what it means to be an “addict”, but many do not realize there can be a dependence on a substance that can lead to an addiction. There are some fine lines between these two...
How we perceive God can seem inextricably linked to the way we perceive our earthly mothers and fathers. Whether it’s the dad who left us feeling inadequate and voiceless, or the mom who felt more like the child and less like the adult (rendering our environment unpredictable and...
Do you have someone in your life you have not been able to fully forgive? You are not alone, as I have met many people who wish to forgive but are not sure how or where to start. A lot of people think forgiveness means forgetting, or telling yourself what happened was not impactful. This...
Many people aren’t taught what boundaries are or how to properly set them. Just like any new skill, learning to set boundaries can feel clumsy and awkward at first. As you learn how to set boundaries, you may run into some common myths:1. Setting boundaries is mean. I hear this...
One of the main issues people come into therapy wanting help with is communication; whether it is between two spouses, a parent-child relationship, an entire family system, or even an individual needing help in expressing themselves. Some of these complaints may sound familiar: “They...
All relationships can experience gridlock when talking about a difficult topic. Relationships, whether it be a couple, friendship, parent-child, or family system, tend to have a familiar dance that plays out in communication and conflict. For example, a common dance is the pursue-retreat...
If you’re like most people, your New Year's resolutions have already fallen to the wayside and you have likely fallen out of the habit of changes you had hoped to make. Creating healthy, sustainable changes is not impossible, you may just need a new strategy. Perhaps you’ve...
I recently read Peggy Orenstein’s book Girls & Sex then attended a workshop she hosted for Bay Area parents about the changing landscape of adolescent female sexuality. (Side note: This is exactly the type of hot pink, bold front cover books that therapists read on airplanes...
