News and Insights

According to the Family Systems Theory, your current relationships are influenced by your family of origin. If you have problems with communication, and closeness, or get frustrated easily, take a look back and see how your family acted while you were growing up. To make a profound change, Family Systems Theory believes that the family system itself needs to change.  We all are born into...

This past week marked the passing of one of my best friend’s father, and the wife of another dear friend. Both of these people loved life, loved people, and were active in the community. The biggest part of being a therapist is keeping yourself in balance. In doing so, you are able to be there for others, unfortunately, both of the deaths hit me hard and I found myself counseling myself as I...

I learned a long time ago that when I compare myself to other people I always lose. My mother used to say, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” I think the reason why I made comparisons was in having low self-worth. We always assume that people are perfect and better, and we make ourselves second best – but that is just my theory. The real issue here is not the comparisons but...

You’ve seen it, people moping around as if there is a dark cloud above their heads. As a therapist, I see it in body posture, overall energy, and the feeling of someone feeling defeated. I guess, when life becomes one disappointment after another you just expect it to continue this way. How do we stop this slow progression into the pit of despair? Why do all the negatives keep showing up?...

Bipolar Disorder has its ups and downs. Actually, that is the definition of the disorder. Clinically speaking, it is a disorder of the Hippocampus in the brain, which is the center of our wake/sleep cycle. The Hippocampus impacts the body by releasing adrenaline into the system. When the valve opens, it bathes the body with adrenaline and perks us up, however, this valve may stay open too...

Have you ever made those rash decisions, blurted out something, and then later regretted it? Have you ever talked over someone else when they were speaking because you were impatient or defensive? Then this article was written for you. The cerebral cortex is the main area in the brain that processes information. When stressed out, angry, or intoxicated, this part of the brain goes offline and...

Continuing coursework is crucial for people working in the mental health field. For me personally, I get bored presenting the same information over and over again, so I am always in search of information and techniques that grab my attention. To be honest, I get pretty giddy when something comes along that intuitively I know will be of great help. Sometimes I review approaches or periodicals...

Living in a quick-fix society, people come to our facility looking for that one fix-it-all that will change their lives forever. Well, occasionally that happens, but it is rare. Because we are so complex, the pill, the prayer, or the special activity won’t fix the matter, psychotherapy can but only with dedication. Are people ever fully fixed? We can help them learn a wide array of tools and...

Recently, there have been a lot of people at our facility that are new to counseling. It can be very scary to walk into a facility and talk about things you are trying to hide from others. So first off, a big thanks to all of you first-timers who were brave enough to come in and face their fears. Now, if you are unfamiliar with the counseling process, this article was written to take the...

Years ago, I went through a seminar called Insight – which was entitled “The Awakening Heart Seminar.” Hey, I was single at the time and was looking to get my heart awakened – okay. However, there were a few things they showed us that still impact me today. I learned what negative and positive thinking does to our physical body. They called a woman who came to the front and asked her to hold...