For many years, 12 step meetings were one of the only additional resources for individual struggling with surviving early recovery from substances outside of individual counseling. Recently, similar programs have formed... 7 step programs, 9 step programs, SMART recovery & Celebrate Recovery, etc. Though AA & NA & similar fellowship programs have proven to be very helpful for some people in [...]
The world we live in is obsessed with success and what it means to be successful and the stigma of medication. It is easy to see why some people view a setback or a mistake as a failure. It can be a blow to an individual's ego and self-esteem if they think this way and [...]
"What's the big deal? It was just emotional abuse." I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard this sentiment being expressed whether it is directly from a client, a perpetrator, or commentaries made by media forums, the general public, or other social networks that reflect a lack of awareness about the ramifications of emotional abuse. [...]
Parenting a teenager is a time that proves to be difficult for many. Parents face obstacles with their children as they grow older, and let's face it, children don't come with an instruction manual. At some point when children reach the age of 11 or 12, many parents begin to stress over the upcoming and [...]
You always hear that it’s important to give it your all in a relationship- your 100%. Sometimes there’s the exaggeration of giving it your 110% or even 150%, which is actually impossible unless you’re dealing with volume, but this isn’t meant to be a science lesson. Instead, with relationships, I think you should give it [...]
Jealousy is a negative emotion that can interfere with personal relationships and self-esteem. Learning how to constructively cope with feelings of jealousy can help one feel valued and worthwhile, beyond a showdown of a doubt, with or without love from your partner. Twenty-first century culture depicts jealously as an expression of love mixed with paranoia; [...]
Most of us carry around messages we received in childhood about the world, about others, and about ourselves. We receive messages from the outside world--our family members, friends, teachers--all throughout our lives. The messages we receive about ourselves can be positive or negative. The negative messages we receive, even at an early age, can lead [...]
There are times when we create problems for ourselves or over complicate things in our lives. Sometimes we believe that EVERYTHING is urgent and must be attended to right now OR ELSE. Sometimes emergencies can feel very commonplace. This sense of urgency oftentimes drives the behavior of people with controlling or obsessive personalities or those [...]
Many parents struggle with determining the most effective way to respond when their child is distressed and provide validation. Sometimes what might feel like the best response can actually make the situation worse. The scenario below highlights such a situation: David is 15 years old and later his parents have noticed him acting out in [...]
There are many books with metaphors from various sports giving advice about how to live a better life. One such book with valuable lessons is Learning to Climb Indoors by Eric Hörst. This is a book for those interested in this sport of ever-increasing popularity. (You get that ‘o’ with the two dots over it [...]
