Mindfulness Mindfulness is defined as a state of active, open attention on the PRESENT. Mindfulness brings greater peace and calmness while helping us better manage stressor, improve our mood, be more present in parenting, reduce cravings. When you practice mindfulness, as it is a practice that takes practice, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without [...]
Therapists hoping to leave the in-network insurance world to create a full fee private practice often struggle. They want to move forward. To take a leap. Like flowing back and forth on a trapeze. You see the next swing lying in wait for you. You notice and study it. All that you need to [...]
Relationships & Blaming As a counselor who specializes in relationships I’ve been thinking lately about patterns. One of the cycles we sometimes experience in our relationships is BLAME. Blame can rear its head in relationships with partners, children, siblings, and in our role as parents or in relation to our own parents. I hear it [...]
The anxiety can be relentless. Parent can’t sleep. Focusing on work or other relationships seems impossible. Irritability and fear dominate your thoughts. It can feel so, so alone. It’s a struggle to show compassion and support when a potential addiction feels like a wedge in the family dynamics. Parents of young adults struggling with [...]
A Therapist's Take on Risk in Addiction & Codependence Recovery I’m about to attend a conference on Addiction & Behavioral Health. As I wait for the train into Center City Philadelphia from my counseling office in Chestnut Hill, I observe and photograph the yellow line. Yep that's it below. OK so I'm not an artist. [...]
Yes, depression can be associated with winter. Those living in northern climates often see a lowering of mood during the winter months. We all feel it to one degree or another. These months can be brutal. Low light levels can lead to hormonal shifts resulting in lethargy and depression sometimes called the “Winter Blues”, Depression, [...]
Marriage Musings As a marriage counselor, I think a lot about communication. Men and women seem to differ in how they view the essence, yes I said essence, of chores. I realize these are considered to be gender stereotypes, however, from my point of view as a marriage therapist these are valid observations. One member [...]
Can we have a relationship with alcohol? Let's consider how a "relationship" with alcohol matters. How there may be a difference from when alcohol is a minor or more serious problem. In other words when it drifts from a casual relationship to a more serious one and at times, becomes an actual commitment. Like a marriage [...]
Something has changed. Perhaps men are more willing to ask for coaching, counseling, or a consultation or women are more independent or just plain “fed up”. When I started doing Relationship Coaching and Marriage Counseling in suburban Philadelphia, PA., the norm was that wives dragged their husbands to couples therapy or marriage counseling. Over the past [...]
CHOICES Perhaps today you take a walk instead of watching TV or surfing the web. Maybe you choose to put your partner’s needs above your own and compliment him or her on what they did well. Or you overcome an urge to engage is a destructive behavior or finally sign up for that hobby or [...]