Mental Health Blogs

Is talk therapy the be all end all? Well of course I am going to say that therapy is great and effective and so very helpful. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist after all! But talk therapy without action and change will not help you meet your goals, you need more. By the time my clients make it into my office they are usually at the point of having difficulty functioning. They are suffering due to their negative symptoms, and need immediate relief from the stre

When clients that have a history of toxic relationships come into my office, they already have a good idea about red flags. They actually know what they are to the point they can describe them to you. The problem is that they continue to ignore them, and therefore their toxic relationship cycle continues. But why? Why when you already know and can identify red flags in individuals, do you continue with the relationship anyway? The answer usually stems from the fact that t

When you are newly sober, may it be for the first, second, or even third time, it can be overwhelming. You are told to do so much in such a short period of time. For example, find an NA/AA group to join, make a doctors and/or psychiatrist appointment, deal with daily triggers to use, and on top of all that, FIND A THERAPIST! I usually tell my clients to take it slow, not be so hard on themselves, and to put their sobriety first. What do I mean by this? Well, yes all those

So often people come into my office telling me the same thing, "I don't know why I keep choosing the bad boys." Or they say, "I don't know why I keep smoking marijuana when I'm stressed." Well actually they have completed the first step in the therapeutic process without even knowing it! They have identified the negative repeat behavior and that's great, but now what? I know what you are thinking, if identifying the negative repeat behavior was all you needed to do, then e

Parenting a teen, especially in today's climate is difficult to say the least. Parenting a teen with mental health issues is a whole other task. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been counseling teens and their parents for over 20 years, I'm here to help you navigate this challenge! The first thing you need to know before you start, is your role. As a parent, your role to your teen that is challenged with mental health issues is NOT: a friend a therapist

A question I often get in session is; "Well what do you think, do you think I'm making progress? Or statements like, "I feel stuck like I'm not moving forward." If this has happened to you in therapy, or if you feel uncertain if your hard work is paying off consider these questions first: Am I motivated to change and do I have enough energy to do so? Do I feel like my therapist is a good fit for me? Do I feel and believe that she/he empathizes and understands what is going