Supporting a partner who has experienced sexual trauma can be both a deeply compassionate and challenging journey. You may feel a strong desire to help them heal, yet find yourself unsure of the best way to provide comfort and understanding. The truth is, navigating this path requires patience, empathy, emotional attunement, and a willingness to […]
Trauma Responses or Personality Traits? Redefining the DSM for Survivors “I’ve been called dramatic, intense, needy—even manipulative. But what if I was just scared, and no one noticed?” If you’ve ever walked away from a therapy session or diagnosis feeling more judged than helped, you’re not alone. Many trauma survivors—especially those with complex or prolonged […]
Borderline Personality Disorder: When Every Emotion Feels Like an Emergency: Life with BPD If you’ve ever felt like your emotions are just too loud, like your reactions come too fast and too hard and you can’t hit pause, you’re not alone. If you’ve been told you’re “Too much,” “too sensitive,” or that […]
erving Youngstown and Surrounding Communities If you’ve ever wondered why certain things in your daily life feel “off” after a difficult event — even when that event was long ago — you’re not alone. Many people in the Youngstown, Ohio area who connect with a trauma therapist in Ohio discover that trauma doesn’t just live […]
Imagine you are you working out with a new trainer at the gym. You don’t know one another well yet, and the trainer is still trying to get to know what your body can and can’t do. She tells you to get down onto all fours for some bird dogs. Now, you know that your […]
I often hear clients with complex trauma and borderline personality disorder (BPD) describe feeling “too much.” In therapy, we explore what this means, how they interpret it, and how their past may have shaped this perception of human distress—a struggle to regulate their inner world. Although being “too much” can be linked to invalidation, rejection, […]
For many LGBTQIA+ people, “conversion therapy” wasn’t therapy at all—it was a betrayal of trust. Survivors describe it as a form of psychological and spiritual abuse that left deep wounds long after the sessions, prayers, or programs ended. Over the past two decades, research from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. has […]
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I fully support the American Counseling Association’s reaffirmed stance against conversion therapy. The ACA’s recent statement, issued alongside its participation in Chiles v. Salazar before the U.S. Supreme Court, makes something very clear: efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are not therapy. They are harm disguised as help. […]
Classrooms are more than places of academic learning—they are emotional ecosystems where children bring their full selves, including anxiety, anger, sadness, or fears. When a child struggles to regulate emotions, it can affect not only their own learning but also the classroom environment. Teachers often find themselves managing emotional outbursts without the training or support […]
Anger, excitement, sadness, and frustration are all normal emotions in childhood. But school-aged children don’t instinctively know how to manage these big feelings. Emotion regulation—the ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify emotional reactions—is a crucial skill they must learn from the adults around them. As art therapists, caregivers, and educators, we play a critical […]
