Chuck Lorre produced a TV show called Dharma and Greg. I video taped (remember VCR’s?) the first episode. At the end of the show, I saw a blip on the screen and wondered what kind of subliminal message was just zapped into my brain. Freeze framing the blip, I saw Chuck’s first “Vanity Card.” The […]
I statements; statements that begin with the word I This is a common skill used in treatment of those seeking couples therapy, but why is it so important and how does it work? Using I statements helps you take responsibility for your own feelings and improves communication so your partner doesn’t need to guess how […]
Be Curious. Get to know your friend, it takes time to learn about another person. Don’t be so quick to assume or jump to conclusions. Avoid Attacking or Judging others. Listen and Validate. Friends want to be heard and understood by you. Listen to what the other person is saying. Use those empathy skills to […]
Engulfed by a Storm Those who have never been in a domestic violence situation are often perplexed as to how intelligent people become trapped and why they remain with someone who is abusive. In an effort to help provide clarity let us consider the dynamics of the following story: Imagine as if you are […]
PARENTING ADULT-LIKE CHILDREN An article to share: With some of my own insights. Parents are often overwhelmed as their children become adults in chronological age yet still have the maturity and judgment of a 15 year old – less. Adult children should be equipped with life skills and motivated to take on adult responsibilities like […]
Positive parenting is a construct that we Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors seek to educate and to coach our parents as to the dynamics of such parenting. Parents come with multiple complaints of how their little ones are oppositional and defiant. With a nutrition background of 17 years, connections with a local Nature-path, […]
It is important to be able to reflect mindfulness in our communication and have the ability to speak to issues of conflict appropriately. This is most beneficial. With these skills then we can incorporate them into every walk of life and discover that relationships at work and at home will become much more pleasant and […]
As a psychotherapist, I’m in the business of hearing how people, especially women, talk about their bodies using hateful and disparaging terms. They aren’t alone. I’ve done the same myself, and so I know how hard it can be to make peace with our imperfect bodies (are they ever anything else?) let alone feel loving […]
For many women, their female friendships have been a source of comfort, support, laughter, and joy. For others, they have been mired in betrayal, mean-spiritedness, and competition. But for most of us, they’ve been a combination of these two extremes, and typically, even before we reach the age of twelve! But, by the time we […]
From the moment we’re born until the day we die we are continually absorbing messages that tell us who we are, what we’re worth as human beings, what we should be doing at any given time, how we should look (and especially how we shouldn’t look), what we should eat, what we should buy, what […]
