Grief is one of those universal life experiences from which a person never really recovers but learns to cope with and grow through. When we lose people we love, the world is permanently changed. This is the price we pay as humans for the richness that our loved ones bring to our lives. Although[...]
Gender identity is a spectrum that describes to which degree a person perceives and recognizes their inner knowledge and outer expression of gender. Generally, this is the consistency between anatomical sex and the person’s internal maleness or femaleness or combination or neutrality. There are [...]
It’s my responsibility as a mental health professional to remember the history of the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual. Sexual orientation and identities were considered diagnoses that came with stigma and suffering. Homosexuality was considered a diagnosis until 1973, and [...]
Life is a process of constant change. Sometimes, major life transitions can throw us out of balance to the point where we lose access to some important aspects of our experience, we lose our sense of grounding and routines, or we disrupt our connections to others. Very brief, highly targeted [...]
Humans experience stress as a natural reaction to meet a demand or challenge. This “fight or flight” survival mechanism slows normal bodily functions like immunity and digestion to focus on breath, alertness, blood circulation, and muscle movement. The degree to which we react can be [...]
People would cease to exist without relationships. The sense of self dissolves without relationships with others, and by contrast, people are created and sustained within their social situations. Sometimes relationships are the primary reason a person enters psychotherapy, yet they are always an[...]
Our family structure helps us develop relationship expectations, communication skills, life outlook, the way we show our love, coping skills, and many traits through conditioning. Chronic family conflict can negatively impact your physical, emotional, and mental health. Tension and ongoing conflict [...]
Depression is an extreme mood disorder that lasts over two weeks and in some cases, years. This can be onset by the birth of a child, transition into the winter months, or in combination with psychosis or bipolar disorder. It may cause intense symptoms that affect thinking, processing emotions, and [...]
Humans can utilize thought, emotion, or behavior to manage stressful experiences or change. Styles of coping can differ based on the significant life event and the person who is affected by it. Instrumental or problem-focused coping mechanisms will directly deal with the issue to reduce stress, [...]
Anger is the natural and healthy fight-or-flight response to a perceived threat or harm. It usual to feel anger if you’ve been wronged or mistreated. It can be overwhelming to feel as if you’re at the mercy of this unpredictable emotion. Feeling anger often, feeling angry to an extreme degree, [...]
