Blog

Half of all adults in the United States have at least one chronic illness. This can range from around 20% of people ages 45 to 64 and jumps to 80% of people over the age of 65. With these rates, about 45% of adults help aid a loved one with a chronic condition at some point in their life. Chronic illnesses are those that are not immediately curable and are present for an extended period of time. Some of the most common examples in the United States include diabetes, chronic headaches or migraine, epilepsy, arthritis, and asthma.

Social anxiety is typically related to several issues, including how we related in our family of origin and what our family taught us about feelings; what we learned about relationships from our childhood and adolescent friendships; how we communicate both verbally and nonverbally; how we read other people’s verbal and non-verbal cues; and especially how we avoid or deal with conflict. Another way we may increasingly become socially uncomfortable is by using alcohol or other drugs in social settings so that we can lose some of our ability to comfortably socialize without alcohol or drugs.

Receiving a disability (intellectual, processing, emotional) diagnosis for your child, you almost feel as though you are being prepped for a battle. You are forced to justify your child’s existence and their right to all of the opportunities available the moment those words are uttered to you. Welcome to your new, never-ending and intimate relationship with the medical world. While the diagnosis can take on a role in your life that is unplanned, unwanted and emotional, you would do it all over again for your child -- because you are their biggest fan, advocate and supporter.

Several years while on vacation, I read Daring Greatly by Brene’ Brown and it changed my life. I connected with so many of the things she was writing about – perfection, shame, vulnerability - and found myself using the book as a roadmap for “showing up and being seen” in my life.

Many of us have memories of experiencing hurt caused by a parent growing up. Perhaps these experiences are only small blips in an otherwise blissful childhood. Or perhaps there are a lot of blips, much too many. For those who have these memories, a common fear when having children is “how do I make sure my child never experiences what I did?”

We’ve all had moments where we feel at odds with ourselves. Maybe it happens when our partner says something hurtful. In that moment, part of us wants to run out of the room; part of us feels vulnerable and hurt; part of us knows they didn’t really mean it, and part of us might feel ashamed of having these feelings at all. We might even tell a friend later, “Part of me wanted to scream at him and part of me was so embarrassed that I even cared.

If you had to put a number on it, how much do you feel like your partner listens or pays attention to you? How much do you listen and pay attention to your partner? Feeling listened to, heard, and understood are vital parts of communication

If you have sought couple’s therapy before or have a passing interest in therapy, chances are you’ve heard of Gottman Therapy. Gottman Method Couples Therapy is a combination of several therapy approaches and interventions put together in a way that has shown to be one of the most helpful for couples. It was developed by John and Julie Gottman, a researcher and therapist power couple who spent over a decade developing this approach to therapy.

Adolescence is the stage of development in which a teen seeks to find their identity and shape who they want to be. It is a time in which teens start looking less at their parents for guidance and more towards their peers to define how they should act. With this, parents can feel anxious and overwhelmed when they start to see changes in their teen’s behavior and attitude. Especially, when their child may be getting in trouble at school or in the community that could lead to serious legal consequences. So, what should you do?