by Chris Lewis, Ed.S., LPC Parent: Pick up your room! Child: I will, I will. Parent: Pick it up NOW! Child: Okay, okay! Parent: I said NOW, YOUNG MAN, and I MEAN NOW! Child: Okay! Get off my back! Parent:...

by Peter Conti, LCSW, CAC II ‘Tis the season for enjoying all the abundant goodies that help us celebrate these special holidays. Family, friends, and even our community call us out of our usual schedules to share in these abundances....

by Hazel Field Melmed, LCSW When we hear these words our hearts start to race and we might feel a knot in our stomach or experience some other stress reaction. Holidays are often difficult for some of us. This might...

by Judy Wilkinson, LCSW Do you have the hardest struggles with those you love the most? Don’t you wish you could change that? And yet, we can feel like we are sinking in quicksand. When we think of the number...

by Lisa Ransford, LPC, CAC II   Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. — Bernice Johnson Reagon There are two things in life that are certain: aging parents and...

by Linda E. McKinzie, LCSW As we take time to reflect on Thanksgiving and the official beginning of the holiday season, many of us will engage in annual traditions that include family gatherings, lots of good food, watching football, and...

by Beth Kelley, MA, LPC These days, teenagers are faced with challenges and temptations that have the potential for permanent and lasting consequences. There used to be a time when parents felt that Elvis Presley’s hips would be the undoing...

by Lisa Ransford, LPC, CAC II Last week’s article referred to typical questions that many people ask about EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing). This week, I’d like to walk you through an EMDR session. This is meant to be...

by Lisa Ransford, LPC, CAC II Ok… maybe not EVERYTHING but I hope this will give you a bit of information that will allow you to better understand this technique. What does EMDR stand for? EMDR stands for Eye Movement...

October is National Depression Education and Awareness Month. After decades of being a “hidden illness,” depression is now recognized as a legitimate health risk that affects 21 million people worldwide [World Health Organization]. It is disabling and can be characterized...

by Karen Lenzi, MA, LPC Frequently, couples in a marriage have repeating patterns of conflict, like familiar well-practiced dance moves that take two (to tango). These negative dances are repeated over and over and run a predictable course with misunderstood...

by Chris Lewis, Ed.S., LPC Leo Tolstoy, in the classic novel Anna Karenina, said that “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” While I am not willing to say I completely agree that...

by Lisa Ransford, LPC, CACII Consider this: you are a 28 year old parent of twin 5 year olds. The alarm clock goes off in the morning, and you hit the ground running. Coffee, newspaper, feed the dog, feed the...

by Joel Silverman, MA, LPC “Please put the cell phone away!” I hear myself say with more than a little irritation to my teenage son as we make yet another attempt to sit at the dinner table for more than...

by Chris Lewis, Ed.S., LPC She: Where is the man I married? He: Maybe he ran off with the woman I married! Often after years of being together, couples will say they have become like roommates, living in the same...

by Lisa Ransford, LPC, CACII Depression is a serious condition that affects 1 in 10 people in the United States. Women are 70% more likely than men to experience depression during their lifetime, and the average age of onset is...

by Karen Lenzi, MA, LPC It doesn’t need to be so hard. Therapy, life, change – it doesn’t have to be so dark. I’m not implying people don’t have very serious, very real difficulties and struggles – sometimes tragic in...

by Chris Lewis, Ed.S., LPC There are actually a lot of rules that govern unhappy families, but here are three that I come across often while working with families, going to (eavesdropping at) the grocery store, eating (spying) at restaurants,...

by Jo Brilhart, RN, Psy.D, LPC People have bonded with animals for thousands of years. One of the oldest pieces of evidence of this was discovered in Israel when a 12,000 year old skeleton was found with its hand resting...

by Gary Alexander, MS, LMFT, LAC Are you thinking, “That sounds absurd! How can caring for someone else possibly be toxic?” If so, then please read on because you are on the right track toward a happier and healthier life...

By Laura Pentoney, MA, LPC Since knowing of the tragic and traumatic theatre shootings in Aurora, Colorado, I have heard more than one person say that he or she has felt anxious at the thought of going to a movie...

by Chris Lewis, EdS, LPC In the first few moments of the morning of July 20, 2012, our collective hearts were broken by the tragic shootings in the Aurora movie theatre. Within a few minutes, lives were cut short, scores...

by Laura J. Pentoney, M.A. LPC In decoding stress management, it becomes important to begin with an understanding of stress itself. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the ever increasing demands of...

Chris Lewis, EdS, LPC Trust me. I know what it’s like. You’ve just had the billionth phone call from the ex about why he can’t take the kids again this weekend after you’ve made, and cancelled and made again, plans...