By Stefanie Luna, LMFT

Click here to contact Stefanie and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

When it comes to the holidays are you thinking “I’ll just be glad when it’s all over with”? You’re not alone. Many people believe that we’ve gotten away from the true meaning of the season, with consumerism and unrealistic expectations taking all the fun out of things. But that’s not at all why you’re dreading the holidays this year, is it? Have the holidays become “hollow days” because you don’t have children yet?

The holiday season means different things to us over the years. As a child it is a time of wonder and excitement. Everything seems to have a special sparkle about it. As a college student it is that welcome break that follows all night study sessions, term papers and final exams. Oh yeah, and a time to eat mom’s home cooking. It is a time of spiritual preparation and reflection and a time to realign priorities. And as adults we get the opportunity to rediscover magic through our children. But, when you long to be a parent, the holidays can become a painful reminder of what’s missing in your life. Holiday traditions can seem hollow and empty without a child to share them with. (more…)

By Dr. Noah H. Kersey, Ph.D.

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Being highly effective in a relationship requires certain qualities in a person.

Scripture instructs, as in 1 Peter 4:8 to “love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”. The Bible is replete with descriptions and lessons of love but, why do people continue to fail?

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once said that relationships fail because of “selfishness” and “immaturity”, explaining why so many marriages end in divorce.

Couples tend to marry young, and before they have a chance to know themselves and to learn many of life’s lessons about self-esteem, love and relationships.

Over a twenty-seven year period of therapeutic work with individuals and couples, watching some fail and others succeed, a factor analysis was calculated, attempting to understand what were the characteristics and behaviors, or “habits” of people who were highly effective in their relationships.

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By: Christine Horn

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“The past is the past. Put it behind you. Get over it already.”

We all have parts of ourselves whose job it is to know how and when to feed us these lines. It is usually after more tender parts of us get triggered and we are feeling hurt or isolated or helpless. These tender parts haunt us with a very different set of lines that they have learned, “You’re not good enough. You’re unlovable. You don’t matter. It’s hopeless.” (more…)

By: Jennifer B Baxt, LMFT, LMHC

Binge eating affects way too many people across North America. It is a way for people to deal with their stress, depression or with low self-esteem. Food can be a real comfort, but when it turns into a binge every couple of days that causes a major gain in weight, it might be time to stop and ask one’s self if this binging habit is becoming a problem. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

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A coaching session I recently had led me to do some thinking about the how we are addicted as a culture to gossip and drama. Because we are a culture that seems to love celebrity, we may spend more or least as much of our day gossiping about Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Anna Nicole, than we do being deliberate about having the life we really want. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

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Although I believe the joke, “Where there is a will, there is a relative”, I also believe that “Where there is a will, there is a way”. This may seem naïve to some, but my experiences over the years have consistently been, once I truly begin to open myself up for solutions, that answers begin (sometimes I admit it takes awhile) to appear. Answers may not always be in the form I desire, but some type of peace and support always makes itself available to me. (more…)

By Kent Toussaint, MA MFT

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Finally, it was the last straw. Both you and your spouse decided to call it quits. Just get through the divorce and there will be no more fights, no more arguments and no more misunderstandings… except about your kids!

Those arguments don’t seem to go away. More than likely, they get even worse. You fight about how to discipline the kids, who gets them for visits, what schools they will attend and it goes on and on. Those fights start to overflow into every aspect of your life. The dream of being rid of that despicable person that you had married gets farther and farther away. (more…)

By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Jeanine and/or see her GoodTherapy.org
Profile

I saw a commercial today that made me laugh aloud. A man was beginning his day while a chorus of exuberant, if not completely over-the-top dancers, sang his day’s praises. The man walked outside, admired his beautiful home and smiled happily at his steaming coffee. Suddenly, a giant tree branch fell on his car and completely crushed it. (more…)