Struggling with negative body image? So many of us feel excited when we finally make it through the cold winter months and get to enjoy the sunshine that comes with summertime. While summer can be a fun time for us, it may trigger negative thoughts about the way we look. We live in a world that is saturated with images and messages that reinforce unrealistic beauty standards.

Welcoming a new child into this world can be a time filled with excitement and joy. For new mothers, the postpartum period can bring a flood of emotions. While attention is given to postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety is another critical mental health condition that can affect new mothers. Recognizing the signs and symptoms is crucial for receiving timely support and treatment. Here are 6 common signs to look out for.

Has your teen been struggling with their mental health? Are they experiencing moodiness, social struggles, school avoidance, or difficulty concentrating? Your teen does not need to have an official mental health diagnosis in order to benefit from therapy. Being able to support a teenager before they end up struggling with more complicated issues is a great time to get them into therapy. Conversely, if they are struggling with more serious symptoms like anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, substance use or eating struggles, we can also help!

by Sam Dalton, MSW, LCSW If you are thinking about setting New Year’s Resolutions, keep reading for some tips on how to make them work for you! As a therapist, the new year has become an interesting moment of both observation and reflection. In my observation, social media platforms become filled with a flurry of […]

What is art therapy? I’ve been asking and answering this question for many years! And art-making in a therapy setting can mean different things to different people. I like to think I’ve perfected my go-to answer when meeting someone new and getting the dreaded yet well-meaning question, “So, what do you do for work?”

What do therapists mean when they talk about your “inner child”?

From my perspective, the inner child is the young, vulnerable part of you that carries scrapes and scars from growing up. I also see the inner child as the part of you that brings a capacity for tender emotions like joy, hope, curiosity, excitement, and awe.

We experienced some benefits of telehealth therapy.

Some patients thrived in the telehealth setting. I had patients on my caseload that shared more with me in the first few weeks of telehealth than they ever had in six years of in-person counseling. Something about telehealth made them feel more comfortable being vulnerable. And it was so beneficial for some patients that they still see me via telehealth today. There are other advantages to doing so, such as:

If you have an LGBTQ+ kid, you may be struggling with how to best support them. Simone is one of our out-of-state providers at Therapy for Women, who specializes in working with the LGBTQ+ community. She joined us on the Therapy for Women Podcast to share how she coped as a parent after her children came out, as well as recommendations for parents or other family members who learn that their loved ones are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Our mental health often improves as the temperature gets warmer and the days get longer. However, stress surrounding body image can also surface. We naturally wear less clothing in the summer to keep up with higher temperatures. But less clothing means exposing more skin and fewer opportunities to “hide” everything we’ve deemed hateable. At the same time, many of us also attend more social events because people finally want to get out and enjoy the weather! 

With the explosion of social media platforms, it seems that people are more prone to self-diagnosing these issues. So if you find yourself questioning, ‘Wait…do I have ADHD?’ Well, maybe! And you’re not alone in that question. However, the idea that everyone struggles with these symptoms to an extent can be dismissive to those who do.