Working with human nature, not against it.
Everybody loves to share their thoughts on what and how you are doing. How are you supposed to filter through all that feedback? There are two ends of the spectrum here. There is the end of the spectrum where you trust what other people say about you or what you should do over trusting your own...
Grieving is a natural response when someone you loved has died. It is such a tricky and challenging process to navigate and it will be a different journey for everyone. Children, in particular, will grieve their own way. But because children and even teenagers understand death differently than adults do, often times their responses...
Our very own Anna Pirkl, M.A., MFT, ATR, LAADAC partnered with South Bay Families Connected to produce this short video to support parents in knowing how to support their kids through moments of worry or anxiety. South Bay Families Connected is an incredible online resource for parents, children and teens as well as an...
You might be finding yourself in relationship dynamics where you are being too accountable. If you are not sure what this means, take a moment and go back to the last post about this here. I’m going to be honest with you: making a shift in a long standing dynamic is not usually easy....
Few people see the abilities, passions, and bright spots of a teenage girl as clearly as her parents. If only everyone else could appreciate them as you do! You’ve watched her grow up and you know all the charming origins of her quirks. Maybe she’s an introvert and always liked a good amount of...
It’s a thing: being too accountable. The concept of being responsible for your actions is a positive and empowering message communicated by good parents, respectable organizations, teachers, mental health professionals, leaders with integrity and many others. And it should be. It is an important skill: to know how to be accountable. Knowing how to...
Children naturally have big and strong emotions. Unlike many of their adult counterparts, they are still learning. They may not know how to regulate their feelings or what to do with them when they come up. This can lead to what we, as parents, may see as “misbehaviors.” It’s important to understand what feeling...
Anger and guilt are similar in the sense that they experientially disclose true boundaries and values. Not just our intellectual constructs of them. That’s the beauty of emotions, they bypass what we “think” or “expect”. To be fair, that can also be the challenge of them. They can show up without any agreement from our thoughts. And,...
Are you feeling like the issues you want help for are on the social black list? Let’s talk about how to work around shame and so you can get help no matter how bad you think it is. Imagine saying the following statement out loud when you walk into your first therapy appointment: “Ok,...
It’s a state. Like stress. Or depression. Anxiety, stress and depression are usually states that wrap around a cluster of emotions, thoughts or beliefs. So what is anxiety? Anxiety is usually an activating state that comes with being over aroused because there are uncomfortable emotions built up. They aren’t getting the chance to process...