Blog
What makes a good therapy session?
Spoiler Alert: it’s not just a ‘good therapist.’
Whether you’re new to the therapeutic process or not, knowing how to utilize and evaluate your therapy sessions is very worthwhile knowledge. You and your therapist are both bringing different things to the table and investing into your time together, so you ought to know what to look for and how you can make the most of each session. Just like in any other profession, there are good therapists and poor ones, creative ones and lazy ones, good fits and bad fits. The same goes for clients! Some are actually willing to do the work and will see change as a result, while others just want to talk once a week and stay trapped in their comfort zones.
Why “Trying Harder” Doesn’t Work
“So I'm using the word infrastructure to make the point that if you have NEVER had a successful conversation with your partner where you felt heard, got your point across to where it was at least accepted if not agreed with, and did the same for your partner, then you have not actually been having a dialogue at all. You have been having two separate monologues and expecting the impossible…”
How to know if you’re making progress in therapy?
Whether you’re heading into your first therapy session or you’ve been in counseling for years, it’s important to have an awareness of if it’s actually WORKING. Are you able to pinpoint ways that you have actually grown or changed? What can you do today that you couldn’t do a year ago?
The way in which you and your therapist establish landmarks in your treatment plan can make or break your overall experience and motivation.
Help for grieving
I’m relatively new to big losses and understanding the journey of grief, but each time I experience it, I learn a little something. If you or someone you know is experiencing grief and loss, you might benefit from receiving or offering some of these suggestions and recognizing what NOT to do as well.
Help for self exploration
Our own Jordan Bonner is now officially a published author! As with all great therapists, Jordan has a heart for truly helping to cultivate change within her clients. But that’s not easy! Changing patterns is hard work and takes lots of intention.
Why is meditation so hard?
I always share with my clients who are new to meditation practice: meditation is simply concentration. We tend to attach all sorts of extra feelings, expectations and assumptions on top of that. When we naturally find it difficult to meditate in a certain way, we just say that we ‘can’t meditate.’
How to Interrupt the Pattern on Repetitive Arguments
You know what types of arguments or disagreements you and your partner have on a regular basis. You can almost see the storm brewing a mile away once it starts to play out (again), but it seems inevitable. It can leave you both feeling shutdown and hopeless. What do you do when your ingrained ‘differences in perspective’ lead to an all out thrown down fight? And even more so: what can you do when that argument is on repeat in your relationship?
Self Care vs. Selfishness
How do we take care of ourselves if we continue to believe that choosing to make ourselves a priority is selfish? Let us help clear up some things. Usually when sharing the importance of choosing to invest in yourself, a comment response is “but isn’t that selfish?” This has us looking at what TRUE self-care is. Culture teaches us that it’s face masks and fancy vacations, when really, it’s anything that is life-giving to you.
How to prepare for autumn
Like it or hate it, fall and winter are coming to western Pennsylvania. Though I personally love this time of year and what’s to come, I recognize that it can feel difficult for many people. Seasonal depression tends to coincide with the ever decreasing daytime. Cold weather often causes people to spend more time indoors, resulting in feelings of isolation or boredom. Still others simply have negative connotations in relation to cold, hibernation time or the holiday season.
Common Issues Couples Fight Over Series: Part 2
How We Spend Time Apart
Spending time apart in a healthy way is under the assumption that you are already first prioritizing quality time together. From there, the way you spend time alone should be nourishing for your soul. ‘Alone time’ doesn’t mean running errands by yourself or catching up on household projects. Spending time apart should be an intentional and mutual choice based on each individual’s needs. Here are a few ways to assure that your time apart doesn’t turn into wasted time or arguments.
