Beginning Therapy, Mental Health Topics What does a healthy therapeutic relationship NOT look like? Here are five types of therapists you should avoid by Laura Dabney on Sep 19, 2018 When exploring different options for therapy and therapists, it’s important that you acknowledge the importance of a healthy therapeutic relationship and therefore avoid several types of therapists. The first kind of counselor you should avoid is the Conflict of Interest Therapist: or in other words, a counselor that your close…
Grief & Loss, Mental Health Topics, Suicide How do you cope and move forward after losing a loved one to suicide? by Dr. Ronica Branson on Sep 13, 2018 The loss of a loved one to suicide can hurt on a deeper level, often because of all the questions left unanswered. This type of loss can leave one feeling overwhelmed with guilt, wondering what they could have done differently and questioning everything they know to be true. While this…
Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Mental Health Topics, Suicide Are you worried that your child or teen is suicidal? by Taylor Bennett on Sep 12, 2018 Each year, 5,000 young individuals (those between the ages of 15 and 24) die by suicide in the U.S., making it the third leading cause of death among young people. If you’re worried your teen may be suicidal… 1) Validate their pain. If your teenager tells you they have suicidal…
Mental Health Topics, Suicide How does suicide affect loved ones? A community? by Taylor Bennett on Sep 12, 2018 The loss of someone to suicide can leave loved ones, as well as an entire community, grappling with difficult feelings and wondering what to do now. More specifically, those who knew an individual who lost their life to suicide often struggle with feelings of guilt, sadness, anger, and sometimes, shame…
Grief & Loss, Mental Health Topics How does grief affect weight gain or loss? by Taylor Bennett on Sep 5, 2018 If you’ve ever suffered from a major loss — that of a loved one or even the loss that comes with a breakup or job change — you might’ve experienced a change in appetite: in most cases, a loss of it. When my boyfriend of a few years broke up…
Grief & Loss, Memory, Mental Health Topics Grief and memory loss: Can grief cause memory loss? by Taylor Bennett on Sep 4, 2018 Losing a loved one is always difficult, but there is a more severe form of grief—called complicated grief—which makes it hard for an individual to ever move forward with life. Complicated grief is marked by debilitating feelings that don’t resolve or improve with time; instead, they can haunt an individual…
Grief & Loss, Mental Health Topics Will my grief ever end? Here’s how you can grieve well and help yourself through the painful process by Sherry Cormier on Sep 4, 2018 Instead of “getting over” or “moving on” from grief, you should take the necessary time and care to process the loss that you have experienced. While grief does lessen in intensity with time, it never truly goes away… as you’ll never forget that person you lost and the impact they…
Grief & Loss, Mental Health Topics What loss has taught me: Losing a loved one is a painful experience, but it’s also one to learn from by Taylor Bennett on Aug 30, 2018 Losing a loved one is dreadfully painful, but there is a flip side to every coin. In this case: there is much to learn from those tough losses. First, it can change the way you live your very life—it might dawn on you that you should live happier, or kinder,…
Grief & Loss, Mental Health Topics Where there is grief there was love: losing someone is never easy, but it helps to focus on all the good they’ve brought you by Roselyn Smith, PhD on Aug 30, 2018 Losing a loved one is nothing short of devastating, but there is a lot of good to focus on during this time, which can help you come to terms with the loss. First, take this opportunity to learn a greater compassion for others (and thyself)—recognize their struggles, and also observe…
Grief & Loss, Mental Health Topics My grief feels too painful to bear—if you’re struggling with the loss of a loved one, consider these tactics or grief counseling by Taylor Bennett on Aug 28, 2018 Grief is an incredibly difficult as well as unpredictable process—which means that it looks different for everybody. We must all learn how to grieve effectively, through strategies that work specifically for us and our situation. That being said, there are healthy tactics that are important for any grieving individual to…
Loneliness, Mental Health Topics Loneliness is one of many struggles that come with depression. Here’s how you can defy the disease and work through these lonely feelings by Taylor Bennett on Aug 27, 2018 Depression has a way of making you feel all alone in the world, disconnected from the rest of humanity; fortunately, however, you can object to and resolve these feelings. The first matter of business is to understand the relationship between loneliness and depression: loneliness in depression isn’t usually due to…
Feelings & Emotions, Mental Health Topics Understanding and moving on from the pain of abandonment: Here’s how you can address abandonment issues and the lonely feelings that come with these issues by Taylor Bennett on Aug 27, 2018 Abandonment issues can leave you feeling completely hopeless and alone in this world—but you can take action and pull out of this low level of despair. First, you must take a good, long look at what happened. You can’t ignore or avoid what happened or those difficult feelings that resulted…