Mental Health Topics

Whether constructive or otherwise received from a spouse, boss, family member or friend, criticism for some of us can provoke defensiveness, justifying, rationalizing, minimizing, and sometimes self-defeating hostility. I’ve personally seen these responses to criticism displayed more frequently in those who reported histories of trauma of some sort. Whether the…

A Goal, not a Resolution If you’re anything like me, you’ve set so many goals in past years and have had so little to show for them come December that you’re flat out tired of hearing about “New Year’s Resolutions.” But what if there were actually a way to set…

The Holidays are upon us. This is the time of year when experimental drinking and drug use happens. This is the time of Holiday parties and Holiday cheer. As parents, we hope our children are safe. We hope we have taught them how to make good decisions. We hope they…

Are you happy, truly deep down happy with your life right now? This is a question not to be taken lightly. Deep contemplation is required. Most of us go through life on autopilot being passive observers in our own lives. Short-term focus on to-do lists tends to dominate our lives,…

When you think of the word “teenager” what is the first thing that comes to your mind?  Attitude? Defiant? Impossible? It’s no secret that it can be difficult to communicate with adolescents.. Many people assume  their teenagers are overly emotional, impulsive, and sometimes just  mean. All of those statements can…

  Just as men have some unique physical issues because of our biology, we also have some unique psychological issues because of the way we were socialized. This process starts early when baby boys are touched less and later touched more roughly than girls. It continues in the expectations that…

A new study found that millennials really don’t like being associated with their own generation. In fact, they are more embarrassed by themselves than anyone else. Millennials have been given a variety of unsavory names such as, “Self-absorbed”, “Lazy”, and “The Worst Generation”. With these titles, it’s understandable why the…

I was talking with a colleague today. We’ve both seen an influx of new clients whose email addresses and personal information was found in the Ashley Madison hack. He, unlike me, has already had one client commit suicide over it. These are not fun times for many. For spouses who’ve…

If you’ve been following the news, or have been awake for any part of the last few days, you’ve probably heard about the millions of names that have been leaked from the Ashley Madison site. For many, it’s been a heartbreaking and infuriating time. So what do you do if…

Understanding Grief & Loss in Adoption; Are You Feeling… Loss, Frustrated, Anxious , Sad, Angry, Jealousy, Denial, Shame, Relationship Stress, Lack of Control? The experience of adoption is often bitter sweet. Adoption can be a new baby for the adoptive parents, a new family for the adoptee and the solution…

Join Us for Two Free Workshops! Thriveworks Counseling in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be hosting two free workshops in August 2015 — one on parenting and the other on addiction. Both workshops will be held at our office, located at 4079 Park East Court SE, Suite C. Directions: Take the…

My 15 year old daughter, has had three role models in her life: Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift and, now, Lana Del Ray. I say “Hannah Montana” (and not Miley Cyrus) because this was when she was a sweet actress/singer who played a double role similar to the role played by…