Grief is Not Pathology
Grief and loss, whether person or place or part of self, are inevitable. Every one of us will lose someone or something, and every one of us will need to be cared for through it; yet, our culture has no shared language for loss. Grief is a collective experience that...
How Do You Know You Had Emotionally Immature Parents?
Dr. Lindsay C. Gibson’s book Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents offers a guide to recognizing, processing, and healing from the effects of emotionally immature parenting. But, how do you know that your parent (or parents) may be emotionally immature? And,...
How to Help a Loved One Process a Miscarriage
Experiencing a miscarriage can be an incredibly challenging and emotionally overwhelming time for individuals and couples. In this blog post, I will outline four ways you might help someone process their miscarriage. Remember, every person's experience is unique, so...
Journaling and Mental Health
If you have ever had a conversation with your therapist about coping skill development, you have probably received a recommendation to begin a journaling practice. Understandably, sometimes journaling is met with skepticism - What does writing about my emotions solve,...
Empowering the Self: An Introduction to Internal Family Systems Therapy
Understanding the Internal Family Systems Model Developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s, Internal Family Systems Therapy draws on a unique perspective that views the human psyche as a family system. Just as a family consists of different members with...
ADHD in Women
If you feel like you’re hearing about more and more women being diagnosed with ADHD recently, you’re not wrong! Many women don’t receive a diagnosis until well into their 30s or 40s, while the average age of diagnosis for men is much younger. ADHD affects men and...
Seasonal Depression and The PNW Rainy Season
What is SAD? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), often called seasonal depression, is estimated to affect roughly 5% of the population at any given time. Although it can occur with any seasonal change, the predominant timeframe is depressive symptoms starting with a...
Teen Mental Health: Post-Pandemic Edition
It’s no secret that the pandemic has had profound effects on the mental and emotional well-being of our society. Rates of mental health struggles have skyrocketed in response to experiences of isolation, grief and loss, economic hardship, safety fears, and increasing...
The Young Adult’s Guide To Navigating Family Boundaries
Healthy boundaries are the building blocks of healthy, successful relationships, but they can be a challenge to navigate, especially as relationship dynamics change and evolve. In many families, children grow up with a clear sense of the family hierarchy and an...
Contamination Fears In a Contaminated World: What’s Appropriate And What’s Compulsive?
Covid, Measles outbreaks, Mokeypox- it can feel overwhelming to manage the constant barrage of new threats. For most people, a significant behavioral change is needed to ensure safety, but for people with OCD or health anxiety, where do you draw the line? What are...