Anxiety–whether social, general, specific, or panic–is extremely frustrating and difficult to manage. Anxiety not only can get in the way of the present moment but can even interfere with one’s daily life. While it is important to know that anxiety is VERY normal for each and every one of us to experience (and even helps us!), we all know that anxiety can easily get out of control.

You know it’s time to see a therapist for your anxiety, depression, trauma, and/or eating disorder but private pay fees are hard to swing. You’ve reached out to a couple practices and they mentioned the idea of working with a graduate level counseling intern because they can provide low cost therapy in and around Philadelphia, PA. You aren’t sure about it, so you’ve been holding off.

We have all experienced signs of stress, whether we are juggling work, our relationships, school, finances, kids, or every day tasks our lives are busy and down right demanding at times! So, it’s no wonder we feel…STRESSED!  Stress is something we have all experienced and is a necessary part of our lives (I might add). We do need small amounts of stress to motivate us to complete tasks. And while stress can be helpful, we all know how it can hinder us.

NEDAW begins on Monday, February 27th and ends on Sunday, March 5th and is focusing on two key components–the lived experiences of individuals with eating disorders and providing education to others about eating disorders. Both of these components align with the theme of this year's NEDAW, which is It’s Time for Change.

Now you may have engaged in talk therapy before (or maybe not!) and while it may have been helpful, it never felt like you got to the root of your trauma or problem. It felt like you just talked and talked and (surprise!) talked about your trauma narrative. And while it felt somewhat helpful in the moment, you never felt free from the traumatic memories or sensations because challenging the thoughts or beliefs you had about the trauma just wasn’t enough. Sounding familiar at all? This is where EMDR is different.

You’re in the midst of a transformation–whether you are grieving a dream you had that is no more or you have moved into a new phase of your life, all you know is that you just want to be happy.  You have everything or most of what you want and all of what you need, but you’re just STRUGGLING!  

Are you thinking about starting therapy but feel hesitant in moving forward? Maybe you are worried about the timing or aren’t sure how to find a therapist. Maybe you’re worried about what other people would think or say. Perhaps you just aren’t sure if therapy is right for you or if therapy will be beneficial. All you know is that you are tired of convincing yourself that you ‘don’t really need’ therapy or that you don’t ‘have it bad enough’.  You feel that you have finally reached a space of curiosity with therapy and what the therapeutic experience has to offer.

We all have inner voices—one that judges  and belittles and one that is nurturing and up-lifting. However, for many the second inner voice often sounds like a fantasy. In fact, it feels impossible to even comprehend talking to yourself in a kind way because for most of us…the critic often always wins. Our inner voice can be a destructive force that can impact our overall mental wellbeing. This damaging voice magnifies negativity and often isn't satisfied until we are left feeling defeated and sometimes even paralyzed. So, how can we regain balance within our own system? How can we reset the inner critic and strengthen our inner coach?

Getting back into the swing of things can come as a relief for many after the holidays. Jumping back into their comfortable routine and leaving the holiday stress behind is what actually brings much cheer to many. For others, the financially, emotionally and mentally stressful come down from the most wonderful time of the year can bring on post-holiday blues. 

You get caught up in the idea that you need to create the perfect holiday experience for yourself and for those around you. Each holiday season you set extremely high hopes that this year will *finally* be different. Yet, you often fall short of these expectations that you put on yourself. You often become overly stressed and anxious because of the added pressures of the December month. And while you had good intentions at the start of the month, you have set the stage for your inner critic to take the spotlight because you feel that you have fallen short. 

The holiday season for many with an ED or in ED recovery can feel like the superbowl of negative thoughts and body image, anxiety, decreased self-esteem and even sadness. Which is why it feels impossible to try to keep your eating disorder from controlling your holiday season. It can feel easier to let the eating disorder voice win because it is so exhausting to keep your ED in check. And as exhausting as it is, you can still support yourself through the holiday season with the list of tips below. 

What if ‘the most wonderful time of year’ brings nothing but holiday anxiety? What if you feel overwhelmed and stressed during this season, rather than joyous like society tells us? And what if you don’t feel or want to be that cheerful this year? Well, I am here to tell you that this is completely natural.

By the end of Thanksgiving Day, you don’t feel like the confident adult you know you are, feel anxious, overwhelmed, annoyed and drained. You feel your old wounds reopened and you want to retreat inside of yourself because the comments you feel like you already dealt with, still hurt you. You are still bothered by the family drama that you find yourself dragged into, even though you thought you set that boundary. You're angry and even upset because you thought that this year would finally be different.

Stress follows you everywhere! And as much as you want to avoid it, you cannot. Which is why it is important to take space to understand your own stress. Even though at times, it can feel extremely overwhelming, taking space to be curious about your own stress will not only help you but improve your everyday life.

While we may be more equipped to manage our mental health at different times in our life, mental health problems can become overwhelming and all-encompassing. Individuals who struggle with mental health often feel alone or like a burden to individuals in their life. Which is why many will keep their mental health in the shadows. However, mental health is something that is becoming more normalized to discuss. Which is a big part in how and why we have and should celebrate World Mental Health Day!

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month. This month not only allows us to educate and raise awareness surrounding mental health and treatment options, but it focuses on reducing the stigma associated with mental illness. There are so many misconceptions and stigmas surrounding mental health issues and that is a major reason why many who suffer from mental health issues suffer in silence.

A DBT skills group will help you be more mindful, increase your ability to handle distressing situations, allow you to gain a deeper understanding into your emotions, while learning to regulate your emotions more effectively and give you the space to build better interpersonal skills to serve yourself and your relationships with others. By joining a DBT skills group, you will not only learn these life changing skills but you will find and be connected to your most authentic Self. Find out more here…

So you’ve decided you want to learn DBT skills - hooray! You’ve just taken a big step. Making the decision to start learning DBT can feel confusing and overwhelming AND exciting at the same time! You may be considering where to begin in this process. Here are a few tips to help you get started…

Trying to relax a stressed or anxious mind can often feel unattainable! It can feel very challenging to quiet the uncontrollable negative and destructive thoughts that show up. These thoughts can impact your mood as well as your physical health, exacerbating depression, anxiety, eating disorder symptoms and trauma symptoms. Here are 5 Grounding Techniques to help reduce stress and anxiety…

Here are some tips for LGBTQ+ Teens to Cope with Anxiety and Stress in 2021…

Learn what talk therapy is all about and if it’s right for you…

Are you thinking about potentially joining a DBT group in the greater Philadelphia area? Are you curious about what happens during these DBT groups? Maybe your talk therapist or psychiatrist suggested you check out a DBT group to help you along your journey to recovery. Whatever the case may be, I wanted to take the time to explain what exactly Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is and what actually happens during a group!

Do you find yourself having difficulty accepting the way life is right now? Maybe you find yourself experiencing intense emotions seemingly out of nowhere that feel hard to control. If so, you may benefit from learning new coping skills to enhance your recovery. In this blog are a few DBT skills that I’ve found to be especially helpful to enhance overall recovery.

What is the critical inner voice? How do we form this inner voice that often controls our life? How do we combat this inner critic that lives within us? Well, luckily I have got some answers for you, and you're in the right place.

DBT therapy offers skills-based learning to strengthen coping skills for difficult emotions while also providing opportunities to develop a new way of thinking about life, emotions, relationships and your sense of Self. Learn more to see if this could be the right therapy for you…

We know it can feel a bit uncertain to see a counselor “in training”, but there can be many benefits that may go unnoticed. We want to provide you the low down on what it actually means to see a graduate level therapist. 

I’ve created a list of 5 simple ways you can create more space in your day utilizing mindfulness to prevent burnout and overwhelm.

Effective communication is based more on how you say things rather than on what you actually say. A conversation can go very well or wind up in a lot of anger and upset, depending on the communication style used. Our means of communication impacts all facets of life. 

Your breath is both a complicated and conveniently simple process that weaves together the communication between your body and mind. Linked to your nervous system, your breath has the capabilities of keeping you alive, soothing your body and mind and increasing energy. Your breath holds a wealth of resources for you. All you have to do is attend to it. Here’s some ways to access its usefulness.