If you find yourself struggling with cognitive distortions that are affecting your daily life and overall well-being, Spilove Psychotherapy is here for you. Whether you're based in Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, or seeking the convenience of virtual counseling, our experienced team of therapists is available to help you recognize and challenge these distortions, ultimately leading you towards cultivating healthier thought patterns and achieving improved mental wellness.

If you are living in Philadelphia, Center City, or out on the Main Line and find yourself feeling trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts, you may want to learn more about how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) could help. Click on this blog to gain a deeper understanding of the potential benefits of CBT and to explore how it can offer you the support you need. We're here to provide you with additional details and support as you consider this treatment option, empowering you to make informed decisions about your mental health journey.

Managing emotions during the holidays can be tough. But you don't have to go through it alone. Consider trying DBT. DBT offers proven techniques to help you regulate your emotions and improve your wellbeing. To learn more about how DBT can help during the holidays, click here. Build your own DBT toolbox and gain valuable skills for a more balanced and connected holiday season.

We can build up our Thanksgiving tool box by integrating the techniques of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). By harnessing the power of DBT, we can maximize our potential for creating harmonious and enriching connections, and truly embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Fall is a beautiful season full of vibrant colors and a sense of change in the air. However, many individuals find themselves facing a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing their fall and body image. The shift in weather, wardrobe transitions, and cultural emphasis on holiday festivities can all impact how we perceive ourselves and our bodies. However, It is important to remember that we have the power to navigate these challenges and foster a positive relationship with our bodies during this time.

As we approach the start of a new school year, it is not uncommon for children to experience a surge of anxiety. The transition from the relaxed days of summer to the structured routine of school can be overwhelming and stressful. As parents, it is crucial for us to provide the support and guidance our children need to navigate these emotions.

Studies show that mindful activities scattered throughout one’s day can have an even deeper impact on healing and self-growth than a regular sitting meditation practice. This is because, once a mindful approach is embedded into our regular activities, it is more likely to become our go-to approach to life. We can take meditation off the cushion, so to speak, and into our daily lives. We can start to incorporate mindfulness into our days by learning ways to reach stillness other than traditional meditation. Here are some other ways to achieve a mindful state in your day to day life…

Panic attacks can be intense, overwhelming and downright scary because of the fear and discomfort that one experiences while being in the throes of a panic attack. While panic attacks are extremely scary, there is a simple and effective way to stop them in their tracks: the butterfly hug.

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.

While DBT has been proven to be highly effective in treating a range of mental health conditions, you don’t have to have a mental illness to benefit from these skills. In fact, learning these skills and incorporating them into your life can help all of us! Here are 3 DBT skills to help you get started. 

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!  

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?

We go into the New Year with the best of intentions, to make these goals actually happen. We feel excited, hopefully and even enthusiastic about the idea of working toward something new. But, for many of us, we often give up on our New Year’s resolutions or simply forget about them all together by the end of the month and revert back to our old habits. This can often make us feel shameful and guilty for not reaching the expectation that we had set out of ourselves.  So, this New Year, instead of putting pressure on ourselves to make an excessive list of all of the New Year’s resolutions you feel that you have to complete, what if you threw that all out the window? What if you didn’t set resolutions?

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.

Wouldn’t it be nice if nutrition was presented to you in a truly neutral way? Without dieting, weight loss, or some new fad? Instead you had someone walk you through your own personal lifestyle and help you construct your own nutritional roadmap. You can! That’s what a nutritionist would do with you.

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.

Are you experiencing borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviors, mood disorders and/or PTSD symptoms? Are you struggling to regulate your emotions or communicate effectively? Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) can help for any one of these conditions or symptoms, as this therapeutic approach offers techniques that enable effective living for almost anyone.

Is your child experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression or PTSD? Are you noticing challenging behaviors in your child and you are not sure what to do? Does your child shut down when you ask them what’s wrong? Child therapy can be a helpful space for kids to explore their feelings safely and process their needs, learning how to better communicate with you and how you can foster a secure parent-child attachment. Here is more of what to expect when you bring your child in for therapy.

Are you tired of all the chit chat and want to find a way to go deeper into your healing journey? Do you have trouble connecting with your body or are you painfully aware of your body and the space you take up in this world? Does it feel like talking just doesn’t always cut it for you? Are you stuck in your current therapy process and need some help getting deeper into your process?

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…

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!

The prospect of entering into group therapy can be intimidating. I know it can feel scary, and, perhaps it could be an important step in your recovery. Important steps are often scary. So, if you can relate to this blog, maybe group therapy is right for you!

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.