Spilove Psychotherapy Blog
Explore Insights, Healing, and Growth
Your journey to self-discovery, mental wellness, and emotional resilience starts here. Our blog is a space where our therapists share thoughts on trauma recovery, relationships, mindfulness, and holistic healing.
Whether you're looking for practical tools, personal reflections, or a deeper understanding of mental health, you'll find compassionate and thoughtful perspectives to support your path.
Browse our latest posts and discover new ways to grow, evolve, and find balance
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How to Regulate Yourself When You Have BPD (10 Coping Skills for BPD)
For those with BPD, you face a unique set of obstacles that can be exhausting to overcome. The constant inner turmoil and unpredictable mood swings can cause significant distress and strain on you. However, there are several effective strategies that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine to regulate yourself and successfully navigate through these challenging situations!
Back To School Anxiety? Tips For Parents To Support Your Children
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.
8 Ways to Cope With Your Autumn Anxiety (And Why You Are Experiencing It!)
Autumn has arrived in Philadelphia, transforming the city into a colorful and cool landscape. Parks like Fairmount Park and Rittenhouse Square have become picturesque with their vibrant foliage. And people are enjoying leisurely strolls and picnics in Rittenhouse Square. The air is filled with the tempting aromas of fall treats like warm apple cider, pumpkin spice lattes, and freshly baked apple pies. However, despite the picturesque scenes and cool breezes, you find yourself feeling stressed, uneasy, and anxiety You aren’t sure why but every year around this time you’ve always felt the same. It’s led you to wonder why autumn makes you feel anxious.
9 Tips for Avoiding Disordered Eating as a Freshman College Student
Starting college can be an exciting and challenging time for many students. Adjusting to a new environment, managing academic responsibilities, and building new relationships can all contribute to increased stress levels. Unfortunately, this transition can also trigger or exacerbate disordered eating behaviors. To support college freshmen in maintaining a healthy relationship with food and their bodies, here are some valuable tips to consider. Click here to learn more!
9 Ways to Overcome Body Shame & Negative Body Image
We have been taught from a young age that thin equals better and healthier. This leads us to criticize, judge, and even hate our bodies if they don't fit the "ideal" mold. However, we have the power to break free from body shame and cultivate a compassionate relationship with our bodies.
3 Things We Know About Nutrition, Depression & Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are widespread mental health conditions that affect millions of individuals daily, severely impacting their ability to lead fulfilling lives. While therapy and medication are commonly sought after for tackling these challenges, incorporating nutrition counseling into the treatment plan can significantly enhance overall well-being and aid in the recovery process.
Healing From Intergenerational Trauma-6 Benefits of Trauma Therapy
While families have traditionally been seen as sources of support and nurturance, they can also pass down deep-rooted wounds from generation to generation. Known as intergenerational trauma, this phenomenon casts a long shadow over family dynamics and shapes how individuals perceive and engage with the world.
Gay Men, I See You
In a world where the fight for equality continues, it is crucial that we extend our understanding and support to all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. So, to my gay brothers, this is for you—I see you.
10 Eating Disorder Recovery Tips If Your Just Starting Out (Or In Long-Term Recovery!)
Recovery, while different for everyone, often encompasses physical, emotional, and psychological liberation from the restrictive grip of disordered thoughts, belief systems and behaviors. Though the road to eating disorder recovery may be challenging, the transformative power it holds is immeasurable. With time, commitment, and unwavering support, individuals can emerge from the depths of their eating disorder to find a newfound sense of freedom, self-acceptance, and healing.
5 Tools On How to Support Your Mental Health with Nutrition
It's no surprise that supporting yourself nutritionally can help with your mental health. But when you do a quick google for nutrition support and mental health, a lot can pop up, which can make you feel confused and overwhelmed. Plus, when you’re in the throes of a difficult mental health flare and your capacity is limited, the idea of implementing any kind of thoughtful nutrition support plan feels impossible! So, what do you do? How can you support yourself nutritionally?
LGBTQ Therapy in Philadelphia-Providing Therapy For All Genders and Sexualities
We understand that being a member of the queer community comes with its own unique set of therapy needs. We are here to help you unpack and process your sexual identity, gender identity, what it means for you and how to love and respect yourself in ways that builds self-esteem, lower anxiety, depression and help cultivate relationships built on respect and healthy boundaries.
What Is Gender Affirming Therapy?
LGBTQ therapy in Philadelphia goes beyond a therapist who just accepts your sexuality or gender identity/expression for what it is. LGBTQ affirmative therapy is about approaching your gender identity with care, cultural competency, and awareness. Click here to learn more about what LGBTQ affirming therapy is and how you can find an LGBTQ therapist in Philadelphia today.
Life Coach vs Therapist–What’s The Difference?
When it comes to personal growth and development, there are many modalities to choose from. One approach that has gained popularity in recent years is working with a nervous system coach to reset your nervous system after trauma. But what exactly does nervous system regulation do, and how does it differ from traditional psychotherapy in Philadelphia?
What To Expect From A Life Coach
You’ve talked about your feelings, got to understand your emotions, learned about the deepest parts of yourself and faced difficult traumas . You truly understand yourself, but you still feel stuck in your stress, irritability and anxiety. Sometimes, it even feels like they get in the way of your ability to be successful. Maybe you don’t feel as fulfilled as you did with your career. You want to make a change, but feel overwhelmed by the possibility of choosing a different career path, so you force yourself to stay.
Does this sound like you? If so, working with a life coach may be for you!
Why Do We Pretend To Be Okay?
Pretending to be okay is something that has become normalized. By saying everything is okay, when it really isn’t, we have this hope that we can maybe convince others (and even ourselves for that matter) that everything really is okay. But pretending we don’t have any problems, difficult emotions or conflicts in reality denies our true feelings and experiences.
Anxiety in Teens—Here's How To Help Teenagers with Anxiety!
Now, while anxiety and stress are a normal part of growing up and a normal reaction to the stress that teens can experience, the feelings of anxiety for many teens can go well beyond the typical symptoms. When teen’s become overwhelmed and anxious it can begin to negatively affect their friendships, family relationships, participation in school, extracurricular activities, their school work and ultimately interfere with normal daily living. So, what can you actually do for your anxious teen? How can you help a teenager with anxiety in 2023?
Mindfulness Exercises for Anxiety, Depression and Trauma
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…
Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month
Just because you are struggling with your mental health, doesn’t mean you aren’t deserving of love, support, or connection. Nor does it mean you have been less value. And that specifically is also what this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month 2023 focuses on! The year’s Mental Health Awareness Month focuses on #MoreThanEnough.
What Is Trauma? How Can I Cope With My Own Trauma?
Trauma itself is highly personal. What one person views as trauma, another might not (and vice versa) or you might have had a similar experience as someone else, but each of you were affected differently. What we know for certain is that while trauma affects all of us differently, experiencing something that is stressful, frightening, or distressing leaves us all with a deep long-lasting wound. So, what can you do to cope with trauma? You might be wondering.
How To Find A Trauma Therapist
Whether you’re coping with a past trauma, trying to navigate your life after a traumatic experience, or living with the ripple effects of trauma symptoms, choosing to begin the journey of working with a trauma therapist in Philadelphia can not only make a BIG difference in your mental health but in your overall quality of life.
Try the Butterfly Hug Method for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
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.
How To Find An LGBTQ Friendly Therapist
When it comes to therapy, no therapist is one size fits all and this is especially true for individuals part of the LGBTQ community. Finding an LGBTQ affirming-therapist in Philadelphia that not only accepts your gender identity or expression, but truly understands the unique set of struggles and challenges you face is hard. So, you might be wondering, Okay, how do I find an LGBTQ friendly therapist? Are there queer therapists in Philadelphia that I can trust? Luckily, for you, we are going to talk about tips and tricks of what you should be looking for when searching for an LGBTQ therapist near you and how an LGBTQ friendly therapist can help you!
Here Are The Best Anxiety Reducing Techniques You Can Use Anywhere!
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.
Are You Looking for Affordable Therapy in Philadelphia? Learn More Here
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.
Stress Management Techniques
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.
How ADHD Can Impact Your Eating Habits
When you have ADHD, it can be challenging to remember to or know how to fuel yourself throughout the day. Reasons like hyperfocus, struggles with time awareness, the ability to be organized, or even ADHD medication itself are just a few reasons why eating is so easily forgotten. And because it is so easy to forget, people with ADHD often struggle with their relationship with food and can even develop disordered eating habits, like the restrict-binge cycle, without even recognizing it.
3 Tools to Reclaim Your Body Image In The Spring
It’s such a colorful time of year in Philadelphia when the weather begins to warm. More people frolicking out and about on the historic, cobblestone streets. But you wonder why you aren’t experiencing the same sense of excitement and joy as it seems your fellow Philadelphians. All you can find yourself thinking about as you travel the Center City streets is how uncomfortable you feel in your body. You find yourself worried that others are judging the way your body looks in your newly purchased spring attire. You want so badly to feel happy in the changing of the seasons, but you can’t. You dread the warmer weather and the body shame it brings.
Breaking Up With Food Rules
It never feels good enough when it comes to food decisions and our minds are always racing. We want to feel like we are making the right decision but we always end up back in the same cycle of punishing our bodies, feeling shameful and moody, and ultimately are left feeling negative about ourselves. It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to live in society's food ‘rules, ’ feel guilty, shameful, or confused about food any longer. There is another way!
Loving Your Body, Even When It’s Hard
It’s hard to love your body when you have so much dislike, even hatred for it. Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions about our body image heavily influences our personal experiences and plays such a big role in how we experience life. Oftentimes, (from my own personal experience too), our negative body image holds us back from truly experiencing present moments because we are too preoccupied with our appearance.