Why premarital counseling? Counseling prior to marriage is accepting an opportunity to put strongholds in place for long-lasting respect, friendship, and happiness. Premarital counseling gives couples an opportunity to gain insights into growth-areas in their relationship, and identify strengths to build on. By understanding personality differences, couples can better prevent conflict and develop a better […]

The holidays can be a great time to relax, celebrate, and catch up on time with family and friends.  However, for some of us it can create an amount of stress that may lead to anxiety and depression.  This can be especially challenging when everyone around us seems extra joyful, grateful, and having all kinds […]

This is the time of year when families start talking about the Holidays.  “Where are we going for Thanksgiving?”  “Who’s going to be there?”  “I sure hope I get some great presents during the Holidays!”  But for some there are no decisions to be made.  Battered women and their children live in fear of being […]

Having a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be challenging for parents.  ADHD, usually characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity requires parents to adapt to their child’s individualized needs.  Expectations such as following instructions, staying still, waiting his or her turn, and completing tasks such as schoolwork or chores can be extremely difficult […]

Many children struggle to recover from high-emotion situations. Tantrums become drawn out and exhausting for both the child and caregiver. Items found in a Calming Box can provide visual and hands-on activities to help soothe a child’s mind and body. The child or parent notices the child is getting agitated or upset and retrieves the […]

I was first introduced to the practice of Tai Chi in 1994 during a training experience at the Harvard Mind Body Institute, a Division of the Harvard Medical School.   I was impressed that this esteemed Medical School was including Tai Chi as one of the ways they were teaching their medical residents, community health providers […]

All of us have moments in our relationships where we find ourselves at an impasse.  We may have been hurt, or caused hurt, and we find ourselves in a stalemate with our partner, family member or colleague and don’t know how to move forward. Thich Nhat Hahn, a noted Buddhist monk who specializes in mindfulness […]

The loss of a loved one can be one of the most difficult experiences in anyone’s life.  Loss provokes the natural process of grief, however we may be inclined to speed this process along to avoid difficult feelings such as sadness, anger, and loneliness.  Our modern culture also supports this by expecting us to have […]

It’s easy for a lot of us to identify areas where we can improve. It’s also easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others who seem smarter, more attractive, funnier, more disciplined, more easy going, wealthier, etc. What can happen is that when we are overly aware of and focus on what we […]

What is Self Injury? Self Injury can be a difficult subject to discuss with your child.  It is the act of deliberately harming oneself in order to ease emotional pain or discomfort. Common forms of self injury include cutting, burning or scratching. The physical pain associated with self injury can become soothing and even addictive […]