Suicide Prevention Month:  What Every Loved One Should Know

Let’s Talk Body Image & Self-Esteem

What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know About Their Child’s Mental Health Back-to-School Anxiety Is Real. Don’t Downplay It. Even if your child has always done well at school, it’s a mistake to assume they’ll breeze into September without a hitch. Transitions are hard, even when they’re familiar. And every school year brings a different emotional landscape.  A new teacher. A different friend group. More pressure. A body that’s changed over the summer. A deeper awareness of social dynamics. It adds up. Parents sometimes respond with, “You’ll be fine,” or “Everyone has to go to school.” These aren’t cruel responses. They’re often protective. You want to soothe. You want your child to believe in themselves. But if we rush too quickly to reassurance, we miss what they’re really trying to say. Try curiosity instead. “What’s on your mind when you think about going back?” “Is there a part of it that feels heavy?” This allows your child to lead the conversation, rather than defending themselves against your optimism.

The importance of our relationship with our parents lasts a lifetime. Whether they gave us a sense of happiness and security or our childhood was marked by pain and difficulty, their influence on our development remains central. In therapy, adults often speak about their childhood experiences: painful episodes, meaningful events, lingering impressions, or moments of confusion and frustration. These fragments eventually form a larger picture, and we begin to speak about the story of our relationship with our parents.

Understanding the Role of Consistency, Seasonality, and Psychological Readiness As summer arrives, many people begin reorganizing their routines. Schools pause, vacation time is booked, and for some, therapy sessions are quietly shelved until the fall. The assumption is that mental health care, like many other responsibilities, might benefit from a seasonal break. But should therapy follow the same seasonal patterns as the academic calendar or workplace schedules?  From a psychological perspective, the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no.

What Wedding Season Might Be Stirring Beneath the Surface The sun is shining, the invitations are rolling in, and suddenly every weekend seems booked with showers, speeches, and slow dances. For some, wedding season brings joy. For others, especially those who find themselves in supporting roles again and again, it can stir a quiet, aching question: Why not me? While this phrase might seem lighthearted or even cliché, it can hold a surprising amount of emotional weight. Let’s talk about what’s often left unspoken.

"I understand". Two words from a therapist that can mean so much to a client. But what does the therapist really mean when they say this? Let's say the client is voicing concerns about managing their child's temper tantrums and the therapist has children of their own, so then they can truly understand. As therapists, we want to connect with clients and saying "I understand" is an effective way to do this. But sometimes we can't understand, not for lack of trying, but because we haven't walked in someone else's shoes. For me, understanding what some clients really experience took on a whole new meaning when I experienced what I call "Life on the other side".

U nderstanding the subtle difference that can change how we relate to others and ourselves The word boundaries has become a staple in modern wellness conversations. And for good reason: clear, healthy boundaries are essential for sustainable relationships, self-respect, and emotional wellbeing. But what often goes unspoken is how easily those boundaries can slip into something less helpful— walls . From a therapeutic standpoint, the difference between boundaries and walls is more than semantics. It’s about whether a person is protecting their energy in a healthy way, or unknowingly isolating themselves to avoid emotional discomfort.

When your child walks out of a therapy session, it's only natural to want to know how it went. You might be tempted to ask: “Was it good?” or “Did you have fun today?”