By Jack Fox, M.A. Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia We are headed towards fall weather! While some may be excited by the change of seasons, others may be worried about what the colder weather might mean for their ability to use calming techniques like being outside or going on a walk. As we transition [...]
What’s Your “Upside Down” Magic?
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy in Northern Virginia This weekend my family watched the movie, “Upside Down Magic,” for movie night. In the movie, a group of young children are deemed misfits because of their “wonky, ” “unorthodox,” and “upside down” magic. When the school gets attacked by “Shadow [...]
Two Arrows (Emotional Objectivity)
By Bruce Craig, MA, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia There is a Buddhist metaphor that I have found to be a great way to think about emotional objectivity. When something difficult happens in life, as can be expected from time to time, we often internalize how we feel about it subjectively. This is where [...]
Taking the Time to Talk with Your Anxious Child
By Shelton Piland, Supervisee in Clinical Social Work in Northern, VA Are you noticing that your young child has recently become more afraid of things, developed phobias they did not have before or is running to you with every small issue they come across? Maybe your child has suddenly become terrified of thunder or catastrophizes [...]
Virtual Learning And Its Effects On Your Child’s Mental Health
By Grace Kim, Resident in Counseling The new school year has just begun for many students in numerous districts and it’s looking quite different from previous years. Instead of returning to the classroom, students have been staying home and doing distance and virtual learning to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many kids have been met [...]
Boundaries: How I Can Love You & Me at the Same Time
By Jasmine Payne, HMT Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia We have all heard the word boundaries. What do you think of when you hear it? Common answers include: a brick wall, a barrier, a way to keep people out, a line drawn in the sand, something that keeps me safe, or a tall privacy fence. [...]
Keeping It REAL as a Parent!
By Mary Jackson, MSW is a Supervisee in Clinical Social Work in Northern Virginia Parents…this one is for you! Have you ever had one of those days when you feel as if you are going to LOSE IT? Recently I did. It wasn’t just parenting that had me overwhelmed. It was the sum of EVERYTHING. [...]
Find Your Calm or Safe Place – A Relaxation Technique
By Jack Fox, M.A. Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia This time of the year is rife with transitions, which can be stressful for everyone. Especially with the pandemic continuing, we are under a lot of pressure as the new school year begins and children start classes online or adults try to figure out childcare. [...]
Cultivating Positive Mental Focus – Part 4
By Bruce Craig, MA, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia In everything and everyone we encounter in life there will be aspects we appreciate and aspects we maybe don’t prefer. As we discussed in earlier articles of this series our minds naturally focus on the negative first because this was necessary in some ways for [...]
Strategies for Good Communication
By Shelton Piland, Supervisee in Clinical Social Work in Northern, VA Why do you need good communication? To put it simply, good communication can make or break any kind of relationship. Whether it's in business, with a friend, a family member or a significant other. Communication is vital for conveying feelings, giving instructions, and building [...]
Repressed Memories: Are They Real and How Do We Recover Them?
By Grace Kim, Resident in Counseling When we recall memories from our past, some might elicit feelings of happiness and others might involve less pleasant emotions. We are able to consciously conjure up these memories and remember the feelings associated with them. Sometimes, we make a conscious effort to avoid thinking about these memories because [...]
Expressing Emotions
Expressing emotions doesn’t come naturally for all of us. Learning to recognize your emotion, label it and get curious about it can help build a healthier self-esteem and relationships with others. Unfortunately, ignoring emotions, pretending they don’t exist, and operating in silence can cause long-term emotional distress. Labeling Try practicing labeling, a simple technique to [...]
Art-Making and Mental Health
By Jackie Carrera, MSEd, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia Creativity and mental health go hand in hand. I am a visual artist who enjoys painting, working with pottery, and photography. I turned to art-making during a high stress time in my life and it helped me find balance. One of the texts that taught [...]
How to Support Your Black and Brown Friends During This Time
By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Resident in Counseling Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few years, you’re likely well aware of the rising tensions concerning the topic of race. It’s in large part due to the hateful and even violent statements/acts we’ve witnessed on the parts of white authoritative [...]
Self-care ideas!
By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Resident in Counseling If you are anything like me, practicing self-care and self-love can often get placed on the back burner. Also, I am not a proclaimed morning person, so other than those things I NEED to do, I've learned they likely won't get done until I'm [...]
Working with Thoughts – Part 3
By Bruce Craig, MA, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia In the first couple of articles in this series we focused on noticing our emotions objectively and learning how to not be reactive to them. This is a constant lifelong practice that we can get better at over time and we should also remember [...]
Body Positivity vs. Body Neutrality
When Body Positivity Seems Impossible, Aim for Body Neutrality By Grace Kim, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia The idea that a woman’s body should look a certain way has been reinforced through social media, movies, magazines and even our parents. This concept doesn’t only apply to women, but men as well. Societal standards have [...]
How the Idea of “Breast is Best” is Hurting Caregivers
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy in Northern Virginia When caregivers are first embarking on their parenting journey, one of the primary questions they must often answer is whether they will choose to breastfeed their child. Breastfeeding has been shown to have a variety of benefits. Breastmilk is often discussed [...]
Attitude of Gratitude: Finding Light in the Darkness of Pandemic
By Jack Fox, M.A. Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia The past few months have been really hard. Starting with the onset of the Coronavirus in March, there has been a lot of darkness that we as a society have had to deal with! There has been so much focus on self-preservation and making [...]
When “Fake it til’ you Make it” Doesn’t Work
By Jasmine Payne, HMT Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia Many of us have heard the sentiment “fake it until you make it.” It implies that if you can imitate or pretend to have certain qualities or emotions like happiness, confidence, or competence that you will eventually obtain them genuinely. While this works for [...]
Challenging Your Negative Thoughts
By Shelton Piland, Supervisee in Clinical Social Work in Northern, VA During this uncertain time we all may be more prone to depression, anxiety and poor self-esteem. Irrational negative thoughts could be the culprit! Since many of us are stuck at home, social media use has been on the rise. We may accomplish one thing, feel good [...]
Socially Distanced Stress Management for Kids (Grown-Ups, too!) for the Summer
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia During the summer, the strain on family relationships can increase with kids home from school and around the house all day. Especially coming off of a spring of distance learning, this phenomenon may have already happened to some families! Here is a quick activity that [...]
Helping Children Deal With Their Feelings
By Grace Kim, Resident In Counseling in Northern Virginia The relationship between each parent and child is a very personal and private matter. Learning effective communication skills can change the way parents treat their children. Firstly, it is important to help children deal with their feelings. In order to do this, recognize that there is [...]
Three Tools to Calm a Stressed-Out Family
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy in Northern Virginia The last three months of 2020 has brought a wave of stress and anxiety for most families. While I share the sentiments of wanting to be whisked away to a secluded beach, our present circumstances allow us to be intentional about [...]
Learning to Notice Emotions Early and Objectively – Part 2
By Bruce Craig, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia Emotions are here for a reason and every human will feel the full range of emotions at one point or another in their lives. This is to say that emotions are not something we should be afraid of or try to avoid in any way. We [...]
Positive Impacts of Journaling
By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Northern Virginia Journaling allows people to clarify their thoughts and feelings, thereby gaining valuable self-knowledge. It's also a good problem-solving tool; oftentimes, one can hash out a problem and come up with solutions more easily on paper. Here are some of the studied positive impacts of [...]
An Open Letter from Alycia
Dear Healthy Minds Family, I sincerely hope as you read this email, you are in good health. I recognize your hearts and minds may be filled with fear and worry. As the world continues to change around us, I still walk alongside of you. The events going on around all of us are heartbreaking and [...]
Taking Time to Pause
By Jackie Carrera, MSEd, Resident In Counseling in Northern Virginia We are in a time of uncertainty where some relationships have been strained due to a variety of stressors. For some it has been a time of thriving in being close to another, while for others it is a challenging time. We are always relating [...]
Quick and Helpful Thought Check
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia Sometimes our brains get stuck on “what ifs” or thoughts that are solely negative. It’s easy to focus on the worst case scenarios that stem from some of our negative thinking, such as “If we get in a fight she is going to break up [...]
Working with Our Emotions – Part One
By Bruce Craig, Resident in Counseling in Northern Virginia Rawpixel.com/Adobe Stock Emotions can become overwhelming in the blink of an eye and it can sometimes feel like there is no way to prevent them from feeling insurmountable. It may seem like everywhere you turn someone is doing something that is mean, frustrating or disrespectful. Every [...]
Self-Compassion Break
Photo by Michelle on Unsplash By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy in Northern Virginia For so many, the recent months have required a bit of flexibility. The pandemic has left many individuals, parents, and families juggling multiple roles. We are all trying to figure things out day by day. In moments of high [...]
Finding Peace in a Crisis
How to strengthen our capacity for wisdom, peace and enlightenment By Grace Kim, Resident in Counseling We are certainly living in a strange time. There is a lot that is uncertain and a lot that is unknown. It can be hard to manage the emotional challenges of being in quarantine amidst an uncertain future. We [...]
How to Make Your Social Media Consumption More Intentional in 2 Steps
By Jasmine Payne, HMT Resident in Counseling Social media and technology are intertwined in our day-to-day lives. Many of us have built up profiles, sent and accepted hundreds of friend requests, and followed various pages over the last several years. When was the last time you checked in on all those platforms and cleansed the [...]
How are you, really? Make your mental health a priority.
Photo by Dhaya Eddine Bentaleb on Unsplash The world looks a little different than it did a few weeks ago. For many, this has brought to surface many stresses. The stress from pivoting into your new roles and responsibilities, along with social distancing and isolation, has led to an increase in depression. Here is how depression can show [...]
Understanding the Teenage Brain
Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy in Northern Virginia Raising a teenager can be hard. There is so much social, emotional, and neurobiological change happening in such a short amount of time. Many of us can remember, rather vividly, what it felt like during this awkward and [...]
The Power of Smell
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling Most of us have experienced a smell that reminds us of someone or some time in our lives. There is a scientific reason for this phenomenon! Centers for Emotion The places in your brain that are dedicated to working with smell are very closely wired with the centers [...]
Mental Health Do’s and Don’ts during Quarantine!
By Grace Kim, Resident in Counseling Most of us are stumped on what to do while we’re locked down in our homes. We’ve re-watched all the Harry Potter movies. We’ve binge-watched all the seasons of our favorite shows on Netflix. We’ve “cleaned” our kitchens and our rooms. We’ve emptied out our pantries and shelves once [...]
6 ways to thrive when working from home – Guaranteed to nail it
By now, most of us have had to make the shift from daily commutes and traffic jams, to coordinating schedules with spouses and getting used to a new normal of working at home. It’s normal for feelings of stress, anxiety, anger and even grief to happen when major shifts like these happen in your life. [...]
Keeping Your Peace of Mind Amidst the Chaos
By Jasmine Payne, HMT Resident in Counseling There is so much going on right now and so much of it is out of our control. This is an unprecedented time and situation. Many of us are faced with trying to figure out what a new normal looks like. The most important thing to remember is [...]
Navigating Uncharted Waters: COVID-19
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy We are in uncharted territory together as our community braces to contain the impact of COVID-19. Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash As a parent, you have likely had to shape-shift into many forms this week—comforter, fear-slayer, information-gatherer, preparer, and more recently teacher. You have likely [...]
Three Calming Activities
To help anxious children (and you!) that can be done in the home! By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash These activities are great for children and adults to help them practice mindfulness, live in the here and now, and learn to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: What is [...]
Was it luck, good fortune or a coincidence?
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling Photo by Amy Reed on Unsplash When something positive or good happens to you or occurs in your life, are you able to take credit for it or do you attribute it to something like luck, good fortune, or even just a fluke or coincidence? There are many times we can [...]
Sleep and Mental Health
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling Photo by Jonathan Fink on Unsplash In almost all the different mental health issues that people face, a common factor is troubles with sleep. While there are many factors that affect how a person is sleeping, there are a few easy ways to help improve the quality of the sleep we [...]
Protect Your Mental Health From the Dark Sides of Social Media
By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Photo by William Iven on Unsplash It's easier said than done to detox yourself from social media. It is everywhere and, if you are like most, you have the fear of missing out. But social media has many dark sides and it is in the best interest of your own [...]
Mindful Self Compassion
By Bruce Craig, Resident in Counseling Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash In the last couple of blog articles, we have covered how to begin tuning in to our mental process to begin noticing moment-to-moment what our mind is up to. As we tune into this process, it is likely you will notice some negative self-talk. These negative [...]
The Magic Ratio to a Happy, Healthy Relationship
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy Photo by Kristina Litvjak on Unsplash John Gottman, a well-known and well-respected couples researcher, has documented multiple differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Of these differences, healthy relationships, he suggests, have five times more positive interactions than negative interactions. Luckily, this means that we don’t have to [...]
Change is hard. But worth it.
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash Are you healthy and well, or just comfortable? Comfort can be a tricky subject when dealing with health and wellness. Often times, individuals find themselves in poor health, either mentally or physically, because they are comfortable and unwilling to change. Humans are conditioned to seek the [...]
Getting to the Heart of Communication
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy Photo by Jamez Picard on Unsplash Many couples seek out couples therapy because they are finding communication difficult. In the world of couples interventions, communication skills training and “I” statements are popular. While these skills may provide short-term gains, I often see them failing to provide the [...]
Noticing the Mental Process
By Bruce Craig, Resident in Counseling Pixabay Image Practicing Mindfulness in your daily life as often as possible can give us the power to become less reactive to thoughts and feelings. We can begin to intentionally notice what are mind is up to and begin to retrain it to operate in a more useful way. [...]
5 Ways For a Stress-Free Sleep
By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Resident in Counseling Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash We’ve all been there. You turn to look at the clock and it’s 2:00 am, then 3:00am. You have to get up in a few hours but, you are still wide awake with what feels like a million thoughts running [...]
New Year, New You?
Photo by Danil Aksenov on Unsplash By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy As one year closes and another begins, it is natural to think of what we hope the journey ahead entails. Certainly, New Year's resolutions can be guide posts to help us stay on track towards big goals. But often, we tend [...]
Tips for dealing with stress over the holidays
By Jack Fox, M.A., Resident in Counseling Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash We know the stress of the holidays can be a lot. Here are two simple tips to keep in mind to keep stress at bay. 1) Don’t break the bank to try and show you love or care. Many people try to show their family and [...]
Do The Next Right Thing
Photo by Dustin Belt on Unsplash By Alison Morogiello, MEd, NCC , Resident in Counseling Upon viewing the new “Frozen II” movie with my two young nieces, there was a mantra throughout the film that allowed the characters to move forward when things felt hopeless. “Do the next right thing”. Sometimes in life, we are faced with overwhelming [...]
The 5 Signs of Burnout
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy During the holidays, there can be a lot of emotional resources going out. One way that we can practice self-care is to recognize the signs of burnout and pull back when we feel like too much of ourselves is going into caring for others. [...]
Gut Microbes and Mental Health!
By Kayla White, M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Resident in Counseling Photo by Brandless on Unsplash It's no secret that mental health and the gut-brain membrane is a new, flourishing research area! One study found that Coprococcus seems to have a pathway related to dopamine, a key brain signal involved in depression, although they have no evidence how this [...]
Keeping Children Safe Online
By Dr. Debra Rezendes - Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy Photo by McKaela Lee on Unsplash One modern parenting challenge that I frequently hear about is how to keep kids and teens safe online. It can be hard to know how to keep children safe amidst the changing landscape of the online world. One certainty about the [...]
Supporting Families in the Fourth Trimester
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy Photo by Liane Metzler on Unsplash My social media feed has been bursting with pictures of mothers to be and new babies entering the world. I love the moment a family meets their little one. And, I also know from working with hundreds of mothers and families, [...]
Daily Mindfulness Practice Basics
By Bruce Craig, Resident in Counseling Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash A simple and effective way to cultivate a more calm and peaceful life is to take the time to notice the thoughts that lead to our feelings. Our brains are always thinking even if we are not tuned into our thoughts. These thoughts lead to feelings whether [...]
Play away Separation Anxiety
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy School is back in session, the season in which separation anxiety may rear itself. The good news is that separation anxiety is often normal, short lived, and can be an indication of the healthy and loving relationship with your young child. Separation Anxiety For [...]
Nighty Night
By Dr. Debra Rezendes, HMT Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy For many of us parents, the blissful summer days of sleeping in have been replaced by the early morning routines of the school year. As we trade the slower paced days of summer for the beginning of the school year, the natural transition of [...]
Systems That Save You Time In Group Practice
Photo copy write Practice of the Practice In our practice, we have found several systems that work to streamline our business and save us time. Every minute wasted, is money lost. I have worked with our Directors to create systems for our practice, allowing our clinicians to do what they do best…therapy! I want our clinicians [...]
If we treat our body well, our mind will be happy too! 💗
Photo by Fezbot2000 on Unsplash By Alison Whitehouse, Resident in Counseling Research continues to support the connection between physical health and mental health. When we are sick with a cold, we often feel depressed or fatigued. When we are stressed or anxious, our body tenses up, or we may have digestive problems. Our mind and body are a [...]
Tips on Self-Care
We wanted to focus this month on Self-care. As the saying goes, "an empty tank will take you exactly nowhere. Take time to refuel." Self-care is not selfish so erase that concept from your mind. If anything, it benefits not only you but those who are around you. You cannot properly care for others without [...]
On Being A Therapist…And Mother and Business Owner
Photo copy write Practice of the Practice When I first started out on this journey of becoming who I am today, I had no idea what was ahead of me. If someone would’ve told me I was going to start a business, have a baby and then buy a business all within one year, I would’ve [...]
Social Media: How to Choose The Best Platform For Your Practice
Photo copy write Practice of the Practice Twitter, Facebook, Instagram…. oh my! There are so many options when it comes to choosing which social media platform will work best for you and your clients. A major mistake is using all of the platforms available at once to start. Instead, try starting with just one or two and [...]
What I Do For Fun & How It Helps Me Grow
Photo copy write Practice of the Practice Most of us wear many hats, often leaving us to feel stretched thin, uninspired and exhausted. As a wife, mother, clinician and business owner, it’s important I do things to keep me feeling motivated, energized and excited. If you are feeling overwhelmed and are looking for some ways [...]
5 Tips for Managing Stress Around your Family This Time of Year
It’s not always “Happy Holidays” during this time of year. Here are 5 tips for managing stress around your family this time of year. Did you know that 8 out of 10 Americans feel extra stressed during the holidays? Between financial stress, decorations, family and travel, the stress and anxiety can really pile on. We would [...]
It’s All About Relationships: Networking Locally To Build A Client Referral Base
Starting a private practice is exciting! It can also be daunting, overwhelming and exhausting. The concept is simple: rent a space, hold therapy sessions with clients, write notes, rinse and repeat. If only it was that easy. Where do clients come from? They don’t just show up knocking on your door. Building relationships in your [...]
Decorating Your Private Office With Purpose
Photo by Alvin Engler on Unsplash First impressions are everything! This is important to remember when planning to decorate your office. You don’t have to have a degree in interior design in order to “wow” and welcome your clients into your space. Think “family room” instead of “doctor’s office.” You want your space to be [...]
Seeking Safety
Seeking Safety was designed for people with a history of trauma and/or addiction. Trauma means a distressing event such as a child abuse, major accident, combat, domestic violence, natural disaster, etc. Addiction means destructive use of alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, shopping, etc. It focuses on coping skills to help you become safer in your relationships, [...]
No Show or Show Up?
By: Alycia Burant, MA, LPC, NCC, Founder & Therapist Your First Counseling Session: Trying something new for the first time can cause quite a bit of anxiety. I felt pretty anxious before I went to my first barre class (you know, that trendy exercise fad right now combining Pilates, yoga and ballet?). I imagine this [...]
Choose Your Filter! Explaining CBT to Teens
By Alison Whitehouse, Resident in Counseling We all have what’s called “cognitive distortions” and “negative core beliefs”, that negatively shape how we think, feel, and act. How can we explain this to a teenager? Let’s use the metaphor of Instagram filters. On Instagram, you have a picture to upload and a list of filters in which to [...]
