Healthy Boundaries

An overall theme I have been noticing is boundaries or lack of boundaries. With the holidays upon us, people have been struggling with issues concerning family, friends, trauma, loss, grief, etc. The holiday season brings up many emotions for people, the good, the bad and the ugly. How do we manage and cope with all [...]

Helping Kids with Deep Breathing

Children regularly have big emotions, and it can be more difficult for them to calm down than it is for adults. Sometimes even when we tell kids to take a deep breath they start hyperventilating, coughing, or choking. They may need a little extra help. First we want to educate children on why deep breathing [...]

Recognizing Transference

Have you ever had an experience where someone reminds you of a person you have known before and you view and interact with them as you did with that person from your past?  If so, you may be experiencing transference. Transference Can Be Positive or Negative Transference occurs when a person directs feelings and experiences [...]

Three Myths About Emotions

Emotions are a central piece of the human experience because they guide many decisions in our lives and many of our reactions to the world around us. But what exactly are emotions? Throughout the decades several thought leaders have attempted to answer this question.  Modern neuroscientific advances have deepened our understanding of how the brain [...]

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 [...]