Blog
Small Changes With Big Results
Affirmative Therapy for the LGBTQIA+ Community
People within the LGBTQIA+ community share many things in common outside of sexuality and identity. Many seek therapy for things like self-esteem concerns, anxiety, relationship issues, and more. Regardless of the reason, someone from the community might seek...
Sleep as a New Mom: 4 Strategies to Restful, Restorative Sleep
Life before the baby came was so different. You were cleaner. You ate out more often. And the hours and hours of sleep you used to take for granted! If you’ve recently had a baby and are having a hard time getting enough rest each night, you’re not alone. According to...
3 Signs of Postpartum Depression You Should Be Aware Of
The birth of a child is a wondrous event that, along with some sleepless nights, brings joy into a family’s life. Unfortunately, this joy can be overshadowed with feelings of sadness and hopelessness for mothers experiencing postpartum depression. Postpartum...
Does Therapy for “Baby Blues” Work?
Having a baby is one of the most amazing and awesome events in a person’s life. Babies bring joy and laughter into the house. But the reality is, they also bring sleepless nights and inevitable and irreversible change. Having a baby also brings changes to a woman’s...
Sex Therapy for Intimacy Issues
When people desire to be in a relationship, they are not wanting or needing company or someone to do things with. Most people look for that perfect relationship because they want real, true intimacy in their life. But what is intimacy, really? Intimacy is NOT the same...
What is Sex Therapy and Does it Work?
These days, many of us find it hard to find the time to have a decent and satisfactory sex life with our partner. We’re either too busy, too tired or too stressed much of the time. While we may not like it, this is pretty normal. What’s not normal is having no desire...
Infertility’s Impact on Women’s Mental Health
Infertility is a condition that refers to an inability to become pregnant or to take a baby to term after one year of trying. This is a heartbreaking reality for many women across the globe. In fact, it is estimated that in the United States alone, roughly 6 million...
Mental Health Care for The Career Woman
When you think about it, modern women are really like superheroes. Not only are they obtaining college degrees and climbing corporate ladders, they’re doing so while also raising families. They may also find themselves taking care of aging parents at the same time....
How War and International Conflict Affect Mental Health
Just when we were finally done with the stress and constant fear of living through a two-year global pandemic, the war in Ukraine broke out. The ripple effects of international conflict can and often do affect the mental health of people living around the globe. As...
Counseling to Military Active Duty and their Families
Military families are uniquely affected by work and life stressors. Deployment, pre-deployment training and preparation, as well as reintegration can affect not only the service member, but their spouse and family. Service Members While Posttraumatic Stress Disorder...
EMDR to Treat Trauma in Young Adults
Childhood trauma doesn’t just affect children; it affects the adults they become. Unresolved childhood trauma impacts a young adult’s mental health, which can then impact their physical health. Side Effects of Trauma Many of the adult clients we work with come to us...
How to Navigate Challenging Life Transitions
When we’re young, life transitions are fun and empowering. We go from crawling to walking, walking to running. We start with training wheels but soon no longer need them. As we age we graduate into higher grades and become more independent. But as adults, life...
4 Reasons You Should Try Family Therapy with Your Teenager
As parents, it can be challenging raising a teenager. Teenagers are at the stage where they begin to question the beliefs and values they were raised with, while challenging authority and parental restrictions. Sometimes, teens are struggling with even more issues in...
How Therapy Can Help Families Be Resilient During COVID-19
All of us have struggled in our own way to deal with the effects of the coronavirus. But if you are a parent, you most likely have even more concerns about the impact the virus and subsequent lockdown have had on the emotional health of your children. You’ve most...
Holiday Stress Prevention Tips
The holidays are right around the corner! And that means many of us will begin losing our minds, patience, and good cheer. Well, can you blame us? The holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. Between shopping, decorating, and keeping your drunk aunt...
Ways that Compassion Can Help You Support a Loved One Suffering from Addiction
It can often be difficult knowing how to navigate a relationship that is tainted by addiction. Often, loved ones are told that helping an addict means creating codependency, and that the best thing to do is show some “tough love,” even if that means walking away. But...
Yes, New Fathers Suffer from Depression Too!
Having a baby is an event that typically brings a lot of joy and excitement for couples. However, roughly 60% of new mothers suffer from postpartum depression (PPD), with symptoms being either moderate or severe. Fortunately, PPD is a common health issue with much...
3 Reasons Why Men Should Try Therapy
Men have taken on a specific role in human development over the span of hundreds of thousands of years. While roles have very recently shifted somewhat, historically speaking, men have been the ones to fight the wars and build society. And if you think about it, it’s...
3 Steps to Self-Compassion
“God, you can be so stupid sometimes.” “Why would he be attracted to YOU?” “You’re just going to screw this up.” These are things you would probably never say to another human being unless you’re a real jerk. But how many of us have that inner critic that says these...
4 Ways to Improve Self Esteem When You Have Depression
Depression and low self-esteem are two sides of the same coin. While low self-esteem leaves people vulnerable to depression, depression can absolutely destroy self-esteem. But, though low self-esteem may be deeply rooted, there are things you can do to improve it,...
Are You a Man Suffering from Suicidal Thoughts? Therapy Can Help You
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, men die by suicide more than 3x as often as women. In fact, white males accounted for 69.67% of suicide deaths in 2018. Those are startling statistics. But what’s the reason behind these numbers? Well,...
Do You Know the Signs of Someone Who is Suicidal?
According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, over 47,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2017. In the same year, there were an estimated 1,400,000 suicide attempts. Knowing the signs of suicide is the primary step in preventing someone...
Grief & Loss After a Miscarriage
Throughout our lives we experience the loss of loved ones and friends. But there is no greater loss than that of a child. And it doesn’t matter what age that child was, the loss is profound. If you’ve experienced a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, you are most likely...
Do I Have the Baby Blues or Postpartum Depression?
According to the American Pregnancy Association, 70-80% of all new mothers experience what’s called the “baby blues", while only 10% - 20% suffer from postpartum depression. With so many women experiencing some form of emotional upheaval after giving birth, why is...
PTSD & Trauma: How to Begin Healing
No one is ever prepared for a tragedy. In fact, most of us go through our lives believing that tragedies happen to other people. When people do experience a distressing or life-threatening event, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or terrorist attack, they...
Signs of Trauma in Your Loved Ones
Over the past several years, there have been numerous traumatic events all across the country. From incidents of mass violence to devastating natural disasters to a global pandemic, millions of Americans have experienced or witnessed a disastrous or life-threatening...
What is Trauma Therapy?
Not many of us will get through life without facing our own share of challenges. While some stress and strife can be expected throughout life, some people experience actual trauma. Trauma may come in the form of a physically or emotionally abusive relationship, a...
How Girl Moms Can Serve as Positive Role Models
Every Halloween, little girls all over the country choose costumes that reflect what they want to be when they grow up. And each year we see many girls choosing to dress as princesses and fairies, kitty cats and maybe the odd superhero. Rarely do we see young girls...
Self-Love: 5 Ways to Start Feeling Like Yourself Again
We are born knowing that we are infinitely lovable. Babies and toddlers demand love and attention. They ask to be held, they ask for toys and presents and they feel they deserve them. When we’re very young, we simply somehow just “know” that we are amazing and deserve...
Does Therapy for “Baby Blues” Work?
Having a baby is one of the most amazing and awesome events in a person’s life. Babies bring joy and laughter into the house. But the reality is, they also bring sleepless nights and inevitable and irreversible change. Having a baby also brings changes to a woman’s...
Why Caregivers Should Prioritize Self-Care
Caregivers are truly a special type of human being; they are selfless, kind hearted, attentive and generous. Are you acting as a caregiver to a loved one? Maybe your elderly parent or a spouse or child is battling a serious illness like COVID-19? Approximately 36% of...
Therapy for COVID-19 Frontline Workers
None of us were prepared for the global pandemic we find ourselves in, especially considering how long we've been going through it. Not parents, teachers, and certainly not the COVID-19 frontline workers around the country and across the globe. Doctors and nurses...
COVID-19 & Its Impact on the Mental Health of Families
If you asked any of us a year and a half ago what would life be like right now, it’s doubtful anyone would have guessed we’d be going through the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of 2020, some families might have thought that being forced to stay home from work and...
What is PTSD and What Causes it?
Most of us won’t get through life without our own fair share of stress and heartache. But some people experience not just stress, sadness or grief, but actual trauma, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can be from events like being involved in a bad car...
“Am I Addicted?” 5 Signs You Should Seek Help
When we speak about addiction, we tend to think of drugs and alcohol. But there are many seemingly benign activities that can become an addiction for some people. For some, watching porn is an activity done once in a while for fun. For others, they feel like they have...
4 Ways to Change Your Thoughts and Relieve Depression
Did you know that on most days, the average person has between 25,000 and 50,000 thoughts? That’s an impressive amount of thoughts. But when happens when the majority of these thoughts are negative and worsening your depression? Imagine the impact on your psyche and...
Anxiety Calming Strategies You Can Practice in Public
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults over the age of 18 suffer from an anxiety disorder. If you are one of them, you know how difficult calming your anxiety can feel most days. When anxiety strikes, the world around us can...
What Are the Most Common Marriage Problems?
It's not uncommon for married couples to fight. In fact, in some ways, it's indicative of a healthy relationship. But what if it seems like you're fighting all the time? Every marriage has its issues. However, there are some problems that seem to get worse over time,...
Get Some Sleep! 5 Tips to Fight Insomnia
If you find yourself struggling to fall or stay asleep, you’re not alone. Insomnia, the chronic inability to get sufficient sleep, is a common problem affecting millions of Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2014 study, more than...
Postpartum Depression: Five Warning Signs to Look Out For
Being a new mom can cause you to go through a rollercoaster of emotions. You might feel overwhelmed with love or bliss. You also may feel panicky or anxious about your responsibilities as a new mother. It's natural to feel a variety of both positive and negative...
How Does Marriage Counseling Work? Here’s What to Expect
Are you a couple in North Carolina, wondering if your relationship can be saved? You've probably tried working on your difficulties alone, and maybe you've asked friends for advice. Have you considered marriage counseling? The suggestion may fill you with fear,...
3 Ways Individual Counseling Can Help Your Marriage
Even happily married couples can hit obstacles along the way. When this happens, couples can either try to work through their issues themselves, or they can seek the guidance of a trained marriage counselor. While some couples feel their problems should be kept...
How Counseling Can Help You Reach Your Goals
If you struggle to set goals, let alone reach them, you are definitely not alone. Roughly 92% of the population has found it hard to stick to intentions. This constant cycle of trying to set beneficial life or health goals, but never quite reaching them, can...
A Complete Guide to EMDR Therapy: What Is It, How Does It Work, and What Are the Benefits?
Anxiety, stress, trauma, depression, PTSD. If you or a loved one have ever experienced any of these mental health struggles, you'll know how vital it is to receive the best possible help from a professional. But with a plethora of therapies and treatments available,...
4 Subtle Signs of Emotional Trauma
When you think about someone experiencing trauma, incidents such as assault or a car accident might come to mind. But there are other, subtler forms of trauma that can negatively affect our lives and hinder our relationships. Emotional trauma is often overlooked, and...
Cherishing Holiday Memories
During these unprecedented times, we are learning the importance of cherishing life, cherishing health, and cherishing each other. With all of the events occurring throughout the world, it is easy to fixate on the negative circumstances surrounding us. This year may...
5 Strategies to Calm Your Anxiety Quickly
When you live with an anxiety disorder, any moment can become one that creates a slow-rising panic within you. Life is normal one second and the next, you feel your chest tighten and your heart begin to race. You may begin to hyperfocus on future events and find...
A Budgeting Guide for the Holidays
The holiday season is a time for sharing and caring, which includes giving and receiving gifts! We all love to give gifts and are equally excited to receive them. However, during the holiday season, it can be easy to overspend. We all want to buy our children the...
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: An in-Depth Look at What It Is and Who It Works For
Have you been considering seeking out a counselor or therapist? Many people have elected to seek out mental health services and the stigma, while still present, is slowly dissipating. Mental health is becoming a more widely discussed topic. Hundreds of millions of...
How to Avoid Emotional Eating During the Holidays
The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching us! Thanksgiving is a time for showing gratitude to our family, friends, and close loved ones. In traditional American households, we spend the holiday giving thanks, saying grace, and preparing for the new year. Similarly,...
Self Care During the Holidays
Self care is all about setting and honoring personal boundaries. Practicing self care can seem difficult at times in an ongoing, fast paced world, especially during the holiday season. It can easily become overlooked and neglected during the busy (and sometimes...
Supporting Your Teen’s Mental Health
The weight of the world is enough as an adult; but as a teenager? It’s even more overwhelming. Teens are faced with pressures from all angles. To name a few, school, friendships, romance, family, jobs, drugs, and body changes are heavy on teens' minds. On top of that,...
How to Find the Best Online Couples Therapy to Save Your Relationship
Every relationship has its fair share of ups and downs, however, sometimes the tension can reach a boiling point, and assistance is needed. Online couples therapy can be the solution to relationship woes. Studies have shown that current marriage counseling techniques...
Benefits of Seeing a Male Therapist
Therapy is a transformative experience that requires the right personality fit between client and clinician. Beyond that, trust and rapport are what drive a successful therapeutic relationship. Notice that I didn’t say therapy was always a comfortable experience. To...
Warning Signs of Dysfunctional Family Roles
Let’s talk about family roles. Family roles may be a phrase that feels very light as it is commonly used. We’re here to talk about the negative side of family roles and the impact they can have on a family Family roles can be a sign or symptom of a dysfunctional...
4 Areas You Could Be Improving Your Self Care
Sometimes the term Self Care can be a little intimidating. Because not everyone likes the face masks, bubble baths, or essential oils that typically come to mind when this term is mentioned. These things might actually turn some people away. We wanted to break self...
The Two Levels to a Toxic Family Upbringing & How To Break the Chain
Too many children grow up in toxic families. This can be detrimental to their mental and emotional health as adults in the world. As parents, there are things we can watch out for in ourselves to prevent a toxic family upbringing in our homes. There are typically...
Simple Tips for Sleeping Productively
Perhaps one of the most basic parts of life that often doesn’t get the credit or attention it deserves is sleep. It’s essential, and we spend about a third of our lives doing it, so maybe we should consider giving it a little bit more love. There are things you can...
Despite What You May Have Grown Up Hearing–There Is In Fact, A Fair Way To Fight
The saying “All’s Fair In Love And War”, isn’t really conducive to a healthy relationship between two people. There are ways to have productive arguments and disagreements without having to end the night with someone sleeping on the couch, or angrily hanging up the...
Moms: Get Started with Self Care… Or Else
Standing in line at the grocery store you’re privy to a lot of conversations - whether you like it or not. You’re stuck there because you don’t dare move or you’ll lose your place in line and checking out will take even longer. So, you try not to listen to what people...
Becoming Culturally Aware
In this time, it feels more important than ever to know our surroundings and be aware of our voices as well as the voices of those around us, who may not have the same opportunities to speak and be heard. As white individuals during the time of Black Lives Matter, it...
What Men Need to Hear About Therapy
Once upon a time, I took a trip for private practice owners to Colorado. This was a conference to help therapists who own their own private practice grow and network. I was lucky enough to meet TONS of rad therapists/owners but a small group of us created a special...
Manage Your Anxiety During Quarantine
Melissa Kemlage and Kayla Reilly, two licensed therapists in Wilmington, NC come together to send you some strategies on managing your anxiety. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT90QSByid8&t=9s Be Creative with Self Care Find ways to make yourself feel good. Don’t...
Parenting in Quarantine (You’re Doing Great)
Parenting is THE hardest job on the face of the planet. Hands down. Now throw on a global pandemic that causes 6+ weeks of quarantine. So many parents are struggling with judging themselves, being exhausted, feeling guilty… It makes therapists sad because you are...
3 Toxic Myths about Marriage
Today, we'll cover the 3 toxic myths about marriage that all beginners MUST break away from in order to achieve a healthy long term relationship. Getting your mindset right is the #1 thing you have to conquer if you want to succeed in marriage. As the popular saying...
Self-Care During Coronavirus
Are you having a difficult time taking care of yourself during this pandemic? Are you tired of being trapped in the same routine every day? Have you started to forget which day it is? Are you going absolutely stir-crazy because you can’t think of other things to do?...
Important Information For Telehealth Appointments
We hope that you are doing well and adjusting to all of the changes that have been going on related to social distancing, working from home, balancing kids being home from school, etc. - 1. Connection If you are connecting to your telehealth appointment via your...
Re-Evaluating Your Balance During Quarantine
There is a concept in Al Anon and ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) programs that I love: “detach with love.” The idea is, we have to peel away our identity and wellbeing and emotional state away from people in our lives so that we can see where we end and they...
Telehealth Counseling Services Q&A
COVID-19 (AKA the Coronavirus) is rampant in our country, businesses and schools are closing, and many states have moved to a mandatory “Shelter in Place” order. The economy is taking a major hit, people are being laid off from their jobs, and those who still are...
Adjusting to Social Distancing
If you are ready to move forward from the setbacks that COVID-19 has caused, consider counseling at our Wilmington, NC-based counseling practice, or online in North Carolina,During a time of crisis, there often comes a reverberation of circumstances that are a result...