A few weeks ago I ran into one of my favorite professors from graduate school. We hugged and squealed and then I asked if she’d like to have coffee and catch up a bit? Oh, my gosh – well – I could – no – I better not, I have a million things to do – what about March? March, …

“Just give it time and you’ll be fine,” he told Allie. “I’m not worried about being fine right now Sam, this is sad and I want to feel it.” Just give it time, is a common fix-all response of people who mean well and of people who want to avoid feeling an emotion. Usually well meaning people want to comfort …

In my years of doing therapy I’ve come to see that acknowledgement is one of the easiest ways to calm an anxious heart. Acknowledging another person’s feelings can also help you make early connections as well as build and rebuild relationships. It’s about stopping and letting the other person know you’re with them. You can say something like, I’m sorry you feel …

She taught me my first professional lesson about the power of discussing the emotional events in our lives. I was in my first year of training as a therapist and she was in her early 70‘s, articulate and pretty with short-cropped salt and pepper hair. “My children want me to see a therapist about my grief,” she said, “but I wanted …

Are You Divorcing Me Too? Is a program that gives parents and children the tools to talk about the parents’ divorce. I will focus on the children’s fears, concerns about how they will be perceived by their friends, what life will look like going forward and their sadness. For children ages 7 – 12. Since the workshop builds communication between …