What Is Structural Family Therapy?
TL;DR Structural Family Therapy (SFT), created by Salvador Minuchin, reorganizes family interactions to fix root causes of conflict. It focuses on boundaries, roles, and power balance to improve communication and connection. Key techniques: family mapping, enactments, boundary making, unbalancing, and restructuring. Benefits include reduced conflict, stronger cohesion, better child/teen functioning, and lasting relationship resilience. Common issues treated: adolescent defiance, [...]
What’s The Best Way To Help Kids Addicted To Video Games?
TL;DR Video games can be addictive for kids, offering quick rewards, connection, and a sense of control. Signs of harmful gaming include neglecting responsibilities, sleep disruption, irritability, and withdrawal from real life activities. Often, gaming is an escape from stress, loneliness, or anxiety. Balance comes from replacing screen time with engaging offline activities and addressing underlying emotional needs. Total [...]
What Are the Symptoms and Signs of PTSD Childhood Trauma?
TL;DR PTSD from childhood trauma can show up as overthinking, emotional outbursts, anxiety, or feeling shut down-even if the trauma happened long ago and isn’t fully remembered. Childhood trauma happens when a child faces something overwhelming, like abuse or neglect, without the ability or support to process it—this can affect emotions, health, and behavior for years. Trauma comes in [...]
Trauma vs PTSD: How They Affect Mental Health?
TL;DR Trauma is a natural response to distressing events; PTSD is a diagnosable condition that can follow a potentially traumatic event or trauma. Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD—only about 6% do. Three main types of trauma: Acute (single event), Chronic (repeated stress), and Complex (deep, long-term trauma). PTSD symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, and [...]
What Is Marriage Counseling And How Does It Work?
TL;DR Marriage counseling helps couples talk openly, heal old wounds, and reconnect with each other. It improves communication, reduces recurring conflicts, and rebuilds trust in the relationship. Counseling is not only for couples in crisis; it can also strengthen a healthy bond. Sessions usually last 45–180 minutes, can be in person or online, and are always judgment‑free. Therapists use [...]
How To Help Someone With Anxiety? 9 Expert-Backed Ways
TL;DR Anxiety isn't just nerves, it's persistent worry, physical tension, and emotional overwhelm that can disrupt daily life. Look for changes in behavior, mood, and body, like avoidance, irritability, racing thoughts, or sleep issues. Anxiety can show up as GAD, panic disorder, social anxiety, phobias, separation anxiety, or agoraphobia, each with unique symptoms. Be patient, listen without judgment, adapt [...]
Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain? Here’s The Truth
TL;DR Anxiety can cause chest pain that mimics a heart attack. Pain is usually sharp, tight, or stabbing, not crushing. Caused by stress hormones, muscle tension, and shallow breathing. Often triggered by panic attacks or emotional stress, not physical exertion. Usually short-lived and eases with relaxation or grounding. Heart-related pain tends to be heavier, longer, and may radiate to [...]
Does Marriage Counseling Work? Unpacking the Myths
TL;DR Marriage counseling can work for many couples, especially when both partners are committed to change and open to the process. It helps improve communication, rebuild trust, and resolve conflict through guided techniques and structured therapy sessions. Common myths are false, counseling isn’t just for couples near divorce, can work after separation, and progress often happens within 8–12 sessions. [...]
How Much Is Marriage Counseling? Understanding the Costs
TL;DR Marriage counseling is usually far more affordable than divorce. Compared to the emotional and financial costs of separation, therapy is a smarter, long-term investment in your relationship. It’s helpful for more than just crisis situations. Couples use counseling to strengthen communication, handle transitions like parenthood or relocation, and deepen emotional connection, not just to fix major problems. Modern [...]
What are the Hidden Signs of PTSD from Medical Trauma?
TL;DR Medical trauma can lead to PTSD when a person feels helpless, unsafe, or emotionally overwhelmed during a medical event, even if the procedure itself was routine. PTSD from medical trauma often shows up as fear of hospitals, emotional numbness, flashbacks, or anxiety triggered by sounds, smells, or settings linked to the experience. Symptoms can be subtle, including sleep [...]
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy and its Benefits?
TL;DR Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy views the mind as a system of “parts,” each carrying its own emotions, roles, and experiences. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s, it focuses on balancing these parts under the guidance of a calm, compassionate “Self.” Key concepts include the idea that there are no bad parts, healing comes through self-leadership, [...]
What Is Family Counseling: Purpose and Impact
TL;DR Family counseling helps improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships among family members through guided, structured therapy sessions. It focuses on the family as a unit, not just individuals, addressing dynamics, patterns, and emotional struggles that affect everyone in the household. Family therapy can address a range of issues, including parenting challenges, communication breakdowns, blended family transitions, mental [...]
How to Tell If Shortness of Breath Is a Symptom of Anxiety?
TL;DR Anxiety can cause shortness of breath through your body’s fight-or-flight response. It often feels sudden, shallow, and comes with other symptoms like a racing heart or dizziness. It usually improves with breathing exercises or calming techniques. Asthma, heart, or lung problems often include wheezing, chest pain, cough, or fatigue. If medical tests are normal but symptoms persist, anxiety [...]
Can Play Therapy Themes Reveal What My Child Is Feeling?
TL;DR Play therapy themes are recurring patterns in a child’s symbolic play that help therapists understand what the child is feeling or working through, especially when they can’t express it in words.Common themes include power/control, safety, nurturance, aggression, rescue, and loss, each offering insight into a child’s emotional world.These themes are part of a larger therapeutic process, shaped by the [...]
Is Play Therapy Evidence Based or Just Child’s Play?
TL;DR Yes, play therapy is evidence-based, supported by numerous studies and randomized controlled trials. Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a widely researched, non-directive approach that builds emotional strength through the language of play. Meta-analyses show positive results for anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and behavioral challenges in young children. Effective because it uses appropriate therapeutic modalities that promote trust, expression, and [...]
What Is Play Therapy for Kids With ADHD, Autism & Trauma?
TL;DR What it is: A form of psychotherapy using play as a child’s language Who it helps: Most effective for children aged 3–12, adaptable for others How it works: Toys, art, and stories help kids express what they can't say What it treats: Anxiety, trauma, ADHD, autism, and behavioral challenges How long it takes: Typically 12–20 sessions for noticeable [...]
Is ADHD Genetic – Concerned If It Runs in Your Family?
TL;DR ADHD is highly genetic, with heritability estimates around 70–80%. Twin studies show the difference: ADHD appears in 76% of identical twins vs. 32% of fraternal twins. It can come from either parent, and may show up differently across family members. Genes aren’t the whole story — environment plays a key role in how symptoms develop. ADHD doesn’t start [...]
Is ADHD A Disability, Or Simply A Different Way Of Thinking?
TL;DR Yes, ADHD can be considered a disability under U.S. law (ADA, Section 504) when it significantly limits daily functioning like learning or working. It’s classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder in the DSM-5 and often qualifies for school or workplace accommodations. ADHD is not a learning disability, but it often co-occurs with one, up to 50% of people with [...]
Do I have ADHD, Or Am I Just Easily Distracted & Burnt Out?
TL;DR ADHD is a real mental health condition that affects focus, impulse control, emotional regulation, and motivation, not just hyperactivity. If you often feel distracted, disorganized, forgetful, or emotionally reactive despite trying hard, you might be dealing with more than just stress. ADHD comes in three types: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined, each with unique traits. It’s commonly confused with [...]
Are You Making Time for Self-Care | 6 Tips to Take Care of You
When our routine gets in our way it seems so difficult to find time for self- care. Guess what? We need to make time for it, regardless. Our life can get out of control if we are not aware and conscious of what is happening inside of us. Most of the time we automatically respond through our thoughts and behaviors without realizing how [...]
Prioritize Self-Care: Mental Health Awareness Month Tips
Introduction May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a national event dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and empowering individuals to prioritize their mental wellness. Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has served as a cornerstone in addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Organizations like NAMI (National Alliance on [...]
Navigating Big Feelings
Here are some practical tips for managing big feelings—like anger, sadness, anxiety, or overwhelm. These strategies are designed for adults and older kids, and they can also be adapted for younger children with some guidance in the first place.Tips to Manage Big Feelings1. Name the FeelingIdentifying and verbalizing your emotions can be a powerful tool in managing them effectively. A [...]
Nurturing Relationships
How can communication improve a romantic relationship? Effective communication fosters understanding and trust in romantic relationships, deepening affection. By openly sharing feelings and discussing issues constructively, partners can appreciate each other's shortcomings. Active listening strengthens emotional connections and intimacy. This transparency resolves conflicts, enhances closeness, and creates a supportive environment for a healthier, more fulfilling relationship. Here are some [...]
Celebrating Dads: The Unsung Heroes of Parenting
There is considerable discussion surrounding how to improve the United States. Recently, a longstanding truth has surfaced, becoming a focal point in conversations about steering our nation in the right direction. This truth states that good fathers and the essence of fatherhood can significantly enhance America. Positive transformation starts not in Congress but at home, and organizations like the National [...]
Tips to Reach Defiant Children
The word "defiant" is characterized by a boldly resistant or challenging attitude, with synonyms including rebellious, insolent, and insubordinate. Here are grounded, respectful strategies to help reach and support defiant children, especially when their behavior feels challenging or resistant. It is essential to approach these situations with empathy and understanding, recognizing that defiance can often stem from various underlying issues, [...]