Total Life Counseling Blog

PTSD Counselor | Man’s Best Friend or Foe | Dog Bites create Physical and Psychological Trauma

Orlando PTSD counselor offers research about the physical and psychological effects of dog attacks.  Cartoons represent dog bites as silly, seemingly harmless events. The truth is far more serious. A large percentage of dog attacks leave their victims with debilitating scars, both physical and psychological. The sound of dogs barking or even venturing outdoors can become a fear provoking situation. [...]

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Counselor and Car Accidents

Orlando PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Counselor offers answers to the following questions on Trauma after car accidents.  I recently received a phone call asking, “Is it possible to have PTSD after a car wreck? I thought this disorder mainly occurred in veterans or child abuse survivors.”Absolutely! Car accidents can certainly be traumatic! You don’t have to experience military combat [...]

Counselor on Anxiety | The Unseen Monster

Lake Mary counselor defines various ways anxiety manifests itself.  Does it seem like an unseen monster lurks around the corner? Does fear and worry weigh you down? Frustrated because you feeling like nothing will ever change? Everyone experiences anxiety as it is a normal response to threatening situations; however, for some people it becomes a disabling response to life. Irrational responses [...]

Get Ready For Summer Social Skills Camps for ADHD and ASD!

Get Ready For Summer Social Skills Camps Orlando Florida FL Summertime is the perfect time to help your child improve his or her social skills in preparation for the upcoming school year.  Does your child try too hard to make friends laugh, even at his own expense? Do you find your daughter isolated or withdrawing from friends?  Are you [...]

50 Shades of Grey – 5 Questions Couples Should Ask | Counselor

50 Shades of Grey - Lake Mary Marriage Counselor suggests 5 Questions Couples Should Ask. It’s almost Valentine’s Day and also the big screen premiere of Fifty Shades of Grey. Based on the best-selling novel by E.L. James, it is on track for a blockbuster Valentine's Day weekend; it could even gross as much as $60 million dollars at [...]

The Benefits of Forgiveness | Counselor Dana West

The Benefits of Forgiveness | Dana West, LCSW Why is forgiveness easy to verbalize but so difficult to express? How many times should I forgive?  Can I distance myself while forgiving someone who hurts me repeatedly? If I forgive too quickly am I a pushover?  Is forgiving truly forgetting? I will never forgive you!  These are all questions and statements [...]

The downward spiral of hope | Complex Grieving in Children | Grief Counselor

Lake Mary Grief Counselor discusses complex grief in children.  Hurricane Katrina taught us alot about the grieving process in children. Unless the situation was a dramatic event, such as discovering the body of a parent who committed suicide or being a war refugee child, children's symptoms are often overlooked. But unexpected deaths by natural causes, accidents, or motor vehicle accidents [...]

5 Tips On Coping With Anxiety | Counseling Therapist

Do you know what anxiety feels like? Anxiety can manifest in many different forms and it varies from person to person. A friend described her anxiety as an inability to breath and chest tightness. Others may have anxiety symptoms such as muscle achiness, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and accelerated heart rate. We can experience anxiety almost everyday of our lives. We [...]

15 Proven Stress Management Techniques for College Students

Key Highlights Stress is a common challenge for college students, driven by academic, financial, and social pressures. Time management and study planning help reduce last-minute stress and improve focus. Mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises can quickly calm your mind during stressful moments. Regular physical activity and healthy eating improve mood and energy levels, reducing stress. Setting boundaries and learning [...]

Bully Therapist Message to Parents of Bullies | 3 Tips for parents to stop their child’s bullying

When I first read the story about Jamey Rodemeyer I was saddened that a young boy had lost his life.  He had so much life ahead of him.  There are many reasons that cause a person to end their life but bullying influenced his decision.  Now there is a school that is hurting, parents and friends that are grieving.  [...]

Career Coach | Time for a Career Change | Reasons Why Your Career Choice Matters

Orlando Career Coach and Counselor asks the following question. Has the changing economy created job security concerns for your career? More than likely career stability and choices are at the forefront of our thoughts and desires. Have you giving enough consideration to your career? Do you know the best career fit for you? Are you prepared to maximize your [...]

High School Transition Tips – Hold On Parents | Teen Counselor Therapist

“You don’t understand!” “You don’t have a clue what I am going through!”  “You don’t know what your talking about!”  If you have not heard these statements from you teenager get ready because it’s coming! However, during these transitional years, parent involvement becomes a crucial aspect of their successful high school career. Student Fears – Greater rate of Disappointments: [...]

Use Simple Rewards to Get Your Child with Autism to School on Time!

Are you getting frustrated trying to get your child or teen on the autistic spectrum out the door in the mornings? Here are some tips and tricks for helping children with autism reach morning goals by using a reward system: The daily reward should be gradual, as opposed to “all or nothing”. Students with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) aren’t motivated by [...]

4 Tips for PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms | Ariana Grande on CNN from Suicide Bombing

Recently singer Ariana Grande released to CNN about suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from witnessing a suicide bombing that killed 22 people at her concert in Manchester, United Kingdom in 2017. PTSD - post-traumatic stress disorder is as the name says, a post event disorder that continues being experienced by any individual who has either directly or indirectly witnessed an traumatic event.  An individual who has [...]

Hazing or Initiation | Dr Phillips High School – Darrion Denson | Bullying Counselor

What is Hazing and Tips to Prevent it in your School! Darrion Denson reportedly was told by his coach to walk into the Dr. Phillips High School Senior locker room to get a pair of pants.  He reports that 5 football players beat him until he was unconscious and when he woke up he found himself in a dumpster [...]

4 College Tips for Developing an Adult Relationship with your Young Adult | Counselor

College is the beginning of new opportunities, relationships, and identities. In college, a child is in a transition process. They still rely on their parents and need guidance, but they are starting to find out what it means to be on their own, make friends, get a job, make career choices, and decide how they want to live. It [...]

4 Reasons Babies Bully & What to Do | Bully Counselor Expert

"You're stupid!" as a young child in day care cowers in the corner. "Nobody likes you!" followed by kicking and hitting by an older child trying to show he is tough and in control!  Sound strange or unreal for kids ages 3-5 years old?  Well it's happening more over the past two years with the additional stress of the [...]

Marriage Security | 3 Relationship Mistakes or Hacks to Avoid & What to Do | Counselor Therapist

Lake Mary Counselor Therapist offers 3 Relationship Mistakes or Hacks to Avoid & What to Do to Secure your marriage! Computer hackers are always on the prowl throughout the year. Companies might think their software, hardware or network security is safe but companies like Target, Lowes, Sony and Apple still experienced security breaches in the last year. Did you [...]

Jamey Rodemeyer Bullied Even After He Died | Bullying Counselor gives 12 Cyberbullying & Bullying Tips

Jamey Rodemeyer was found dead in his yard September 18, 2011.  Over the past year his mother reports he was questioning his sexuality.  He was a victim of gay bashing, hateful slurs, and bullied at school and online through social media because he was gay. On the Today show his parents told Ann Curry, Jamey did not talk much [...]

The Leaky Gut linked to Autistic Spectrum Disorder | Expert

Autism Spectrum Disorder (more commonly known as ASD) effects more than 70 million people worldwide. Commonly misunderstood, ASD is a spectrum of disorders that have different extremes on opposite ends. Despite their differences, the disorders included on the spectrum share three common characteristics: impaired communication, poor social engagement, and repetitive behaviors. Today, we treat those who fall on the [...]