Gatewell Therapy Center | Miami FL
Evidence-Based Individual, Couples, Family, and Group Counseling + Nutrition Therapy in Miami (Coral Gables)
Parenting isn’t always the rosy picture we see portrayed on social media. Most parents struggle sometimes or often, and one of the significant triggers for their distress, especially when their children are young, is meltdowns. Meltdowns, or tantrums, are emotional storms that take their toll on anyone present. And while we can’t really prevent theseContinue reading Coping with Meltdowns: DBT in Action
Does your child engage in repetitive behaviors such as counting, washing, or checking? Do they insist on lining up their shoes or toys? Do they ask you the same questions over and over, seeking reassurance? Do they get stuck in certain patterns of action, distraught when unable to perform the action the “right” amount ofContinue reading Child OCD: An Introduction for Parents
A Recipe For Poor Health People in higher-weight bodies are not inherently unhealthy. Any research that shows a correlation between weight and poor health is just that, correlational. Is it that higher weights result in poorer health outcomes? Or is it that those in bigger bodies face weight stigma – pathologizing, oppression, and inadequate medicalContinue reading How To Make Fat Bodies Unhealthy
For some, the winter holidays aren’t all festivities and fun. They might be fraught with discomfort or distress. Experiences of grief, loneliness, anxiety, and an uptick in trauma symptoms are not uncommon. We’ve assembled some tips in this holiday coping guide to help get you through the season. Acknowledge your struggle. Acknowledge that this timeContinue reading Holiday Coping Guide
We’re more than eight months into quarantine, and many are tiring and feeling anxious, depressed, unmotivated, and unclear about what comes next. We seem to have moved away from the early energy of quarantine (looking at you: bread bakers, language learners). Many are exhausted, lonely, hopeless, and helpless. We’re tired of being locked down, isolated,Continue reading Quarantine Fatigue: Coping Using DBT
TIP Skills The TIP skills in DBT help you cope with a difficult situation or crisis without making things worse. They represent part of our crisis survival skills. You might use them when flooded with emotion, when in distress, or when you have the urge to engage in a destructive behavior. With the TIP skills,Continue reading TIP Skills: Regulating Our Bodies to Cope with Distress
What Is A Dialectic? One of the main concepts in DBT is the goal of balancing opposites. That’s actually the “D” is DBT, “dialectical.” A dialectical stance incorporates multiple – even potentially conflicting – points of view. It’s a both/and versus either/or way of thinking. One of the primary dialectics in DBT is acceptance andContinue reading Wise Mind: A Balanced Synthesis
You’ve heard it so many times: “Calories in, calories out.” It’s simple, right? Well, not really. It turns out, our approximately 30-trillion-cell selves are much more complicated than a reductive equation. And our body size, as much as we’re led to believe otherwise, is largely impacted by factors beyond our control. Twin and adoption studies,Continue reading The Truth About Weight Loss
Defining Exposure True story: When we adopted my now one-year-old dog when she was just two months old, one of my sons had a fairly severe dog phobia. When exposed to dogs before her adoption, he’d scream and run away. When we first brought our new puppy home, he screamed and ran away – againContinue reading Exposure Therapy – Working with Phobias, OCD, Trauma, and Emotions
(even this fortune is a fitness myth) Fitness Myths ABound The fitness industry is responsible for a great deal of harmful, often incorrect messaging about physical activity. This information – and in many cases misinformation – can result in individuals developing an unhealthy relationship with exercise and may actually contribute to folks avoiding exercise orContinue reading 5 Fitness Myths Debunked