Evidence-Based Individual, Couples, Family, and Group Counseling + Nutrition Therapy in Miami (Coral Gables)
Polyvagal theory is an approach to understanding the mind and body that highlights the autonomic nervous system. As background, our autonomic nervous systems are composed of two parts, the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for our fight-or-flight response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for calming us/slowing us down, or in life-threatening situations, the freeze response).Continue reading Polyvagal Theory
Shame can be one of the most uncomfortable emotions we experience. It can be triggered by a host of events or internal experiences, including rejection (or fear of rejection); being belittled, made fun of, criticized, or betrayed; comparing ourselves to others, or just thinking that we’re not good enough. When we experience shame, we mightContinue reading Shame Resilience: A DBT Approach
While folks gather, celebrate, eat, and drink over the holidays, it’s important to note that cheer and contentment aren’t everyone’s experience. For many, the holidays can be stressful, and for some, they’re downright difficult. Whether the discomfort is associated with seeing certain family members, eating holiday meals, or traveling, the holiday season can evoke varyingContinue reading Coping with Holiday Stress
Over the years, we’ve worked with thousands of people coping with varying degrees of stress, trauma, and adversity. With this, comes an organic study of how people come to handle life’s challenges and how they come upon resilience. Some erroneously believe that being resilient means that you don’t struggle or have difficult emotions or experiences,Continue reading Building Resilience: Coping with Trauma, Adversity, and More
Coping With Emotions Have you ever felt flooded with emotion, so much so that you didn’t know what to do? Maybe it was so intense that you froze or got really down on yourself or felt like you were being swept up in riptide of distress. . . . One of the questions we getContinue reading Coping with Emotions: A Five-Step Approach
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
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
You do it all – manage a home, a job, the children, and more. But now, with the spread of coronavirus and resulting school and activity closures, you’re being asked to do even more. Educate your children while you work from home and simultaneously cope with isolation, uncertainty, and other aspects of a pandemic? Check.Continue reading When Supermom Must Go Above & Beyond
One of my favorite definitions of mental health is the ability to experience and express emotions in an effective way. It’s simple, but so on point. Recently, I came across this blog post on how parents can help their children identify and express their emotions. I love how the author encourages naming – and honoring –Continue reading Building an Emotional Muscle
While living in Los Angeles, I tried out my hand at improv at the famed Second City. Each Sunday afternoon, our Improv 1 class gathered to play games, act out skits, and laugh together. As I was taking the class, I remember thinking that much of what we were learning – and doing – wasContinue reading 4 Life Lessons from the Improv Stage