An Enneagram Guide for Self-Care: Type 8

Welcome to part 8 of this blog series and thank you for following along! If you are just arriving and have not already identified your Enneagram type, I strongly recommend going back and also reading about Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 4, Type 5, Type 6 and Type 7. To recap, I will be explaining all 9 Enneagram types and sharing personality specific self-care recommendations for each type. Many of these self-care ideas have been pulled from Christina S. Wilcox’s book, Take Care of Your Type.

Do I Need Sex Therapy or Couples Therapy?

This is a question that I hear a lot in the first few sessions of working with individuals and couples. Client(s) are always interested to know if a specific struggle should be processed in an individual therapy setting, or if this something that should/could be addressed in couples therapy. And, then do we need couples or sex therapy? In short, the answer to this question is a bit more complicated than it appears!

Stop the Pursuit of Happiness

Being a therapist, I have a few “secrets” about human behavior. One is that the pursuit of happiness can sometimes be dangerous and destructive. I know, shocking for a therapist to say this, right? Give me a second to explain. We know from research that people constantly stay at a happiness level of 7 on a 1-10 scale. I witness this often in session, when someone is going on an amazing vacation, they rant about the service or weather.

July’s Position of the Month: Press the Flesh

July’s highlighted position of the month is the Press the Flesh. This holiday weekend could be a great time to carve out some much-needed connection time with your partner.

How to Care for Your Mental Health as You Go Through a Divorce

Going through a divorce is one of the most stressful and painful experiences one can go through. Yet, it’s also such a common experience with about 50 % of marriages ending in divorce. Divorce is a life transition that feels a bit like grief. You grieve the marriage you hoped for, the life that you planned for, the significant other that you fell in love with, and the person you were while married. In an instant, life is flipped upside down. And that is just the emotional grief and stress.

An Enneagram Guide for Self-Care: Type 7

Welcome to part 7 of this blog series and thank you for following along! If you are just arriving and have not already identified your Enneagram type, I strongly recommend going back and also reading about Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4, Type 5 and Type 6. To recap, I will be explaining all 9 Enneagram types and sharing personality specific self-care recommendations for each type. Many of these self-care ideas have been pulled from Christina S. Wilcox’s book, Take Care of Your Type.

How Can I Get "Unstuck" During Major Life Transitions

Who else feels a bit of pressure and just freezes? I remember at the start of the pandemic, while the world was shutting down, I kept feeling paralyzed. Here I was the owner and decision-maker of my practice, and every decision felt overwhelming. This was different from my past self, who tended to work harder the more stressed I felt. However, the pandemic was different and brought out a different response. All of a sudden, every move and decision felt overwhelming. I caught myself escaping through binging Netflix, sharing a bottle of wine, or anything else that felt unproductive.

June’s Position of the Month: Heavenly Hold

June’s highlighted position of the month is the Heavenly Hold. June is a time of celebration #HappyPride; thus, this month I am sharing an all-orientation-friendly position, that all can participate in!

Why is Everyone so Depressed?

“How are you doing,” I commonly ask clients, and the response is “I’m okay…” The okays are sounding different these days. Heavier. There is a lot of hope as of late. Vaccines have been a game changer for many, as many are able to re-enter society after a “lost” year. However, there is still a heaviness. I’ve been talking to lots of people lately and listening to what feels heavy right now and why feelings of depression might be lingering.

Signs of High Functioning Depression

“I feel like we have all been walking around with high functioning depression this year.” I wrote this in a professional Facebook group in response to someone concerned about their employee’s performance and needing some compassion for their experience, and my phone started lighting up. Facebook “like” after “like” because so many people resonated with this statement. In truth, I did, too. 2020 and 2021 tested us. It took away many of the coping tools we have like social connection and vacations, while also providing more stress and struggles.

Easing the Transition Back to Normal For Children

Think back to March 2020. Schools shut down, offices closed, restaurants providing to-go orders only, activities and parties canceled, and social isolation. Since then, we have found ourselves transitioning to a new normal. Virtual school and appointments, tons of hand sanitizer and Lysol spray, face masks, and continued social isolation. I never thought we would ever become used to our new way of life, but it has started to become comfortable to most people and many children.

Gay Dating: Healthy Boundaries

Boundaries have recently become quite the vogue topic in many dating spheres. However, gay men often struggle setting, enforcing, and maintaining healthy boundaries in dating relationships. Why? Well, the answer is different for everyone. But often, individuals in the LGBTQ+ community have been so invalidated in social and familial relationships that when someone comes along who appears to be offering the very validation and connection we have been looking for, for so long, we are willing to do anything to make it work. That desperation leads to a dissolution of our much-needed boundaries, and eventually, self-respect.

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