How Does Sleep Affect Your Emotional Life?
Rebecca L. Marshall , Ph.D.
Parents of adolescents often tell me that their children stay up too late, usually on electronic devices, and that they are sleep-deprived during much of the school year. Most parents assume that poor or insufficient sleep is impacting their...
Learning to Grieve Well
Grieving affects all aspect of our life, and getting through a day, can seem overwhelmingly complicated. Paradoxically, finding a way to live with the pain of grief enables us to heal. Effectively coping is to alternate between enduring the pain...
Suicide Prevention
Suicide is an epidemic that has been impacting our nation and community. It’s important to take some time to touch on this difficult topic. A big part of this is learning to be intentional about noticing things in your...
The Perfectionist and Procrastination
Perfectionism is defined as striving towards the impossibly high goal of perfection. The trap that exists with this type of standard is that the perfectionists can never be good enough – if it isn’t perfect, it’s horrible. Unfortunately, perfectionism...
Body Appreciation and How to Compliment Others
How do we show our appreciation for our children? We may show up to support them at their softball games and chorus recitals, give hugs and pats on the back after they’ve had a long day, or express words...
Embracing the Changes, Challenges, and the New
Summer is gone, and by this time of the year your kids are settling into the new school year. A new school year can bring about a variety of emotions for your student and for you as a parent....
If You Are on The Fence About Counseling…
Since becoming a counselor, it has continued to surprise me how many misconceptions there are out there about counseling and mental health care. In fact, one of the very first clients I ever had asked me if he had...
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive...
How NOT to Talk to Someone With Anxiety
It has been my experience that usually when we respond to those who are struggling, we are all trying our best to be as empathetic and kind as possible to our friends and loved ones. While our intentions are...
What to Do When Feeling Defensive
Defensiveness is a factor dealt with in many relationships, whether it be constant trouble or a road block you encounter every now and then. We see defensiveness when we try to talk to someone about our feelings, experience, or...
Gaining Connection with Your Child
We are all busy, let’s face it. As adults we are working, parenting, and squeezing in “adult time”; and children are studying in school, doing activities after school, and playing with friends. With our busy schedules, we feel guilt...
How to be Available for Friends Experiencing Grief
In Early 2019 my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Three short months later she would pass away at the young age of 50. Only 6 months earlier my best friend’s mom was diagnosed with ALS which...
Teaching Your Child About Emotions
For the younger children and teenagers, emotions can be very confusing. At any given time, things and circumstances around us change, which sometimes makes us feel different. As many would say; emotions are like rollercoasters going up and down,...
Be the Change You Want to See In Your Communication
A common issue that I encounter in my work as a counselor is communication problems. Most of the time we think of communication problems being exclusive to couples or marital counseling, but the reality is communication problems can be...
Healthy New Year Resolutions
As the holidays come to an end and the new year approaches, you are probably beginning to make new year resolutions. I like new year resolutions; it’s healthy to explore and reflect on the ways you can be your best...
New Year’s Resolutions
The new calendar year is approaching, and for many this means resolutions! The beginning of a new year often signifies new chances and new opportunities for change and success. For many of us, the process goes something like this:...
How to Balance Connection & Boundaries During the Holiday Season
The holiday season can be filled with rich and joyous moments full of connection. The holiday season can also be filled with stress and overworking, trying to connect with family and friends and feeling overwhelmed and burdened in the...
‘Tis the Season for Sensitivity
While most professions do what they can to wind down as we near closer to Christmas and New Year’s Day, I’ve found myself ratcheting up with client crises here in the counseling world. See, I have the blessing and...
Effectively Navigating Change
Fall is approaching and there will be significant changes in our world. Leaves will fall and the temperature will as well. This is a change that we expect to happen each year. Expected changes can be nice however does...
Why Mindfulness?
Do you feel you often forget things or conversations? Do you have difficulty staying focused or completing a task? Do you find yourself feeling bored if you are not doing more than one thing at a time? Do you...