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Communication Skills

Children
A Kid’s Guide to Expressing Feelings
September 3, 2025

How are you feeling today? This is a question we hear often. But what is the answer? Some feelings are easy to understand while others are confusing and not as easy to understand and express. We can also feel...

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Teen Issues
How to Listen to Teens
August 25, 2025

Teenagers often feel misunderstood by their parents, and parents feel like communicating with teenagers can be a mystery. When parents punish their teens, they may feel like it is the only consequence that makes sense. Based on the book,...

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Couples & Relationships
4 Practical (and Fun) Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship This Holiday Season
November 18, 2024

The holidays bring all the joyful chaos: crowded schedules, too much food, and family members giving unsolicited advice. With all this added pressure, it’s easy to feel like you and your partner are more “survival teammates” than “seasoned soulmates.”...

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Communication SKills
Are You Being Selfish or Is This Good Self-stewardship?
September 26, 2024

“You’re so selfish; all you think about is yourself and what you want! You never think about me and what I might want!” “You’re so inconsiderate. Do you have any idea how that affected me?” “You’re so caught up...

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Couples & Relationships
Trust and Commitment: The Cornerstones of a Satisfying Long-Term Relationship
July 9, 2024

In any long-term romantic relationship, trust and commitment are vital elements that contribute significantly to its success and satisfaction. These components create a stable and supportive environment where love can flourish. So, what makes these qualities so essential and...

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Couples & Relationships
Transform Your Relationship with the Gentle Start-Up
July 9, 2024

In any relationship, especially in a marriage, how we start a conversation can significantly impact its outcome. The Gentle Start-Up is a communication tool designed to help couples address issues without escalating conflict. Rooted in the research of Dr....

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Communication SKills
The Importance of Community
July 2, 2024

One of the first things I ask a new client when we meet is “tell me about your support system”. Understanding how connected someone is to a community of support gives me a lot of information about their mental...

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Communication SKills
Positive Self-Talk for Adolescents
July 2, 2024

We’ve all encountered individuals who seem to constantly criticize or speak negatively about others. Being in the presence of such negativity can significantly affect our mood and self-esteem. However, for many teenagers, that critical voice isn’t external—it’s their own...

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Parent-Child Relationships
Parent Child Interaction Therapy and Childhood Cancer
June 12, 2024

Facing cancer is an immense challenge for anyone, but for children, it means grappling with their mortality at an age meant for dreams of being a princess or a superhero. For their parents it is a terrifying ordeal to...

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Health Concerns
Conquering Depression: A Comprehensive Guide to Relieving Symptoms
June 12, 2024

Depression is a complex and challenging condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Research shows that the best way to treat depression is through medication and talk therapy. On top of that there are several self- care strategies that...

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Conflict Resolution
Can Chronic Pain Impact Social Relationships?
June 12, 2024

“And here you are living despite it all.” – Rupi Kaur, author and poet Chronic pain can impact social relationships in significant ways. In this blog, we will discuss the impact of chronic pain on friendships and relationships, the...

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Parent-Child Relationships
How to Build your Child’s Self-Esteem
May 21, 2024

A child’s self-esteem begins with a positive self-identity, which is critical for building a foundation for confidence, happiness, and emotional well-being. When children have a positive self-identity, they can navigate through life with a sense of purpose and feel...

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Parent-Child Relationships
Unlocking Discipline: The 5 Critical Components
May 21, 2024

Discipline is often misconstrued as a form of punishment and what comes to mind most is spanking. However, the essence of discipline is teaching and guiding. At its core discipline means providing structure, consistency, and setting limits. Schedules and...

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Parents & Parenting
Fostering Independence
April 22, 2024

“It’s a tough world out there, and my children need to be provided with every advantage so they can be competitive in the college or job market.” The above is a parent trap. As parents it is normal to...

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Couples & Relationships
Finding a Place of Honesty, Authenticity, and Love
April 19, 2024

Can you tell your partner everything? When intimate relationships are built on a foundation of honesty, they can reach a level of profound authenticity and mutual understanding. But since the beginning of time, it seems, people have been prone...

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Parents & Parenting
5 Effective Ways to Encourage Your Child to Open Up and Communicate
August 7, 2023

Communication is a vital skill that empowers children to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs effectively. As parents, we play a crucial role in nurturing this skill and creating a safe environment for our children to open up and...

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Parents & Parenting
How to Talk to Get Your Teen to Listen
February 6, 2023

Ever had a difficult time getting your teen to open up to you? Are they moody, and if you dare to ask what is wrong, all they say is “I don’t know”? The teen years are a time of...

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Couples & Relationships
20 Creative Date Night Ideas
January 28, 2022

While I was growing up, I discovered that the parents of a close friend of mine went on a weekly date-night. At the time I simply thought that this was a wonderful practice and felt confused by the fact...

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Couples & Relationships
4 Tips for Nurturing a Friendship With Your Spouse
January 28, 2022

How good of friends are you with your spouse? Good friends? Best friends? For some of you this question may even seem a bit unusual, because you think of your spouse simply as, well, your spouse. For others, your...

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Social Skills
D.E.A.R.M.A.N.
January 24, 2022

Hello all, As I mentioned previously, my next few blogs will cover a little bit from each DBT module that Summit offers. I shared an exercise from the Mindfulness module last time and will be sharing a skill from...

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