Relationships

Secrets Destroy
August 5, 2022

There is a big difference between privacy and secrecy. Privacy is when someone goes into the bathroom, locks the door, and comes out 5 minutes later. Everyone knows what you’re doing, you just did it with no eyes watching,...

Toxic Relationships Part 4: How to Combat Emotional Abuse
May 9, 2022

For the final part of this series, we will discuss responses and ways to combat emotional abuse and gaslighting. As stated previously, the best-case scenario would be to remove yourself from any situation or relationship where this is occurring....

Toxic Relationships Part 3: Examples of Gaslighting in Emotional Abuse
May 9, 2022

Emotional abuse comes in many forms. Often, it can be hard to recognize. It is worth noting that emotional abuse can occur at any time, around friends, family, or in private. It is important to be able to recognize...

5 Meaningful Moments to Show Up For Our Spouses
April 12, 2022

In most weddings that we attend there is a portion of the ceremony when those getting married exchange their vows. And for many of these exchanges, each person declares their commitment to the other across a variety of fortunes...

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: A Q&A with Summit Therapists
February 18, 2022

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Institute of Justice, teen dating violence includes physical, psychological or sexual abuse; harassment; or stalking of any person ages 12 to 18 in the context of a past...

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...

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...

Effective Communication Style: Listening Skills
January 6, 2022

In the previous blog, points were shared about ways we can practice responding in conversation versus reacting to others based on heightened emotions. A precursor to responding in healthy ways to de-escalate emotional settings is cultivating effective listening skills....

Toxic Relationships Part 2: Understanding Gaslighting
December 13, 2021

Relationships that have grown toxic can sometimes be hard to spot, especially if you are experiencing gaslighting. In the previous blog, I’ve defined gaslighting as “manipulating someone with psychological means into questioning their own sanity.” Gaslighting forces you to...

The Best Tip for Holiday Family Bonding 
December 13, 2021

Christmas: it’s the most wonderful time of the year! But for so many of us, especially those of us with children, it can seem more stressful than wonderful. Just think, there’s buying, wrapping, cooking, getting dressed, traveling, socializing, and making sure everyone is on the same page and...