Trauma symptoms arise when a stressor exceeds our ability to cope in that moment; it is when we move from manageable discomfort that we can respond to, into overwhelming or intolerable pain. In a stressful situation, our nervous system responds by energizing us into fight or flight mode; we confront the challenge, or seek safety. An adaptive response from our ...READ MORE »
So often, children come into our office for treatment of symptoms, and we later discover that parents are struggling with issues of their own. This might seem obvious–especially since COVID, what parent doesn’t have some level of stress, overwhelm, or some trauma from the past few years?! I have had so many parents express their fears to me: what if ...READ MORE »
In the Internal Family Systems model of therapy, the main concept is that we have a core “Self,” in addition to many parts that develop to protect and manage our internal worlds. These parts are your various inner voices or “sides” of you that come out in different situations. We can recognize that symptoms come from parts of us that ...READ MORE »
With the holidays right around the corner, many of us will be spending time catching up with friends and family members. In addition to the time we spend together, our communication within these relationships is our path to closeness and connection. Combining families, planning travel logistics, navigating political conversations, dealing with kids’ behaviors and inevitable sicknesses that are going around ...READ MORE »
I see as you’re struggling, and I have so much compassion for you. For the nights you lie awake worrying about your kids, the moments of guilt after you scream because you’ve reached your wit’s end, the painful goodbye as you leave your crying child at school or cry as you leave your child, the anxiety-filled silence as you wait ...READ MORE »
Each month I do a “Mental Health Monday” Q&A on social media, and each month some version of this question comes up: “How am I supposed to handle the sadness/fear/anger about the [insert most recent horrible current events] going on in the world around me?” Honestly, I feel this way too sometimes. The news is pretty grim these days. And ...READ MORE »
Tomorrow, Americans will gather at backyards, stadiums, parks, and pools all around the country to bbq, celebrate, and set off fireworks in honor of Independence Day. For most, this is a fun time to gather with family and friends and watch or partake in some fun fireworks displays. But for so many people, fireworks can be very triggering and are ...READ MORE »
I feel helpless and heartbroken watching the news about the latest school shooting. I watch from the living room of our home in a quiet suburb in Virginia, where we moved last year after multiple shootings in the alleyway of our beloved rowhouse in NW DC traumatized us into searching for a safer place to live. A place where we ...READ MORE »
Over the past 15 years that I’ve been providing therapy to teens and families in the Washington, DC area, the topic of psychiatric medication has come up frequently. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I don’t prescribe medication and I always recommend discussing questions and concerns with your primary care doctor or psychiatrist; but often I find that I have ...READ MORE »
Ever heard of the “Sunday Scaries” – or maybe you get them? It’s those feelings we get at the end of the weekend, the crash after a couple of days off work or school, the anxiety or dread thinking about the week ahead, or the “funk” we might fall into without even recognizing why. It’s really normal to feel this ...READ MORE »
