A huge component of maintaining healthy relationships, whether they are with romantic partners or with friends and extended family, is spending meaningful time together. With September bringing the return of school and after-school activities, it can be tough to schedule that meaningful time into our lives. However, without meaningful time together, couples lose the sense of “we-ness”, and friendships can ...READ MORE »
Therapists are professional listeners, but also active co-authors and story-tellers as clients make meaning from their experiences and internal worlds. Therapy is many things, but at its’ core it is a process of creating a narrative that speaks our truth and acknowledges the pain or suffering in our lives, and at the same time manages to integrate compassion and focuses ...READ MORE »
The “Window of Tolerance” is a concept that describes our experience of being in a stable, internally connected, socially engaged state. In polyvagal theory this is the “ventral vagal” state. It is grounded in a sense of security – feeling emotional safety, and holding a general belief in our self-efficacy and worthiness. That means that even if we face a ...READ MORE »
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 »
We’ve all heard it- someone saying they are “so OCD” about something. “I’m so OCD about my closet! Everything just must be hung up and orderly.” “Ugh. She’s OCD about her make up. It takes her forever to get ready.” Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not an adjective. It is a mental health diagnosis- one that is often a part of our everyday vernacular, misunderstood, ...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 »
As a psychotherapist in Washington, DC who works mostly with adolescent girls, women in their 20s/30s and perinatal women, many of my sessions have been focused on Roe v. Wade being overturned. After the ruling came out, I went to get coffee near my house in Northwest DC. I overheard many conversations focused on the ruling. Most conversations expressed dismay but ...READ MORE »
This past week, with the Uvalde school shooting, has been difficult. Given the context of the shooting in Buffalo not too long before and the SCOTUS leak about Roe V. Wade, there is so much worry in our world right now. If you are a parent, you are likely concerned about how to talk with your children about the school ...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 »
TSG is aware of the high level of need for mental health support and treatment for the families in our community and beyond, and an increasingly short supply of available therapists. We are excited to offer new services with immediate daytime availability: Mental Health Consultations. These appointments are a one-time or brief preventive and/or supportive service for individuals and families who are not engaged in therapy at TSG, yet could benefit from consulting with a mental health expert in a variety of ways. Email intake@thesibleygroupdc.com for more information or to schedule a consultation.
Click here for more information on on our new mental health consultation service.
