All Posts

I am OBSESSED with watching and supporting women's sports - especially basketball. Since the WNBA season is set to begin on May 8th, this week's coping skill is basketball themed. When emotions feel intense or chaotic, it can feel like you are scrambling on the court without a plan. This skill helps you slow things down, regain awareness, and respond with intention - like a well-coached team running a play in the WNBA. Step 1: Call a Timeout (Pause & Breathe) Before reacting,

As we move into May, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that this month is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time to bring attention to the importance of emotional well-being, reduce stigma, and encourage open, compassionate conversations about mental health. Taking care of your mental health does not have to mean making big changes - it can look like small, intentional steps such as getting enough rest, setting boundaries, reaching out for support, mee

If you struggle with anxiety, you've probably asked for reassurance at some point. "Do you think this is going to be okay?" "Are you sure I didn't mess that up?" "Do you think something bad is going to happen?" And in the moment, reassurance works. It calms the spike of anxiety. It takes the edge off. It gives you a sense of relief - sometimes almost instantly. It makes sense that you would keep going back to it. Here's the catch: reassurance does not actually reduce anxiety

If you've never been to therapy - or even if you have - it's easy to have a vague or inaccurate picture of what happens in the room. Some people imagine lying on a couch while someone silently takes notes. Others worry they'll be judged, analyzed, or told exactly what to do. And many assume they need to be in crisis for therapy to "count." The reality is both simpler and more nuanced. Therapy is less about being fixed - and more about being understood, supported, and challeng

Each year, Lesbian Visibility Week offers an important opportunity to celebrate lesbian identities, uplift voices that have historically been marginalized, and reflect on the unique mental health experiences within this community. In therapy spaces, it is also a meaningful moment to deepen awareness, challenge assumptions, and create more affirming, nuanced care. Visibility is not just about being seen - it's about being understood. For many lesbians, invisibility can show up

This week I wanted to share a foundational Dialectical Behavior Therapy concept that can be really helpful for navigating emotions, decisions, and relationships: the three states of mind. We all naturally move between these three states throughout the day: Emotion Mind is when our feelings take control. This can be really important - our emotions give us valuable information and can help us understand what matters to us. At the same time, when we are fully in Emotion Mind, it

This week, I want to offer you an evidence-based reminder that can be grounding during stressful or emotionally intense moments: Your feelings are valid, real, and deserve care - AND they are not the same as facts. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy research consistently shows that our emotions are shaped by: our past experiences our core beliefs about ourselves and the world our nervous system state and the meaning we assign to events Because of th

This week I wanted to share an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) concept. It’s a simple framework called Toward Moves and Away Moves , and it can be a helpful way to understand what’s happening when you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or pulled in different directions. What Are Toward and Away Moves? In ACT, we understand that our behavior is constantly influenced by our inner world—our thoughts, emotions, urges, memories, and bodily sensations. These inner experiences

When your words freeze, journaling needs to feel less like "writing something meaningful" and more like creating openings for language to thaw. Here are approaches that work especially well for trauma, dissociation, overwhelm, or executive shutdown: 1. Use Non-Sentence Journaling Skip full sentences. Try: Bullet points Fragments Single words Lists Example: tired alone in my body want quiet afraid something's wrong This counts as journaling. 2. Try "Sentence Starters" Instead

As the seasons begin to shift and signs of spring slowly emerge, it can be a meaningful time to reflect on the idea of gentle growth. Spring does not rush. It does not demand instant blooming or overnight transformation. Instead, it allows for slow change - tiny buds forming, longer stretches of daylight, moments of warmth woven between colder days. Much of this growth happens quietly, beneath the surface, before it is ever visible. In many ways, our emotional lives follow a

Here is a brief mindfulness activity you can try between sessions called "Draw Your Breath" . This exercise can help you slow down, connect with your body, and notice how your breathing changes with stress or relaxation. Why try this: Sometimes when we are anxious or overwhelmed, our breathing becomes fast or shallow without us noticing. This activity helps you become more aware of your breath and gives your nervous system a chance to settle. What you need: A piece of paper A

March weather changes quickly - sun, wind, rain, sometimes all in one day. Our emotions can be similar. Instead of fighting every emotional shift, practice noticing and moving with it, like watching the weather pass. Steps: 1. Pause and notice the "weather." Ask yourself: What is the weather right now? (stormy, cloudy, calm, windy, etc.) 2. Name it without judging it. Example: "Right now things feel stormy - I'm anxious and overwhelmed." 3. Take three slow breaths. Imagine th

Our emotions are not random - they are triggered by how we interpret events. Sometimes our emotions fit the facts of the situation. Other times, they are fueled by assumptions, past trauma, mind reading, or catastrophic thinking. When emotions are based on interpretations rather than objective facts, they can become more intense, last longer, and lead to behaviors that do not align with our goals or values. Check the Facts helps us: Slow down emotional reactivity Separate fac

What Is the STOP Skill? STOP is a Distress Tolerance skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual by Marsha M. Linehan. It is designed for moments when emotions are intense and you feel the urge to react quickly — especially in ways that might make things worse. STOP helps you interrupt automatic reactions so you can respond effectively instead of impulsively. Why We Use STOP When emotions surge, the brain shifts into survival mode (fight, flight, freeze).

If you know me, you know I am OBSESSED with Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills. I strongly believe the world would be a better place if we were all taught to us in school! This week I want to share information about the ACCEPTS skills, which are a group of short-term distress tolerance skills. These skills can help you cope when emotions feel overwhelming and you need to get through the moment without making things worse. These skills are about distraction with purpose - not

Valentine's Day can heighten awareness of connection, loss, or unmet needs. If this day brings up difficult emotions, try this coping skill which is designed to support self-compassion and emotion regulation. This skill is based off of research done by Dr. Kristin Neff, who studies self-compassion. If you're interested in learning more, I highly recommend reading some of her work. Begin by pausing and bringing your attention to the present moment. If comfortable, place a hand

This week's coping skill is Super Bowl themed due to the upcoming game. Just like the Super Bowl has a halftime show, you can build intentional pauses into intense emotional moments. A halftime reset helps prevent burnout, emotional spirals, or impulsive reactions. Here's how to run your own mental halftime: 1. Call a Time-Out -Notice the signs you are overwhelmed (racing thoughts, tension, irritability, shutting down, etc.) -Silently say to yourself: "Halftime." -This is a p

Due to the state of our world, this week's coping skill is for when the world feels terrifying. Purpose: To help your nervous system come out of global threat mode and back to the present moment - without pretending the world isn't frightening. When to use: When news, politics, climate fears, violence, or uncertainty make everything feel overwhelming, unsafe, or too big to hold. Step 1: Name the Truth (without spiraling) -Silently or out loud, say: "The world feels terrifying

This week I would like to share some information about a skill from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Below is information about Cognitive Defusion. What is Defusion? -Defusion is an ACT skill that helps you change your relationship with your thoughts, rather than trying to get rid of them or prove them wrong. -Instead of being inside a thought ("This thought is true and I have to obey it."), defusion helps you step back and see the thought as what it is: a mental even

Practicing nonjudgmentally means noticing what is happening - inside you and around you - without labeling it as good or bad, right or wrong, weak or strong, acceptable or unacceptable. It is about describing reality as it is, rather than evaluating it. For example: -Judgment: "I'm anxious. That's bad. I shouldn't feel this way." -Nonjudgmental: "I notice anxiety in my body. My chest feels tight and my thoughts are racing." Why does this skill matter? Judgments often increas