July 31, 2024, is the deadline to apply for CFR’s Fall 2024 Postgraduate Certificate Program cohort in Marriage & Family Therapy and Clergy track. Apply here.
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Featured Therapist for January, Eric Devon
Every month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Eric Devon, MD. Learn more about him in the below interview! What do you consider to be the goal of therapy? What do you help your clients work towards? I believe that the highest goal of therapy is to understand oneself…
Read More5 Ways to Say Goodbye to 2020
When Twitter recently asked folks to describe 2020 in one word, the responses flooded in. Here are some of the words that stood out to me: Restless. Pain. Sourdough. Masks. Ouch. Skip. Tired. Damaged. Delete. While I was scrolling through the responses, I could feel the collective sigh over the pain folks have experienced this…
Read MoreFeatured Therapist for December, Jamie Rose
Every month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Jamie Rose, MAC, MFT. Learn more about her in the below interview! What makes you unique as a therapist and as a person? I’m not sure it makes me unique, but whenever I’m asked a question like this, I literally cringe!…
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Shifting Perspectives: Confusion as The New Norm Part II – Being Open to Experience and Self-Regulation
Ann Masten, a renowned professor and researcher on resilience, has written volumes on this topic. She documented Post-Traumatic Growth and the reality that some people actually improve their functioning after traumatic and challenging experiences. There is something about engaging in responding to adversity that seems to mobilize some individuals, and they come away feeling stronger…
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Shifting Perspectives: Confusion as The New Norm Part I – Tragic Optimism, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Grief
In conversations with clients, friends, and colleagues, and in the materials I have read from numerous mental health sources, the word “surreal” is often used to describe the feeling of this time when we are living through the COVID-19 pandemic. At times, it feels as if we are living someone else’s life – in someone…
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Experiencing the Holidays: COVID-19 Edition
Is it just me or do other people also feel a bit of tension during the holiday season? The food and festivities are great, but at different times between November 1st and January 2nd there are some stressful, not-so-fun times. Between work, family, and friends we are pulled in many directions and most of us…
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Featured Therapist for November, Ayo Akindumila
Every month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Ayo Akindumila, LMFT. Learn more about her in the below interview! What makes you unique as a therapist and as a person? You can think of me as “the therapist next door” or “the therapist from the block,” or really any…
Read MoreHonoring Our Veterans in 2020
Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11th. It is a day set aside to honor all those who have served our country in any of its wars. Unlike Memorial Day, which is a time to remember those who gave their lives for our country, Veterans Day is, “a celebration to honor America’s veterans for…
Read MoreHonoring Visibility During Disability History Month & Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is Disability History Month, but it is now more widely celebrated as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This month marks a celebration of the contributions of Disabled People throughout history. This year marks not only the 75th observance of NDEAM, but also the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However,…
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How to Talk to Loved Ones with Differing Political Opinions
As the 2020 presidential election draws near, and during a time when the world seems more divided than ever, families may experience an uptick in challenging and stressful conversations. Often, when families gather together, politics become a topic many shy away from. This, in part, may result from the uncomfortable emotional toll these conversations can…
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Featured Therapist for October, Asia McNeil
Every month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Asia McNeil, MFT. Learn more about her in the below interview! What would your clients say about you? Many of my clients would say that I am a bubbly, kind, and supportive person who values the joining process. I make…
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The Transition Back to School
September brings with it the realization that we are still living within the confines of COVID-19 restrictions. As families transition into this new school year, it’s a reminder of how challenging this “new normal” can be for children and parents. It’s a parent’s role to help children manage their stress; This can be especially difficult…
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Featured Therapist for September, Abby Bronstein
Every month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Abby Bronstein, LSW, MFT. Learn more about her in the below interview! What makes you unique as a therapist and as a person? I have lived in Philadelphia for almost 20 years, in several neighborhoods. During that time, I’ve seen…
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The Family – And Now the Nation – That Howls Together
On April 23, while watching the PBS News Hour’s coverage of – what else – our nation’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, I received a delightful surprise at the close of the program. The scene moved to Missoula, Montana, where they filmed local residents on their front porches, all howling in unison. Some families even…
Read MoreHow Do Couples Navigate Their Safety When One Partner Returns to Work?
As we move into the fifth month of dealing with COVID-19, some are still not feeling ready to venture out. Alternatively, others have had it with the restrictions, and since they are feeling healthy, they are more than ready to head out to work, shop, or go to the beach. How do couples respect one…
Read MoreHonoring Disability Pride Month
July is Disability Pride Month. As a Therapist at Council for Relationships, and a lifelong Person with a Disability, I’d like to share with you what I feel pride about, as a Person with a Disability, and why terms matter. Disability does not discriminate, which means that Disability Culture includes all other human cultures. Disability…
Read MoreZoom-In and Zoom-Out: Choices on the COVID Roller Coaster
People speak of the “emotional roller coaster” which now seems to mean “the world’s turned upside down.” As a therapist, I validate that nothing seems the same, and many things are not. The list stretches long: medical conditions, food insecurity, financial disasters, serious illness, death, and feelings of loss and grief. How does one cope?…
Read MoreWhy Become a Sex Therapist? And How?
As the field of mental and relational health evolves to become more specialized, this may be the best of times to become a sex therapist. As people live longer and have a greater interest in and freedom to explore their sexual expression, the role of sex therapists has become increasingly important and sought after by…
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A White Therapist’s Thoughts on Change
Change. What leads to change? As therapists this is a question many of us have considered deeply in our professional development. Students at Council for Relationships write their final paper on their theory of change because we believe that it is so foundational to their growth as therapists. We all know that it is hard…
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What Is Racial Trauma and How to Practice Radical Self-Care
Dr. Charles Muorah has successfully helped clients resolve shame and sexual abuse trauma, cultural, racial, and other kinds of trauma. He uses brain-spotting (BSP) therapy, narrative approach, relational attunements, mindfulness, and empowering language to process with the client coping strategies, adaptation, and resiliency before, during, and after the experience. Recent instances of police brutality and anti-police brutality…
Read MoreClergy Leadership Training: A Timely Opportunity
The Rev. Dr. Dolores E. Littleton (Dee) is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pennsylvania. Dr. Littleton is the Director of the Post-Graduate Certificate Program, Clergy Track. Here’s how post graduate family systems training may enhance your…
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