Search for a therapist, a psychiatrist or other content:
Processing Emotions and Connecting with Community After a Mass Shooting
I personally have never experienced trauma related to gun violence. But, the emotion I feel each time this happens is hopelessness. Our society has adopted a certain performance mechanism to these acts of terror—we awaken with shock and horror, but quickly bury these emotions. Instead, we choose to debate Second Amendment rights, question forensic profiling,…
Read More
Mental Health and The First Responder – Part 2
Try to imagine having a job where you know there is a distinct possibility you could be killed while doing your job. Imagine that your job description requires you to transport the dead bodies of community members to the medical examiner’s office. Imagine arriving on the scene of a drive-by shooting where a child has…
Read MoreShifting 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…
Read MoreShifting 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…
Read MoreHow Would You Help a Friend, Family Member, or Loved One Who is Struggling?
We will be sharing stories over the next few weeks that resemble actual mental health struggles that people face every day. Your co-worker confides in you about issues he’s been dealing with at work. He is feeling substantial pressure, which is causing him a crippling amount of stress. He’s been having panic attacks and…
Read MoreMental Health Issues Experienced By College Students
Every year, over two million high school graduates embark on their journey to become college students. Armed with their newfound freedom, students are exposed to the stressors associated with higher education: rigorous coursework, new relationships, autonomy, financial pressures, balancing family responsibilities, etc. This stage in life is typically perceived as being exhilarating and carefree but,…
Read MoreUnderstanding Post-Partum Depression
Dr. Jane Summers is the Medical Director at Council for Relationships, and founding Director of Women’s Psychological Health Services. Having specialized in women’s behavioral health throughout her career, Dr. Summers’ approach prioritizes understanding the unique issues that effect the emotional health of women such as reproductive health and hormonal changes over the lifespan and challenges…
Read MoreWoman-Founded in 1932
March is Women’s History Month and Council for Relationships (CFR) is celebrating 90 years of Marriage & Family Therapy, the legacy of Dr. Emily Mudd, and honoring all the women (trans and cis and nonbinary folks) who show up as clients, practitioners, donors, students, board members, and administrators to make our work possible. Every year, thousands of…
Read MoreEnoughness: How will you know when you are enough?
Sarah Epstein, MFT is a staff therapist at Council for Relationships Center City. This blog was originally posted on her website and is republished here with her permission. Pick a metric. Academic success, thinness, dating prowess, job prestige, marriageability, fertility, athleticism… the list goes on and on. As we move through life, the goalposts indicating…
Read MoreYou are not alone. Help is available.
Depression and anxiety can be invisible or have very few outside symptoms, and those who are depressed or anxious often do not speak up or seek help. Check in with your friends. Check in with your family. Encourage anyone who is struggling to talk with a professional. CFR’s list of resources can be found here,…
Read MoreCollege Students Are Feeling More Anxious and Depressed – How Can We Do Better?
When I was a sophomore in college, two of my peers committed suicide in the same school year. These were students who shared mutual friends, joined in for pick-up basketball games in the gym, and attended the same parties and events on campus. For me, this marked a moment in life when suicide was close…
Read MoreNeed a vacation? Take a social media break!
Laurel Roe, MS CHR, MFT has a background in education and particularly enjoys working with families with members who have special needs, parenting issues, childhood developmental concerns, and anxiety in children, teens, and adults. Taking a break from social media can provide many of the same health benefits as a traditional vacation. Whether we like…
Read MoreHow to Recognize Anxiety in Children
Sarah Bauer, MS, MFT is a couple and family therapist, specializing in domestic violence, trauma, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Many children and adults experience anxiety at one time or another. Adults may attribute such feelings of nervousness (“butterflies”), worry, or sleep issues. Children, however, having not yet developed the skills to state…
Read MoreHow is it 2018 Already? How to Slow Down When Time Feels like it’s Flying by
Every month, Council for Relationships highlights one of our staff therapists on the blog. January’s Featured Therapist Laurel Roe, MS CHR, MFT, has a background in education and particularly enjoys working with families with members who have special needs, parenting issues, childhood developmental concerns, and anxiety in children, teens, and adults. Read more blogs written by…
Read More
Eagles’ Brandon Brooks Teaches Us that an Athlete’s Mental Health is Just as Important as Physical Fitness
Staff Therapist George James, Psy.D., LMFT has worked extensively with professional athletes, adult men and young adult men on various issues including defining manhood, career and work-life balance. He also specializes in helping couples improve the quality of their relationship, reconcile conflicts and overcome intense situations such as affairs, lack of communication, parenting struggles and much more. PHILLY.COM: JESSICA GRIFFIN /…
Read MoreHow to Deal with “Smonday” Stress
Do you ever have a great weekend only to end up feeling super low on Sunday evening? This experience is so common that it’s become an unofficial syndrome, the “Sunday Saddies” or “Sunday Scaries.” Recently when someone on Facebook asked, “Does anyone else hate the end of the weekend?” a friend of mine suggested that…
Read MoreWhen is it Time to See a Therapist?
Tracey Tanenbaum is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Staff Therapist at Council for Relationships. She also serves as the Community Partnership Initiative Clinical Specialist. When is it time to start seeing a therapist? The answer to that question will vary for each individual. In this blog post, I explore a few common reasons clients book…
Read MoreHow to Deal with Halloween Anxiety
Halloween is a time of frights, horror, and of course, candy. Although goblins and ghouls can entice some, for many it can be a time of terror – not the good kind. For some, it can heighten anxiety that was present before the trick or treating has even begun. Children are especially prone to anxiety…
Read MoreCoping with the Las Vegas Shooting: How to Talk to Your Kids
What About the Children? Ben King and Laurel Roe, staff therapists at CFR, share their insights below on how to talk to your kids about the shooting in Las Vegas this week. “I am so upset that my children are growing up in this world.” “How do I explain what is happening to my children? …
Read MoreCoping with the Las Vegas Shooting: How to Respond When We Feel Powerless
It was the first thing we heard yesterday when we woke up here in Eastern Standard Time. There had been another mass shooting, this time in Las Vegas at an outdoor music festival. It was the worst shooting in our national history, said the news. After the devastation and continuing crises in Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico, the…
Read MorePracticing Everyday Self-Care in the Wake of Tragedy
Once again, we are in shock at the capacity of a human being to damage and kill other people—and there is nothing comprehensible about such carnage. The many feelings you may feel at a time like this—shock, anger, sadness, horror, fear, hopelessness—can easily lead to questions about human nature and the meaning of everyday life….
Read More