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.

Category » General

How to Manage Stress During the Holidays

December 21, 2023

Ask any AI chatbot about how to manage stress during the holidays, and you’re bound to find out that there is a lot of stress management advice out there. Council for Relationships is here to clear a path through the clutter. We asked Matthew McCrickard, the Associate Director of CFR’s Postgraduate Certificate Program, for his top…

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Guilt-Free Holidays: A Parents’ Guide to the Holiday Season

December 19, 2023

Parenting during the holiday season is not easy. Stress, guilt, and fear can arise from various sources during this time. But do not fret, parents! Guilt-free holidays are within your grasp. Lia Pezzato is a therapist who specializes in helping marriages and families. She has a plan to help you manage guilt and stress during…

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Art Therapist Bethanne Frazer: An Invitation to Collaborate

Finding a Philadelphia art therapist who accepts new clients can be difficult. CFR is proud to have Staff Therapist Bethanne Frazer, MS, LPC, NCC, ATR-P, as a member of Council for Relationships (CFR). Bethanne sees individuals, couples, and families virtually or in person, offering both traditional talk therapy and art therapy. Read more about Bethanne’s…

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Self-Help Tips for Depression and Anxiety

December 6, 2023

The holiday season can make you feel depressed and anxious. Everyone experiences symptoms of depression and anxiety during their life. But you can thrive this holiday season with the following 11 self-help tips for depression and anxiety. 11 Self-Help Tips for Depression and Anxiety The holidays can make you feel lonely, sad, uneasy, and worried…

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4 Mental Health Lessons from Taylor Swift’s Speak Now

November 28, 2023

We can draw many mental health lessons from Taylor Swift’s vast music catalog. As the songstress rerecords her albums, we reflect on the 4 mental health lessons from Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). Next Album: Red (Taylor’s Version) Previous Album: Fearless (Taylor’s Version) Important mental health takeaways from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) Each song in…

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How to Talk to Someone Who is Suicidal

November 14, 2023

I recently attended the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Conference. This topic is never easy to discuss or listen to, but it is crucial. New Jersey has lower suicide rates compared to other states, but suicide rates are increasing across the country. The biggest takeaway from the conference is that the best way to prevent suicide…

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Psychedelics and Trauma Healing in 2023

November 13, 2023

Humans have been using psychedelic drugs since the dawn of human civilization. However, only recently has Western culture and science begun to understand the potential mental health benefits of psychedelics for trauma healing. This is the first of a two-part series on psychedelics and trauma. The discussion will focus on changing how the West thinks…

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How To Help a Veteran in Crisis: Veterans Day 2023

November 7, 2023

Veterans Day is November 11. It is a day for honoring veterans for their service to our country. What does honoring Veterans mean? You may even be confused as to how to celebrate Veterans Day. Celebrating and honoring Veterans requires more than saying, “Thank you for your service.” For example, you could celebrate Veterans Day…

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Philadelphia Mayoral Candidate David Oh on the Mental Health Crisis

November 2, 2023

Philadelphians will go to the ballot box this November to elect their 100th mayor. The city’s next mayor will inherit what President Joe Biden has described as a “mental health crisis.” Voters must know how the candidates will respond to the crisis upon taking office. As the region’s leader in individual, couples, and family therapy, we contacted…

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Emotional Regulation: Everything You Need to Know to Improve Your Relationships

Many of us struggle with regulating (or managing) emotions. Looking inward and taking stock of our emotional regulation skills is critical to maintaining healthy adult relationships. Often, the source of conflict and struggle in relationships can be traced back to poor regulation of emotions by those in the relationship. Improving your relationships, though, takes more…

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How To Support a Partner with ADHD: 3 Tips

October 23, 2023

Does your partner have ADHD, and you are at a loss for how to support them best? Perhaps your relationship is suffering because, well, it can be frustrating when you can not be there for your loved one. Read on to learn the ADHD basics, tips for supporting a partner with ADHD, and where you…

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Advocating for Humanity During War

October 20, 2023

Many of us have been overwhelmed by the tragic, unspeakable events that have resulted in the escalating Israel-Hamas War. We may experience a variety of emotions and hold our own narratives as we are exposed to horrific images and news stories. Undoubtedly some of Council for Relationships’ clients, along with our colleagues and family members…

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Disenfranchised Grief: How the Passing of My Cat Made Me a Better Therapist

October 18, 2023

We all grieve at some point in our lives. Some of us have had too many opportunities to grieve while others may have experienced grief once or twice. The sources of our grief are as varied as the personalities of humans and how we grieve varies just as much. Sometimes, however, we experience disenfranchised grief when…

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Taylor Swift Songs about Mental Health: Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

October 17, 2023

At Council for Relationships, we’re all about making mental health care more accessible, and we know that getting folks to talk about mental health is one of the first steps in getting people the help they need. This is why we’re proponents of efforts, whether implicit or explicit, to open up avenues for mental health…

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South Asian Communities & Mental Health

October 16, 2023

There is growing concern for the mental health crisis impacting South Asian American communities, and the causes of this crisis are complex. From cultural and generational differences, lack of Asian American therapists, and myriad other reasons, many in the South Asian community view mental health with a stigma. Read on to learn more about South…

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Are you building the life you want as 2023 transitions into 2024?

This is a time of year perfect for reflection and optimism. As we begin the period of time when we hand off one year to the next, take a moment to consider your own mental health. How are you doing? Are you taking care of you? In this blog, CFR Staff Therapist L. Stewart Barbera…

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Therapy That Can Teach You Forgiveness

September 25, 2023

We all know that the ability to forgive someone is a valued human trait. But dang is it hard to do. If you’re a human, then you’ve experienced a situation where you’ve been wronged by someone else (and vice versa). Most people want to be known as “forgiving,” but there are few manuals on how…

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3 Alarming Takeaways for Parents of Teens in Age Discrepant Relationships

September 22, 2023

Age-discrepant relationships are relationships where partners have a sizeable gap between the ages of those in the relationship. While there is no hard and fast number to define what is considered “sizeable,” when it comes to relationships between teenagers and adults, laws define the age of consent. Mainstream pop stars like Demi Lovato are driving…

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Taylor Swift Songs about Mental Health: The Self-Titled Edition

September 18, 2023

At Council for Relationships, we’re all about making mental health care more accessible, and we know that getting folks to talk about mental health is one of the first steps in getting people the help they need. This is why we’re proponents of efforts, whether implicit or explicit, top open up avenues for mental health…

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10 Facts about Suicide

September 12, 2023

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Here are 6 alarming statistics on suicide and 4 truths on suicide risk factors, suicide warning signs, and hope (yes, hope) for a total of 10 facts about suicide you need to know about right now. 6 Facts about Suicide in the United States in 2023 According to the…

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Working for a Nonprofit: Why I Work for a Nonprofit Organization

August 16, 2023

August 17 is National Nonprofit Day, and having been a nonprofit organization since 1932, we feel as if every day is National Nonprofit Day (spoiler alert: every day is, in fact, not National Nonprofit Day). To recognize the importance of nonprofits in our communities, we asked Council for Relationships (CFR) Administrative Specialist, Anusha Ramdeen, about…

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