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One Two Three Time: A Time Prioritization Strategy for Adults
In the hustle of modern life, understanding and managing personal time is critical to enhancing well-being. In fact, a recent survey found that when rating on a scale of 1-10, where 10 signifies a great deal of stress, a quarter of all Americans reported their average stress level as between 8 and 10. The concept…
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Closing the Gap: Perinatal Mental Health Services in North Philadelphia
Perinatal mental health services play a crucial role in supporting expecting and new mothers, offering hope and essential care in communities facing significant challenges. This blog explores the transformative impact of these services, detailing the journey of embedding a Council for Relationships (CFR) Therapist within the Stephen Klein Wellness Center in North Philadelphia and the…
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Ambivalence During Pregnancy: Navigating the Unspoken
Pregnancy is often portrayed as a time of joy and anticipation, but for many, it’s a period marked by complex emotions. Ambivalence during pregnancy, a state of having mixed feelings about the impending arrival of one’s baby, is a common yet seldom discussed phenomenon. This silence fosters a sense of isolation, shame, and fear, leading…
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Identity Shift in Motherhood: Navigating New Challenges & Rediscovering Yourself
Embarking on the journey of motherhood introduces a profound “identity shift in motherhood” that many are unprepared for. This transformative phase brings various challenges, from the loss of personal identity to the struggle to find joy amidst the chaos of parenting. This blog delves into the heart of these experiences, offering insights and practical advice…
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Navigating Self-Care in the Age of Social Media
This blog delves into the evolution of social networks, the challenges and opportunities they present, and practical strategies for fostering self-care and compassion in our digital interactions. It aims to offer insights into maintaining a healthy equilibrium between our digital personas and real-life selves, emphasizing the significance of authentic connections. We invite you to continue…
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Signs of Teen Dating Violence
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month when we focus on recognizing and understanding signs of teen dating violence. Teen dating abuse is a massive problem. It can manifest in different ways, like hurting someone emotionally or physically, controlling them, or harassing them online. Friends and family are pivotal in identifying warning signs, offering support,…
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Guilt-Free Holidays: A Parents’ Guide to the Holiday Season
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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3 Alarming Takeaways for Parents of Teens in Age Discrepant Relationships
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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Caring for an Aging Parent: 3 Tips to Keep You from Losing Yourself
Caring for an aging parent can feel daunting, frustrating, isolating, and sad. But it does not have to be this way. Read on to the learn more about the following tips to help keep you from losing yourself as you care for your parent. Tip #1: Take it slow. Caring for an elderly parent is…
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Co-Parenting Tips for Setting Hurt & Anger Aside
Nearly half of all American children will see their parents get divorced and 16% of American children will live in a household with a step-parent, step-sibling, or half-sibling. With 50% of children having divorced parents, co-parenting is more commonplace than ever in the United States. Co-parenting is defined as sharing the duties of raising a…
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New Parents, Social Media & Pregnancy: What You Need to Know
From over-the-top pregnancy reveals to momfluencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, social media might lead new parents to believe pregnancy is relatively easy. It is not. Pregnancy is complicated. The pregnancy reality for new parents is often more complicated than social media wants you to believe. At best, pregnancy is a joyful time for…
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Benefits of Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Groups
While becoming a new mother is rewarding, the journey is riddled with constant change, uncertainty, feelings of doubt, fear, and isolation. New mothers often fear voicing their needs or reaching out for help because they fear burdening those around them. New mothers also wrestle with feelings of guilt and shame for feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed,…
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“I Don’t See Color”: White Caregivers Raising BIPOC Children
In previous generations, the phrase “I don’t see color” was a mark of being progressive. Parents would use the phrase to explain why the differences of another person were not important when cultivating relationships. By telling children the color of a person does not matter, it also allows for parents and caregivers to avoid having…
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Teach Your Children Well
The 2020-2021 school year has officially ended at schools across the country, and we are heading into another season of mixed thoughts and emotions. Just as has been the case in the past year of the COVID pandemic, that will mean different things to different people and families. While we are eager to put the…
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One for the Yearbooks: A Time to Process the End of Another School Year in a Pandemic
We have arrived at the end of another school year in a pandemic. Many of the meaningful traditions we look forward to this time each year may once again not be possible. As many schools move to re-create significant events like graduations and proms in order to follow safety guidelines, they may look and feel…
Read MoreHelp for Young Adults with Autism and Their Families
Having been around autistic young people since my youngest son was born with the disorder nearly 20 years ago, I recently began conducting small social groups for young men with autism. Our goals are simple: to provide a safe space for young adults with social emotional deficits to gather weekly with each other, practice listening…
Read MoreSaying Goodbye to Game of Thrones: Dealing with Disappointment and Endings
Michele Southworth, JD, LMFT is a senior staff therapist at Council for Relationships University City. Image Credit: Macall B. Polay/HBO Sunday night, after eight seasons and 73 episodes, we said our goodbyes to the surviving Stark siblings and other survivors of the Battle of Kings Landing, along with what remained of the armies of the…
Read MoreKeeping College Admissions In Perspective
If you’re a senior in high school or the parent of a senior in high school, the end of March is more about college admissions than the beginning of spring. The recent college admissions scandal is just one example of how parents can become overwhelmed and over-involved in the lives and decisions of the high…
Read MoreMichelle and Barack: The Perfect Imperfect Love Story
Dr. Michele Marsh is a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist at Council for Relationships’ Center City Office. Dr. Marsh is also the Director of the Sex Therapy Track in the Master’s in Family Therapy Program in partnership with Thomas Jefferson University. Pictures of President Obama and Michelle Obama glow with energy and broad smiles,…
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My Message to Women: You do not have to suffer in silence
Elyse Stein Batoff, Psychologist, LMFT has years of experience working in the area of Women’s Psychological Health Services. She has offered the emotional support that has been needed by many women as they go through physical changes and issues ranging from infertility, pregnancy, postpartum depression, sexual concerns, and menopause. Collaboration with physicians such as OB/GYN’s…
Read MoreThe benefits of “faking calm” when you feel angry
March Featured Therapist Ellen Mishel, MSS, LSW, MFT specializes in helping parents improve their parenting skills and relationships with their children. Her tips for channeling angry energy into productive communication are great for couple or co-worker relationships, too. We all get angry. Anger is a natural feeling. It is not good or bad. However, how we…
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