August 4, 2020 | Staff Therapist Ayo Akindumila, LMFT participated in an Instagram Live with former CFR marketing intern and current social media influencer, Christe Konopitski (@classicallychriste), to discuss mental health, quarantine, and racial justice. Watch the full Instagram Live Recommended start time: 05:30. Please excuse any technical difficulties. Ayo Akindumila, LMFT is a Staff Therapist…
Read MoreJuly 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 MorePeople 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 MoreChange. 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…
Read MoreDr. 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 MoreThe 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…
Read MoreMay 27, 2020 | Dr. Alishia Kalos, psicóloca clínica, explica en TELEMUNDO 62 los efectos de la crisis de salud a nivel emocional. Watch the full interview on TELEMUNDO 62 Alishia Kalos, Psy.D. is a Staff Therapist at our Paoli, PA and Center City Offices. She currently sees clients via online therapy. To set up an appointment, you can reach…
Read MoreGrieving a loss from COVID-19 requires courage and an openness to converse about one’s emotions. The unique ability of the virus to level everyone and create an international community is helpful to the grieving process. COVID-19 can affect anyone, it is spreading at a rapid rate, and there is currently no cure. In dealing with…
Read MoreThis very complicated time has many of us thinking about what matters most in our lives, and how to be intentional about where we put our energy. I’ve recently had conversations with several people, who share a wish to change their career paths in a variety of ways. These discussions brought me back to memories…
Read MoreCOVID-19 is being discussed everywhere, every day. Whether it’s the political aspects, the statistics, or the warning signs, chances are, if you have had your TV on in the last two months, your child has picked up pieces of information. Some parents may be having direct conversations with children about the pandemic, while others may…
Read MoreMay 10, 2020 | For many people, this Mother’s Day can be a difficult one, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Licensed marriage and family therapist Dr. Jeanne Mayo said moms who don’t live with their children might have a hard time with Mother’s Day this year. “With COVID-19, you have mothers and their children who are…
Read MoreEvery month, Council for Relationships features one of our staff therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Nina Fortuna, LMFT who joined the staff in 2019. Learn more about her in the interview below! Tell us a little about what makes you unique as a therapist and person. As a resident and native of the great…
Read MoreApril 4, 2020 | This is not a good time to be having an affair. Nor, for that matter, is it an ideal time to find a lover. Heck, it isn’t even a good time to greet your partner with a kiss. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives: How and where we work,…
Read MoreAs I’ve been talking with patients, family and friends online over the past 2 weeks, I’ve come to realize we are all experiencing loss of some kind, both individually and collectively. We have a shared experience that as of March 2020, our world has changed. This looks different for everyone: canceled vacation and travel plans, what a…
Read MoreThe outbreak of the infectious disease COVID-19 is causing individuals and communities high levels of distress and anxiety. You are not alone if you feel some degree of anxiety as we cannot fully anticipate how the current pandemic will evolve and how it may affect us directly. It is helpful to understand the range of…
Read MoreYour sense of self, personal dignity, and relationship boundaries matter: how to transform social shame and reestablish your worth. One of the most beautiful qualities one has is the ability to communicate. Communication is self-revelation. It is self-leadership. It therefore has to do with the manifestation of your worthiness, ego, dignity, and status. A sense…
Read MoreReceiving a breast cancer diagnosis can come with a range of emotions. You might feel surprise, fear, anxiety, and even relief after determining a course of treatment. Friends and family usually try to be supportive, but there is no “one size fits all” way to support someone going through a new health diagnosis. Though breast…
Read MoreEvery month, Council for Relationships features one of our Staff Therapists. This month’s Featured Therapist is Charles Muorah, PhD, STL, LMFT who joined the staff in 2006. Learn about him in the interview below! Tell us a little about what makes you unique as a therapist and person. I feel like being a therapist is…
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2020 | February is Black History Month, and Staff Therapist Allen-Michael Lewis, MS, LMFT suggests it’s also a good time to open up a conversation about race with your children, especially in families that are not ethnically diverse. Listen to the full interview on KYW NewsRadio Allen-Michael Lewis, MS, LMFT is a Staff Therapist…
Read MoreEmma Steiner, MSW, MFT, LCSW, works with individuals and couples at our University City office. Read on to learn about EMDR and Emma’s experience with this form of therapy. Recently, I joined 14 of my Council colleagues at the first weekend of EMDR training. EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an information processing…
Read MoreChronic pain is the thief in the night; it robs from one’s relationships and it steals one’s strength. Few things are as strongly correlated with the decline in quality of life as chronic pain. It is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It’s positively correlated with an increased risk of divorce,…
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