Blog – Page 6 – Therapeutic Center For Hope

21Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

The Case for Adoption Equality [caption id="attachment_3359" align="alignright" width="368"] Source: Family Equality Council [/caption] An estimated of 400,000 children in the U.S. have been removed from their homes and are now in foster care, wards of the state. With this many children, the main goal of the foster care system is to find each and every child a home within a reasonable amount of time. If the children’s biological parents have lost their right, finding a home is usually mandated 12-24 months from the removal date, ideally. The main goal of adoption is to find a child a home that is loving and can provide a stable environment for a child to grow up in. What is the Focus? Stability, according to the Florida state government means meeting minimum…

18Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

Know Your Deal Makers and Deal Breakers

Blog, Relationship, Therapy, Tips

As You Enter Into... A new love relationship, navigating this new chapter of your love story can get very complicated especially if you and your partner are looking through the rose colored lenses many of us have at the beginning of any relationship. For those of us looking for something long term and serious, its important to know the traits you definitely want to see in a potential partner, and the possible deal breakers. Having standards that are too low, might leave you unhappy, but having super high standards can end up making you feeling lonely. How do you find this balance? Know exactly what you want and need and what you don’t in a relationship. Navigating the ups and downs of a new relationship often gets complicated especially at…

25Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

The Strength of Single Mothers

Blog, Parenting, Therapy, Tips

The single mothers I have come across in my lifetime are some of the strongest women I know. I ask myself, how is it that this woman has been through more than most, and came out on the other side empowered and able to conquer everyday obstacles with patience and grace? So I decided to ask them. For the sake of their privacy, their names have been changed, so we’ll call them Tamara and Kristina. Kristina's Story Kristina is a close family friend who married the love of her life, has three beautiful and resilient adult children, and continues to overcome residual struggles from the last 15 years of her life. In 2001, Kristina’s husband was laid off from his job, a huge blow to both his confidence and to…

18Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

Graduate Mentorship: Your Complete Guide

Blog, Business

What is Graduate Mentorship? Graduate mentorship in psychology is supervised clinical practice required by almost all graduate level and doctorate level programs in the United States. Once a student choose psychology for their academic and career path, they begin to learn clinical practice on a more hands-on level than their undergraduate studies. Why is Graduate Mentorship important? The importance of having a mentor who can help you navigate through the new world of practicing psychology as a therapist, counselor or social worker is key to gaining professional experience in the real world, outside of a classroom setting. It is one thing to learn the theories and research developed in the field of psychology from a lecture with a professor explaining and providing examples of hypothetical situations a student might see…

18Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

Parenting Special Needs Children

Blog, Parenting, Tips

It’s no secret that being a parent is hard. It’s seemingly impossible to be a perfect parent, and that’s okay; after all, we are all human. While being a parent within itself is difficult, being a parent to a child who has special needs can sometimes be even more difficult. If you look online, there are endless tips and tricks to make life easier. While they all seem great in theory, it’s sometimes hard to apply those tips to your actual life. We found a few tips that aren’t very hard to incorporate in your daily life, yet they can make a huge difference. We also interviewed a parent who knows what it is like to have a son with a disability. Hopefully some of our findings can help you,…

18Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

Dating 101: Your Guide to Getting Back into the Scene

Blog, Relationship, Tips

Getting back into the dating game can be intimidating. Between feeling awkward, not knowing how the other person feels, and the all-around stress of the vulnerability you put yourself through by dating, it can all be enough to send someone running for the hills and wanting to give up on dating all together. If this post is already stressing you out, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief because I have some good news: dating doesn’t have to be like that. Dating can be fun and enjoyable regardless of the other less enjoyable factors. Here are a few tips that may make navigating the dating life a little bit easier for you. Know Yourself First. This tip should be your first priority, as it will help lay the foundation…

14Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

Domestic Abuse and Violence: What The Eyes Can’t See, The Heart Can Feel

Blog, Events, Relationship, Therapy

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that in the US, 33.3% of women and 25% of men have been victims of some sort of abuse in an intimate relationship at some point in their life. This means that 1 in 3 women we have met in our life has been affected by domestic abuse and 1 in 4 men we know has been victimized in an intimate relationship. Although, this may be a disturbing statistic, we have the power and the means to influence and change this madness. How do we begin? We start with knowing the signs. They are not always immediately visible and because we always look for the best in our partners, we often brush it aside when they are consistently appearing. It is also important…

07Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

Re:Fresh Your Relationship

Blog, Relationship, Tips

Always keep in mind, we each have a love language and a style of communication. For many it’s physical affection and for others it could be verbal affirmations of love, gift giving, or simply time spent with one another. Identify both yours and your partners love language and use it to keep your relationship fulfilled. If you know the way you show love is to spend quality time, make sure your partner knows that you place value on spending time so they can make sure your needs are met, instead of assuming they just know you well enough to understand your needs. If your partner’s love language is gift giving, make sure you show appreciation for everything they give to you, even if it’s as simple as a new pair…

05Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

Hurricane Safety Tips

Blog, Tips

As the first predicted hurricane of the season approaches this week, South Florida has started going into a frenzy in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. Stores can barely keep up with water and canned food sales and hurricane shutters are beginning to go up. As unpredictable as bad weather can be this time of year, it is key to have a game plan and keep our stress level normal as we try to carry on with our everyday activities. The key to remaining hurricane ready is all about maintaining order. Stay up to date. Staying in the know wont be hard with hurricane Matthew. It seems every news station and radio broadcast has not only the latest update on Matthew’s progress through the Caribbean, but also their own opinions on whether…

29Sep 2016 by alexiamcleod

Adapting Yourself into Single Parenthood

Blog, Parenting, Tips

Breakups takes a lot out of you. It takes all of your energy just to cope with the emotions and it takes a lot of your resources trying to reclaim your life and prepare for a future that is so different than what you imagined. Therefore it is only natural to feel overwhelmed when you are adapting into a future as a single parent. Odds are that you did not plan for this to happen, and this one question will keep coming up:"Where do I go from here? To begin, it is necessary to know that going into the realm of single parenthood means one thing: 24hrs is not enough and in the midst of all the craziness that welcomes you, here are a few important things to remember as…

Category: Blog