28 Day Relationship Challenge

28 Day Relationship Challenge

Blog, Motivation, Relationship, Therapy, Tips
This relationship challenge is designed to have you focus on your partner and the relationship. Taking a different perspective in the way you approach your relationship. The challenge will help you and your partner to not only just regain the spark back in the relationship, find new things about each other, or to overcome an obstacle but also to push the relationship to new heights. For the next 28 days, you are learning to not just see what areas that can be worked on but also workiing it out together while having fun. Who says that challenges can be fun right? Take it and see how strong your relationship will become
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The Language of Love

The Language of Love

Blog, Motivation, Relationship, Therapy, Tips
Love is a complex and deep language and one that is communicated differently for everyone. For some they choose to love others by buying them gifts while for others they choose to love by being present and listening to you. While we put an emphasis on trying to understand how we communicate love, it is also important to know your partner's love language. The questions then are: How does your partner communicate their love? How do they receive love? Most of us have heard about the 5 love languages. If you have not, the 5 love languages include: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. By utilizing this assessment, you can learn how to love your partner the best you can. The assessment is…
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When “I love you” is not enough

When “I love you” is not enough

Blog, Motivation, Relationship, Therapy, Tips
As children we learn the phrase I love you early by hearing it used consistently by society, family, and storybooks. Often we won’t experience a personal lesson in the actions that represent love before we actually enter the dating world. It is as easy to say the words I love you as it is to say hello or goodbye, but what does telling someone you love them REALLY mean and how will you act toward those you feel you love? Same goes for someone saying they love you. Do their actions reflect their words? Growing up Disney movies consistently tell the story of star crossed lovers that will be together against all odds. This leads many to feel that saying and feeling love are the only two things you need…
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Valentine’s Day Guide List to Self-Care

Valentine’s Day Guide List to Self-Care

Blog, Relationship, Therapy, Tips
Valentine’s Day can be very enjoyable, but it can also be an intense and draining experience, especially if you plan on or because of different circumstances, spending it alone. It’s important to remember that just like you love & care for others, you need to love & care for yourself. Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to turn the V-Day expectation into Me Day Celebration To help guide you give an idea of what you can do for your Me Day celebration, we’ve put together a list of ideas of things you can do this Valentine’s Day that are all about making you feel special & showing you just how amazing you really are. Do something that makes you happy This seems obvious but it’s not as easy- especially on…
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5 Things You Need to Know about Finding the Right Person

5 Things You Need to Know about Finding the Right Person

Blog, Motivation, Relationship, Therapy, Tips
When you are single and on the market for love, it can sometimes be easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of excitement when someone good finally comes along; on the other hand, after a few too many “whirlwinds of excitement,” you may get to the point that you give up all together and don’t even notice when someone great is right in front of you. With Valentine’s Day coming up (cue the excitement from some, sighs from others), it is important to know what you are looking for when trying to find the right person. While everybody is different, we compiled a list of 5 things you need to know when you’re in the market. It’s important to know yourself first. It’s hard to know what you like…
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Here’s To a New Beginning: Choosing Joy

Here’s To a New Beginning: Choosing Joy

Blog, Health, Therapy, Tips
The end of the year is an important period for many of us, giving us the change to reflect on what we have learned from the experiences and people we have encountered this year. As the year ends gets nearer, we try our best to make sure that we end it on a happy note, no matter what our year may have been. Hoping that the new year will be just how we close the current year. Happy. While we search for that happiness that often elude our grasp, my encouragement to you is to look beyond happiness, to choose something deeper. Something called JOY Joy is not that giddy feeling we have when we are with someone, or that butterfly-in-my-stomach feeling, or that ear-to-ear-smile kind of feeling either. Joy…
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Navigating The End of Year Rush

Navigating The End of Year Rush

Blog, Health, Therapy, Tips
Between work, school, kids, or whatever else takes up your time – you’re busy. Managing a crazy schedule can be overwhelming. You’ve probably had to remind yourself a few times that you can’t be in two places at once, and that’s okay. Along with a packed schedule and rushed deadlines comes stress, agitation, and all around just not feeling quite like yourself. While it usually seems that being busy and being stressed go hand in hand, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can find ways to manage your busy schedule in a way that works for you – and we have some tips on how to do that, all while caring for yourself. Keep a planner. Remembering a thing or two doesn’t sound like it is too bad,…
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Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption, Blog, Parenting, Tips
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…
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Domestic Abuse and Violence: What The Eyes Can’t See, The Heart Can Feel

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…
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“Bitter, Party of One”

“Bitter, Party of One”

Blog, divorce, Tips
Divorce is a very demanding journey often accompanied by expressions such as "devastation", "bitter", "failure", "ruin", and "grief" without giving us the room to breathe. In addition, the process of transitioning out of it is equally taxing. In order to talk about how you can start the transition process, I have invited a trusted colleague, Mary Owens - an experienced and trusted professional in the social-work and life-transition fields with years of hands on experience - to share her own journey of transitioning from being a bitter, party of one into an independent, free woman.   Shedding the “Bitter, Party of One"        The year following my divorce I spent my time working 70+ hours a week and isolating myself at home with my cats and a bottle of wine. My…
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