I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Colorado. I have a master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from Arizona State University and an undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan. I have completed two years of postgraduate coursework and supervision in Marriage and Family Therapy at the Denver Family Institute.
At the beginning of relationships, many couples feel nothing but hope and bliss. You want that feeling to last forever, but in reality, you don’t always feel blissful about your partner. However, there are ways to deepen your connection and remind yourselves why you fell in love in the first place. John Gottman, Ph.D., developed Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work to help guide couples. While his research and language are mostly formulated around a marriage between a man and woman, which may be offensive to some people as it does not address same sex couples and/or people who are not married, I think his ideas can still be very helpful for all couples.
Dr. Gary Chapman developed the idea of the 5 Love Languages and wrote about them in his 1995 book of the same name. Since then, the idea has been adapted for children, teens and even the workplace. There’s a reason Chapman’s work on this topic has endured for more than 20 years: the love languages focus on understanding how to best honor your partner, how to show each other love in meaningful ways and how to foster deeper communication.
I recently joined the provider network for a local cause, The Second Wind Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding and preventing teen suicide. While it is a painful and difficult topic, parents and caregivers need to be aware of the risks and warning signs.
Divorce is one of the most challenging changes any family can face. Divorcing parents, especially, worry about how that change will affect their children. While divorce is painful for kids, evidence shows that there is also a lot of hope when it comes to children and divorce.
Caring for a loved one with a disability can often become more challenging than anticipated. Caregiving is more than a full-time job, and all the love in the world is often not enough. Sometimes, in-home care is the right answer, but there are a number of reasons to consider a residential facility instead. I recently wrote a piece on this topic for 1800wheelchair.com, a website with resources for people with physical disabilities.
Each human being on this planet will experience grief and loss in his or her lifetime. Loss can range from the death of a loved one or pet to a parting of ways with a friend or lover. Even losing a job can result in deep feelings of loss and grief. These feelings are a normal part of the human experience, but the grief process can unexpectedly knock even the strongest among us to our knees.
Caregiver mental health can suffer due to lack of support and resources. Caregivers are more prone to depression, anxiety and substance abuse, and more than 44 million Americans provide care to loved ones. I recently wrote a piece on caregiver mental health for 1800wheelchair.com, a website with resources for people with physical disabilities.
I recently wrote a short article on how these two things are connected. Sometimes small adjustments in our behavior can result in big changes in how we feel.
The second in our series on therapy approaches highlights Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). As one of several approaches I use in my practice, EFT can be especially beneficial for couples who are struggling with communication issues.
Strong emotions are a fact of life as a human. Like it or not, we are emotional beings, driven by parts of the brain that manage emotional processes, memory, habits and more. Although emotions can often feel as overwhelming as ocean waves crashing over you, it is possible to develop your emotional resilience as a powerful life skill. That resilience, in turn, can help you reduce cravings and change other behaviors that have a negative impact on your life.
