Atalie's Posts, Relationships & Communication
Becky White George
The Importance of Social Connection

In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, it can become easy to lose sight of one of the most fundamental aspects of our human nature—social connection. As social creatures, we are biologically wired to connect with one another, create strong bonds, and form lasting relationships.

The Importance of Social Connection
Jessica's Posts, Trauma and Mental Health
Becky White George
Sense Memories

Our senses play a pivotal role in how we form, store, and retrieve memories. This is because the brain areas responsible for processing sensory input are closely linked to the regions that store and retrieve memories. The hippocampus, which organizes and recalls memories, works together with the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain. They ensure that emotionally charged events are more vividly stored in memory. This link exists for both extraordinarily painful and joyful memories alike.

Sense Memories
Trauma and Mental Health, Helene's Posts
Becky White George
Identifying Trauma

When we talk about “trauma,” we’re talking about an emotional or psychological response to a distressing event or experience. It’s not necessarily the event itself that’s traumatic but rather the way it impacts a person’s sense of safety, stability, or identity. Trauma often leaves people feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or disconnected from themselves or others.

Identifying Trauma
Relationships & Communication, Kalie's posts
Becky White George
Nurturing Friendships

I often use Gottman’s Sound Marital House as a framework to help couples build strong, healthy relationships. This theory breaks down into several key components that can enhance connection and resilience. One skill that stands out to me is Shared Fondness and Admiration, which involves openly expressing appreciation and respect for your partner (or friend).

Nurturing Friendships
Relationships & Communication, Sophia's Posts
Becky White George
Validation in Romantic Relationships

The importance of validation is something I emphasize with couples as it creates a dynamic based on understanding rather than score-keeping or proving right and wrong. In an emotionally charged conversation, it's common for individuals to focus primarily on their own emotional experience instead of their partner’s. Rather than listening to what the other person is saying, we may be thinking about our own response.

Validation in Romantic Relationships

cognitive behavioral therapy

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Restructuring Sleep Thoughts

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Restructuring Sleep Thoughts

You’re lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, watching the clock tick, and you start counting the hours of sleep and panicking about the next day if you don’t fall asleep this very second. Is this a familiar experience to you? I know it is for me. All my life, I’ve self-described as “a bad sleeper.” I struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling energized. After years of trying different techniques with minimal success, I was introduced to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

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The Cognitive Triangle

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The Cognitive Triangle

There has been a lot of buzz around Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the past several years, and many great self-help books and mental health apps have centered around the concepts of CBT. A key component of CBT is the Cognitive Triangle. This is the concept that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all work together to influence each other. By working to target any of the three points on the triangle, it will naturally impact the other two. In therapy, the most common means of doing this is by challenging irrational thoughts in order to change feelings and behaviors. 

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Behaviors and Identity

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Behaviors and Identity

Through much of my work with clients, I understand the importance of creating a distinction between behaviors and identity. In a recent session, a client expressed the cognitive dissonance they were experiencing due to the polarity of respecting and admiring their partner yet finding their current behaviors to be very off-putting. Having an awareness of the duality of a person’s character and behaviors can go a long way in increasing compassion, understanding, and communication.

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What Healing Looks Like

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What Healing Looks Like

In an ideal world, the process of healing would only encompass feelings of euphoria and bliss as everything magically falls into place with the snap of your fingers. However, those of us who have gone through healing phases in our lives know that it never happens that way. There are many layers to healing that may involve unfamiliar emotions, discomfort, and a lot of turning inward.

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The Power of Distraction

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The Power of Distraction

Have you ever been so overcome by emotion that you cannot think straight? Maybe you get a distressing text from a friend or family member or see something upsetting on the news. You might start to panic and pace and feel that all you can focus on are these disturbing thoughts and overwhelming emotions. It is almost impossible to come to a productive resolution when we are in this state. The emotional part of your mind is so powerful that it is not making room for the rational part of your brain to provide any input. It might be helpful to distract yourself in these moments, and no, this doesn’t mean pushing your problems under the rug and avoiding these emotions forever.

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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

What is Mindfulness?

Feel the ground underneath your feet and the seat beneath you. Notice the placement of your hands, lengthen your spine, tuck your chin slightly, soften your jaw and lips, and relax the space between your brows. Now start to focus on the rising and falling of your chest. 

These are all cues I utilize when guiding a client through the beginning of a mindfulness practice in session.

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Am I Too Much?

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Am I Too Much?

I have heard people speak before about this concept of believing that they are ‘too much’ when it comes to relationships. This belief can keep people self-rejecting, negatively spiraling, and making rules like "I should keep who I am all to myself and shut down because I am too much." It is a distancing fear-based act that signals sympathetic flight mode, which puts the nervous system in a place of stress where the hypothalamus that regulates mood, sleep, hunger, and thirst in the brain activates the adrenal glands which releases about 30 stress hormones. As a result, the body slows digestion, increases heart rate, shortens breath, and constricts muscles. These beliefs, rules, emotional, and physical responses can lead to a perpetual pattern of isolating and closing off from relationships.

Anxiety Reduction

Anxiety Reduction

Uh oh. You’ve found yourself in an anxiety-producing situation. Your heart begins to race, you begin to sweat, your breathing starts to quicken and your first thought is “I have to get out of this!.” Or maybe you’re not even in this situation yet; you’re just anticipating the anxiety to come. So what is this pesky feeling we call anxiety and how can we help ease it? Let’s first establish that feeling anxious is completely normal! If you think about the purpose of anxiety, it is to help you defend yourself. For example, if you see a bear in the woods, your anxiety would kick into gear and trigger your fight-or-flight response, to tell you that you need to get out of there! In that case, the anxiety is helpful in defending yourself; but what about in a job interview, or an exam? Do you need to be in an elevated fight-or-flight state for that type of situation? No, and your body knows that too. It is incredibly exhausting for the body and mind to maintain such high levels of arousal, and they will naturally try to bring themselves back to a normal state.

Relaxation skills and exercises are some of the most helpful techniques we can use to calm our stress response. What I love about these exercises is that most of them can be used discreetly in public, and they immediately help you regain control of your body. Here are my top 4 tools for managing anxiety in the moment, so that you can self-soothe, get yourself out of that fight or flight mode, and bring yourself back to calm.

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Getting the Most out of Therapy

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Getting the Most out of Therapy

How to Make the Most Out of Your Time in Therapy

So you’ve finally taken the leap and decided to commit to therapy. Congratulations! You’ve had your consultation calls, made your choice of therapist, and filled out your intake paperwork. You sit across from the therapist on the couch, or open up your computer screen and hope the camera is angled in a way where your sweatpants are hidden. Given the investment of time and money, and your high hopes for a successful therapy experience, you may want to know, “How can I get the absolute most out of my therapy session?”


Here are 5 tips to make the most out of your time in therapy:

 

Start With You. Today.