This blog is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region.
Most of us have heard the recommendation: When you’re upset with someone you love, use an “I-statement.” Instead of “You never listen to me,” try to talk about your own feelings and experience. It’s good advice. But in my work as a couples and family therapist, I’ve noticed something more complicated: Not every sentence beginning
Each year, several colleagues and I teach an online couples and family therapy training program for mental health professionals. While we learn concepts and techniques, much of the training happens experientially. Trainees practice “therapy” by role-playing as therapists and family members. The “therapists” get feedback, make mistakes, and try again.
The first day of school can bring excitement, anticipation, and… a whole lot of feelings. New classrooms, new teachers, new peers, new routines—and for some children, all of that change can feel overwhelming. Some anxiety around a new school year is completely normal. After all, anxiety is one of the ways our minds and
Simple, Gottman-Informed Practices for Building Closeness in Everyday Life Couples often come to therapy wanting to feel close again, but they are not always sure where to begin. They may imagine reconnecting will require a week away, a perfectly planned date, or long conversations in which they finally say everything exactly right. One of the
For many years, psychotherapy was understood primarily as a conversation. Therapists and clients explored thoughts, feelings, memories, relationships, and unconscious patterns. Dialogue remains central to therapeutic healing. But over the past several decades, many therapists have come to appreciate that emotional wounds also live in our bodies.