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.
A mother has fallen and broken her hip, and the adult children are trying to decide what to do. One sibling wants to move quickly toward more support; another feels it’s too soon. The parent insists, “I’ll be fine. “ Everyone senses that change is coming. Conversations are tense. The family comes to therapy to
“Why is this so hard?” They were thoughtful, committed, and trying. “We love each other,” one partner said. “But it just feels… tense.” “I feel like I’m always getting it wrong,” the other partner added. “With the kids, with you—everything.” These are familiar moments in stepfamily therapy. There is love, effort, and goodwill, mixed with
Different Modes of Mind Our minds tend to operate in different modes depending on the situation. Dialectical Behavior Therapy describes these modes as “rational mind,” “emotional mind,” and “wise mind.” When we lead from the rational mind, we focus on facts and logic. Asked to solve a math problem, for example, and we rely on
When Maya and Daniel came to therapy, they weren’t sure they “belonged” there. They weren’t yelling or on the brink of divorce. But they were missing something—nights of easy laughter, quiet comfort, the feeling of being on the same team. Life had become busy, conversations had grown shallow, and minor irritations filled the space where
Therapists, workshops, and “how-to” guides offer plenty of sound advice for improving communication: use I rather than you statements (“I feel hurt” instead of “You’re so mean”), empathize with the other’s perspective, mirror their words, be specific rather than global (“I wish you’d call when you’re late” instead of “You never think of me”), and