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.
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
In the 1980s, Charles Figley described compassion fatigue as “the cost of caring.” Most caregivers do not enter their roles reluctantly. They care deeply. They show up day after day because someone they love needs them. Whether you are caring for a child with special needs, an ill spouse, an aging parent, or another family
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