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.
Ideas from Ximena Vengoechea’s book Listen Like You Mean It Listening can transform relationships. When someone feels genuinely heard, their nervous system settles, defensiveness softens, and something shifts. Conversations move from attack and retreat—or from listless information exchanges—to a feeling of being known. Ximena Vengoechea’s 2021 book Listen Like You Mean It offers practical strategies
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
David worked hard to build a stable home and believed he and his wife shared a commitment to family. When she left him for another man, his world fell apart. Divorce was painful, and his relationships with his children became strained. Years later, David carries deep anger toward his ex-wife for “destroying the family.” He
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
“Never lose a holy curiosity.” — Albert Einstein Families often come to therapy caught in cycles of repetition. A parent says, “He never listens.” A teen mutters, “You don’t understand.” A couple circles the same argument, both sure they know how it ends. The missing ingredient in so many of these moments is the willingness