Most of us know that to find a therapist all it takes is to Google “therapist near me,“ click the first link, and then boom. You’re done. Or maybe you take it one step further and look up therapists on a database like Psychology Today and filter therapists to what you want them to offer. These are both great! And, there is also more to finding a great therapist that can foster communication,...

The treatment of mental health and its disorders has been a relatively recent thing. Because of this, mental illness is often stigmatized as a problem that doesn’t exist, can be fixed yourself if you “just try hard enough,” or it’s simply your fault for having this illness in the first place. How can we destigmatize discussion of mental health and educate people that it’s not the fault of the...

Do you or someone you know have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)? The good news is that it isn’t nearly as common as the media makes it out to be. The bad news is that people don’t have to have a diagnosis in order to be bad people. There has recently been a huge increase in the term “narcissist” floating around the internet, particularly on social media platforms. Let’s talk about what...

1. You must have a mental disorder to see a therapist. Everyone could benefit from seeing a therapist! You don’t have to have a diagnosed problem; you don’t even have to have a specific concern! Similarly to your annual checkups at the doctor, you can see a therapist for maintenance and prevention. It’s important to take care of your mental health the same way you care for your physical...

Welcome back! This week we will be discussing experiential therapy. This will be the last post of the series for now, but please leave a comment if there is another approach you would like to learn more about in the future! When you hear the word “experiential” what comes to mind? If your first thought was “it kind of sounds like the word experience” then good job, because that is what this...

Let’s talk about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)! Similarly to DBT, ACT (pronounced “act”) takes aspects of CBT and adds its own unique, therapeutic twist. ACT focuses on a client’s individual beliefs and values, and whether or not they are living their life in a way that is consistent with those values. ACT works by building client awareness of their presenting concern (what they came...

There are three main components that make up Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). These components are mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance. Mindfulness describes intentionally living with awareness in the present moment. This involves focusing on the here-and-now and paying attention to what you are experiencing without judgement. For example, a common mindfulness activity...