Our Blog.
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Locus of Control… and Why it Matters
Locus of control (LOC) is a theory coined by Julian B. Rotter in 1954. The need for this construct came about when Rotter wanted to
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EMDR Certified
EMDR Certified Therapist – What does that mean? EMDR trained and EMDR certified therapists require hours of training and commitment. They are passionate about working
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Advertising Literacy and Diet Culture
You are constantly bombarded with advertising trying to sell you on something, especially diets. A popular and ever-growing subset of advertising is taken up by
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Worry Thoughts Eclipsing Joy
With the solar eclipse fast approaching, I could not resist using it as a metaphor for worry thoughts! And who doesn’t love a pun?! NASA
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Playing for Personal Growth
Playing is one of the first ways we engage in learning and personal growth. Infants and toddlers allow their curiosity to abound, which results in
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Self-Care and Our Best Selves
I was recently asked to give a presentation at an activity in the community on the topic of self-care. I wanted to focus more on
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Compassion, is there room for that?
Is there room for compassion? This is a question I often ask clients. It’s important to weave self-compassion into your routine. The world can be
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7 Different Ways We Can Validate Others
By definition, validation is recognition or affirmation that a person or their feelings or opinions are valid. But, why is it so important? Because everyone
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Are we too critical about how we look?
We are our own worst critics. This is a saying you have probably come across before. An important follow-up question to ask yourself is, how
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I Highly Recommend This Book
I “warn” most of my clients, before I begin working with them, that I am a book nerd and it is very likely that they
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Does your body need to EARN love and acceptance?
Let’s talk about body love and acceptance. An article was published years ago that brought truth to light about how messages about a body’s worth
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Family, the Holidays, and Your Relationship with Food
We have entered the time of year where holiday gatherings are happening frequently and having a healthy relationship with food an be challenging. Spending time
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Mindfulness
I have been contemplating mindfulness this week. One reason is that I practice Iyengar Yoga with local community members once a week. On the last
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Scarsdale Self-care Day Ideas
Taking a day or even a moment to prioritize your needs and re-energize is great for your mental health. In and near Scarsdale, there are
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Taking breaks
This blog post on taking breaks was inspired by feeling stuck writing a blog post! Taking a Break Last week, I sat at my computer
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Masking and the Impact on Authentic Self
I love watching art restoration videos as a form of self-care. I also find these videos can be an accurate metaphor for therapy. Just as
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How can I prepare for EMDR therapy?
EMDR is a therapeutic model we use in our practice to treat trauma. Interestingly, many of the inquiries we receive about EMDR come from individuals who
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What To Expect In Starting Therapy With Us
Have you decided to reach out for help? It is a big and important step. You might feel overwhelmed and anxious about starting therapy. Therapy
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How to Manage Burnout
Drs. Emily and Amelia Nagowski explore the topic of how to manage burnout in their book, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Before
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Levels of Care for Eating Disorder Treatment
Often I find that talking about higher levels of care for eating disorder treatment with a client can evoke fear. Consequently, most of that fear
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15 Self-Care Ideas
Hard day? In a stressful and time-constrained world, self-care is essential. But, it doesn’t need to be just another thing on your to-do list. In
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“Why?” and “What if…?”: The Anxious Mind Wants to Know
A lot of situations and experiences can lead to you feeling anxious. However, what you do with the anxious thoughts is what breaks the cycle
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Community’s Importance
COMMUNITY “Being around people who loved me and whom I loved healed me.” – Dr. Marisa G. Franco Social Connection Quite simply, you are wired
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Body Neutrality and How To Achieve It
Body neutrality is a waypoint between body negativity and body positivity. Sometimes, body neutrality is the end goal; however, it can be a nice middle
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Can I do EMDR online?
A question I am frequently asked is, “Can EMDR be done online?” The answer is yes, it can! Over recent years various online EMDR platforms
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Anxiety and Avoidance: The Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Anxiety and avoidance are best friends when it comes to keeping someone stuck. First, let’s talk about ANXIETY. Anxiety lives in the body and the
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What is an empathy miss?
Defining an empathy miss is important question, but first, it’s important that you know the different parts of empathy. If you didn’t get a chance
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Improve your mood right now with these 5 things
Are you looking to improve your mood? Have you had a hard day? Maybe you are stressed or feeling down? Here are five things you
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Empathy
What is Empathy? Empathy is “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.”
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Social Media and Self-perception
Engagement in social media use is a prevalent part of how we spend our time. A way to fill time, to “decompress,” to avoid, to
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Eating Disorder Table Behaviors
Those little behaviors… Let’s talk about some lesser known eating disorder symptoms that actually have a big impact. Oftentimes eating disorder thoughts, urges and behaviors
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Self-Compassion
“Self-compassion is a way of emotionally recharging our batteries. Rather than becoming drained by helping others, self-compassion allows us to fill up our internal reserves, so
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What is Normal Eating?
Normal eating can be a difficult concept to grasp if you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder or a problematic relationship
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Connection, Break and Repair: Where We Get Stuck
Connection, break and repair are part of a natural cycle we go through in every relationship, even with ourselves! In his research, John Gottman found
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Body Image Tips and Tricks
Stay away from the scale – as a matter of fact, get rid of it! If your weight needs to be monitored, leave that up
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Connection, Break and Repair: A Relationship Cycle
Connection, break and repair are a natural part of the relationship cycle we go through, even with ourselves! In his research, John Gottman found that
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Making a Bid for Connection
John Gottman, a renowned relationship researcher, identifies that a bid is how we tell someone that we want attention in our relationship. A bid can
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Teens, Mental Health, and the Developing Brain
Being a teenager comes with many challenges. During this time we are met with an increasingly challenging academic workload, navigating more complex social interactions and
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7 Ways to Co-regulate with your Loved One
Co-regulation is a tool that is used in secure relationships that helps you to teach, model, demonstrate and invite emotional regulation through your own example.
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Setting yourself up for success
Rest is vital. Rest is not “laziness.” You do not need to “earn” rest. Often times therapy will focus on setting yourself up for success.
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5 Love Languages
We do relationship and family work at Cultivating Courage Psychological Services. One of the tools we use to help increase connection is love languages. Dr.
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The Power of Routine
What is your morning or nighttime routine? Having a routine to open and close your day can be very grounding and rewarding. Routines provide predictability
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Gratitude
November is a month where gratitude comes to the forefront and we are grateful for it! Practicing gratitude has many psychological benefits, including lowering stress
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What Brings You Joy?
It is easy to get bogged down in routine, daily checklists, and tackling the next stressor. Take a moment to reflect on the last time
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Emotions Journaling
“Naming an emotion begins the process of regulating and reflecting on it.” Dr. Sue Johnson Brene Brown’s research shows that on average a person can
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DBT Skill: Opposite Action
Sometimes the emotion doesn’t fit the facts of what’s going on or acting on the emotion would not be effective. If this is true for
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Thinking about EMDR?
Here are some reasons it is time to take action and start EMDR Therapy – 1. You are ready to move on 2. You want
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The Dangers of Dieting in Adolescence
Did you know? In a large study of 14- and 15-year-olds, dieting was the most important predictor of a developing eating disorder. Those who dieted
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5 Things To Do To Challenge Unhelpful Thoughts
We all struggle with unhelpful thoughts from time to time. These thoughts become problematic when someone gets stuck on them and cannot find a way
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For Professionals: 7 Types of Hunger Worksheet
Hello fellow providers! This resource is yours to use and modify in the way that fits best with your practice. I found it hard to