Therapy Thursday

Group therapy can sound intimidating — but it might be exactly the support you’ve been looking for. This week, I’m talking about the real benefits of group work, common fears (and why they’re normal), and why group therapy might be exactly what you need. Curious? Let’s talk. Find out more at  tjcounseling.com .

Obviously this was a very emotional week for lots of people in the USA with the 2024 Presidential Elections. Here today is my advice for how to manage all of the big emotions the week after the election, whether your candidate won or not.

Every June we hear the same questions - why do we have pride month? Why does this matter? Why isn’t there a straight month? In today’s episode I hope to highlight one main reason why I believe Pride is still so important in 2024.

There are lots of pieces of advice that sound good (like “never go to bed angry”) that actually might not be as solid of advice as we thought.

When you’re starting your therapy journey, it can be overwhelming trying to find a therapist. Finding the right therapist for you can be even more so. Trust me when I say you shouldn’t just go for the first therapist you find. You need to make sure it is the right fit for you and what you are looking for.

There is a subtle but important difference between an excuse and an explanation, and it primarily comes down to where responsibility is placed.

The best therapists should be constantly losing their jobs, because it means they’ve done what they were hired to do.

Communication is at the heart of ALL relationships, and miscommunication is often at the heart of many relationship problems. This hack can be a game changer for improving your communication skills!

Forgiveness is hard, and we sometimes make it harder by expecting it to be something that it’s not.

Attention is a limited resource that must be budgeted and spent much like our money. And what you spend your attention on makes a big impact on your mental health.

Don’t wait for the deathbed, the wedding, the Thanksgiving dinner, or any other big moment, to share how you feel with the people you love.

As we head into the holidays, it can help remove a lot of disappointment or frustration if you just expect the expected.

When we say that we “can’t” do something, that statement is almost never actually true. And recognizing what is the actual truth of the matter will create a much more empowering decision.

Life is about choosing which “hard” you prefer, and one of those choices is often between discomfort and resentment.

Absolute, black and white, all or nothing thinking, can be a very big problem for both relationships and individuals. In this episode, we look at where these thoughts are actually coming from and what we can do about them.

I don’t really love the advice that we give to people to “do your best.” Sometimes the pressure to do your best gets to be too much, and when people feel like they can’t do their best, they choose to do nothing.

Sometimes the pain caused by an unmet expectation is far worse than the experience itself. But the good news is that this "expectation pain" is optional!

If you are always struggling to make decisions because you are so concerned about making "the right choice" then I have some good news for you: there is no such thing!

Did you know it is 100% guaranteed that there is something you believe to be true that you are wrong about? Whether it's something scientifically that we just don't know enough about yet, or a narrative belief about yourself or the way you fit int he world, we all have beliefs that are wrong, and that are holding us back.

Sometimes we just don't feel motivated to follow through with things we have committed to. (Like, for me, today, recording this podcast.) And that's okay! In this episode we talk about why re-evaluating your initial reasons for committing to things is important to decide if it still aligns with your values, and how switching the way you think about motivation can help you get started.

Where we pay our attention has a drastic impact on the quality of our life, so make sure you are paying attention with intention!

Nothing is permanent. This might hit you as good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it. But the truth is that accepting this fact can drastically improve your overall happiness and life satisfaction, according to multiple studies.

Many people come to therapy feeling that they are "not enough" or "not good enough." But "enough" is subjective. And rarely do we stop to ask ourselves - "Good enough at what?"

The phrase "I just want you to be happy" is commonly used in all sorts of relationships, but it can sometimes be the very thing getting in the way of real happiness, particularly when two people have very different ideas of what "happy" means.

To celebrate Pride Month, today we are breaking down 3 common myths about LGBTQ+ people: that it isn't natural, that science doesn't support it, and that there are more now than before. Happy Pride!