Rewarding Relationships Come from Investing in Yourself First
How can anyone love us if we cannot love ourselves? This question has been presented in a variety of ways across generations. Most often, it is posed within the context of intimate relationships. Regardless of whether we are referring to family ties, friendships, or romantic relationships, the theory holds true. In fact, the loving bond two adults share is... Read More
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Sometimes people who have a tendency to be 
Are you a “beaten dog”? Rest assured, I’m not calling anyone names here. But have you been kicked around, treated like nothing, and hurt? Do you not feel loved unless you are treated badly? This is what I mean when I say “beaten dog.” If you are offended, maybe some truth is staring you in the face. If you are not offended, I’m glad—and while this may not apply to you, perhaps it does apply to someone you know.
If it does apply to you and you can see how this role has affected your life, I want to apologize. No one should feel beaten, 
With Valentine’s Day just a couple of days away, many are frantically trying to figure out how they can express their 
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more.” —Melody Beattie
I write today in praise of failure. It’s time to embrace loss, give disappointment and regret a big high-five, and bestow a warm hug on frustration and 
Unconditional love is a concept that is bandied about frequently in 
I watch Lifetime movies. Yes, I help people get their lives back on the “straight and narrow” and be healthier with themselves, their emotions, and their 
Don’t wait for trouble to set in when it comes to the enriching elements of your life, such as 
The allure of beauty is intoxicating and dangerous—perhaps most dangerous for 
Negative events are sticky.
In seventh grade, a classmate with whom I’d had very little interaction, Scott, walked up to my locker and offered me some unsolicited counsel. “If you ever want to get 
While not everyone’s experience is the same, when people have a 
Interviews with people on their deathbeds regarding regrets not surprisingly show that people wish they’d let themselves live as their full, true selves. They wish they’d been less what people expected of them and more who they really wanted to be. They wish they hadn’t worked so hard, expressed their feelings more, kept in touch with friends, and had let themselves be happier.
Presumably, this means that at the end of their lives they realized they had more choices than they thought they had. They realized they’d chosen to act the way they thought they were supposed to act, and regretted
To me, “vulnerable” is wonderful word. It means openness, freedom, and the opportunity to love and be loved. But for others, it is what they are trying to get away from: They feel that they are too vulnerable. In actuality, the opposite is true. They feel unsafe because they are too defended, too guarded. True vulnerability comes only with acceptance of self. And with that, 
Therapists working with individuals miss an essential component of their clients’ mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being by not inquiring about sexuality, intimacy, and sensuality. Much to my chagrin, I have heard seasoned and admired therapists admit to not doing so. It seems many therapists consider 
