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Supporting clients to develop a range of coping skills is a common focus in therapy. Having effective coping tools helps to manage difficult emotions, overcome challenging situations, build strengths, and work toward personal goals. However, a big challenge of therapy is translating helpful ideas and strategies from sessions into real-world situations. It is therefore important […]

Self-soothing is an emotional regulation strategy used to regain equilibrium after an upsetting event. Most of us are familiar with soothing others when they are upset or afraid, especially if we have children. However, when we are triggered as adults, it’s difficult to regulate potentially disruptive emotions like anger, fear, and sadness, especially in a

Anxiety is part of our brain’s hardwired threat response, which has helped humans survive for thousands of years. We have all experienced anxiety at some point, whether it’s hearing a bump in the night or preparing for an exam. However, over-activation of the anxiety response can have a debilitating impact, and anxiety difficulties are one

Trauma is part of life and will be faced by all of us at some point. While it will lead to prolonged distress for some, others will return from the ordeal stronger in mind and spirit, having met the challenge and returned to purposeful lives (Southwick & Charney, 2018). While it is neither realistic nor

Through adversity, we acquire skills, abilities, and attributes that enable us to not just survive, but ultimately, thrive. French psychiatrist Pierre Janet said: “Every life is a piece of art, put together with all means available.” Van Der Kolk, 2014, p. 112 When I think of Janet’s statement, I envision a colorful and intricate life

Behavior change is recognized by politicians, scientists, and therapists worldwide as crucial to solving individual and social problems. The development of effective behavioral solutions to tackle chronic health conditions, mental health problems, financial difficulty, and criminal behavior has impacted fields as diverse as medicine and health, policing, and education (Hagger, Cameron, Hamilton, Hankonen, & Lintunen,

Guided meditation is a great starting point for those new to meditation and a great way to refresh your practice if you are a seasoned meditator facing inner obstacles to meditation. Even the most experienced meditators experience obstacles, such as excessive internal chatter, dozing off, or restlessness, on occasion. All meditators benefit from fresh guidance

Visualization is a component of many meditation practices, including loving-kindness meditation (or metta) and the other three Brahma Viharas of compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity (Fronsdal, n.d.), often collectively known as the Four Immeasurables. Some types of meditation focus primarily on visualization and guided imagery to cultivate certain psychological states. This article explains how visualization

Each grief experience is unique, yet we share the need to have it witnessed without someone attempting to lessen it or find ways to reframe it (Brown, 2021). While grief is typically acute during the early stages of loss, complicated grief is persistent, characterized by a long-lasting preoccupation with the departed. This is where therapy

Every day, millions of people are affected by the loss of a loved one. They remember the precise time, location, and what they were doing when they heard the news and its devastating impact. While commonplace, we may feel ill equipped to manage our grief and not ready to accept its impact on our lives.