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building self-esteem Good habits Individual Counseling

Start a New Habit by Changing Your Environment

Many of us try to start a new habit for New’s Year’s resolutions. We resolve to exercise more, eat right, lose weight, and so on. Right about now is when most people abandon them. I’m probably one of the only successful people who have kept their resolution for years. About 25 years ago I made […]

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building self-esteem Good habits Individual Counseling social anxiety

Big Changes Start Small: The Scaling Question

Big changes start small. This is what I learned from behavioral theory. There is a lot of overlap between effective behavioral change and Solution Focused Brief Therapy.  Steve deShazer, co-creator of SFBT said he doesn’t know why SFBT works, he just knows it does.  After studying work about behaviorism and developing habits, I put together […]

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Individual Counseling Uncategorized

Realtors Should Know Therapists: 4 Reasons Why

A big reason many people sell and buy houses is divorce.  This can be beneficial if you’re a realtor, but you’re dealing with clients in distress.  People going through divorce are going through a lot of stress and emotional upheaval, especially when children are involved.  There are good reasons why realtors should know therapists to […]

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building self-esteem communication Individual Counseling Parenting Relationships

Getting Respect From Others

Getting Respect from others is something everybody strives for.  We want to be respected for what we bring to the table. Or we at least want to be treated with respect and courtesy.  You have to give in order to receive, but what do you do if you don’t get respect in return. People Engage […]

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anxiety Children friends Individual Counseling making friends social anxiety Teenagers

Children and Teenagers with Social Anxiety

Children and teenagers with social anxiety is a common occurrence.  It often shows up in early adolescence where kids have difficulty making friends, making connections and developing a satisfactory social life.  We generally describe these kids as shy but the problem can become more pervasive and problematic for many kids. Few things are more painful […]

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anxiety building self-esteem Children Individual Counseling

Managing Teenage Anxiety

Does your child have teenage anxiety?  If so, they are not alone.  Even before COVID 19 happened to us, lots of kids had anxiety.   How do you know if your child has anxiety?  There are a few signs that are common to teenage anxiety that I have seen in my counseling practice.  This can […]

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building self-esteem communication Individual Counseling Teenagers Uncategorized

Counseling for Anxiety Using SFBT

Counseling for Anxiety is one of the main things that therapists provide. So the good news is that if you have anxiety, you’re in good company. There are many different strategies that help with anxiety. Below, I will discuss one of the strategies. Anxiety as a Mental Construct Anxiety often comes about because of our […]

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Good habits Individual Counseling Uncategorized

New Healthy Habits and Keep Them

We all have tried to start new healthy habits such as exercising more and many of us have trouble sticking to it. We start off well and then run out of steam. Here is one strategy for making it stick. First start out small. Don’t plan on suddenly working out for an hour a day, […]

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building self-esteem Children Individual Counseling Teenagers

Self-Confidence from Competence

I counsel a lot of teenagers and young adults who suffer from low self-confidence. One thing that sometimes happens is they find themselves staying in relationships that aren’t working because they allow their self-worth to be dictated by being in a relationship, or by being valued by their friends, rather than valuing themselves independently for […]

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Individual Counseling Relationships

Self-Esteem and Why I Hate This Sign

Building legitimate self-esteem takes time and effort and this sign is basically a lie. It’s what I call “blowing sunshine”. You’re not important, special, amazing, or extraordinary merely by walking into a room. No more than you are a professional athlete merely by walking into a gym. The good news is that you CAN be […]