Ultimately, coming together with a diverse group of people means you will inevitably encounter different view points. Try to be mindful of this when deciding on appropriate topics for discussion.

In real life, we all want relationships that go both ways. This means, a truly mutually beneficial relationship will take into consideration the needs and wants of both parties. And the support will be balanced with give and take. This is an ideal scenario, however, it is not always the case. In fact, many relationships go on with an imbalance for years.

Emotionally abusive relationship patterns are truly damaging to your core sense of self, safety, vulnerability and trust. They damage you from the inside out, and this means learning to recognize and undo a world of self-blame, shame, and mistrust of your own feelings. When you have been continuously labeled as “bad,” “wrong,” “ungrateful” or otherwise inferior, it takes a strong sense of inner-knowing to counteract these labels and begin to extricate them from who you truly are.

Family life can be complex, and sometimes the dynamics within a family can become strained. Whether it’s ongoing conflicts, major life changes, or simple communication breakdowns, recognizing the signs that your family could benefit from therapy is crucial.

As summer winds down and the new school year approaches, many families in El Dorado Hills, CA, face a range of emotions and challenges. For children, transitioning from the freedom of summer to the structure of the school year can be both exciting and daunting. As a child therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how these back-to-school feelings can impact children and their families. Understanding how to support your child through this transition can make a significant difference in their adjustment and overall well-being.

Children experience a wide range of emotions just like adults but often lack the vocabulary or understanding to express them effectively. Child therapy provides a safe space for children to explore their emotions and learn healthy ways to communicate and cope with them. With the guidance of a trained therapist, children can learn to identify triggers, develop positive self-talk, and build resilience.

The kids are off to school, backpacks in tow, lunches packed, smiles on their angelic little faces. Except, your child has grown accustomed to hours of play and unstructured time, your teen has morphed into a media monster, and your young adult is growing cold feet about their long-coveted independence. Back to school is not always a straight-forward process. In fact, it can take weeks for kids to readjust to the routine, get on track with their sleeping habits, and rebuild the discipline to sit in a classroom for hours on end and come home eager to complete their assigned homework and projects.

Sometimes friendships hold certain expectations. That friends should…. (fill in the blank). But what if we allow our friendships to just be, and accept them as they are? Every friendship is unique because of the personality combination involved. Just as no two people are exactly alike (boring!), each friendship comes with its own unique set of benefits and struggles.

The Buddhist principle of non-attachment stems from a philosophy or principle of not attaching too much meaning to material possessions, our thoughts and emotions, and relationships with others.

The people who struggle with traits and tendencies of narcissism the most have the hardest time recognizing that they themselves could be narcissistic. The problem lies in the high defenses that shield them from having a realistic view of their true selves. Instead, they manifest an inflated ego, or false self, which becomes an idealized version that masks the true self, hidden beneath the surface. And since people with narcissistic traits often believe they are “only good,” this is where the split happens. They see others as “only bad,” projecting their distortions onto others and the other thereby becomes the so-called “Narcissist.”

Ghosting is a power and control tactic that rebalances the autonomy in a relationship. Someone “ghosts” another person and suddenly they feel they have more freedom, room to breathe, and boundaries where they are not needing to respond to another person’s request at any given moment. There can be both benefits and also harmful impacts of ghosting.

Perhaps loving ourselves is the answer to everything. It is the cure for loneliness, for depression, for crippling anxiety. You see, if we love ourselves, we take our power back with our sense of compassion for ourselves. We are no longer at the mercy of an equally loved and feared Hallmark holiday. We are simply free to be who we are, and to love ourselves the way we are, unconditionally.

Many individuals are starting to recognize that they want healthier, full-filling, and less draining relationships. Classic or more traditional ways of relating are sometimes filled with a sense of obligation, guilt, or even dread. When the freedom of choice feels like it has been stripped away, people are often left feeling drained and emotionally burdened. The issue is, if we take care of ourselves, and set better boundaries in our relationships, they will feel more rewarding and less obligatory.

If we focus on goals and changes that we can manifest internally, we will create much longer lasting and sustainable change that will have a ripple effect on our lifestyle and habits. We can begin to feel better about ourselves by choosing intentions that are truly meaningful, and those intentions create an internal sense of purpose and value.

The Wizard of Oz is a classic tale of growing up, gaining independence, and finding your True Self. Dorothy is a young orphan, growing up on a farm where she feels out of place, unrecognized and misunderstood.

Sometimes we need to simply allow ourselves to “be.” What happens if we don’t try to change anything, we don’t try so hard to stay in control, and we just let ourselves sit with what is happening in the moment. Just to be present and process whatever is unfolding around us. To notice it, as if from a distance. Disengaged, unhooked, unreactionary. Just notice, and calmly take it in. What will happen then?

How do our ego defenses serve us? We all have them. But do they actually serve a purpose, or do they get in the way?

Barbie discovers that it is not so bad to be grounded in reality. That there is a wonderful aspect to the dark thoughts of the death, and the existential fears that every human eventually has to face. She may no longer be invincible or “perfect” but she is more real, more genuine, and more adaptable than she has ever been.

I often view emotional immaturity as existing on a spectrum or continuum. Very few people are full blown narcissistic or borderline personalities. Most people exist somewhere in between, in the shades of grey.

If we don’t expose our vulnerable core, we risk being rejected on the basis of appearing disingenuous or incongruent. Vulnerability in authentic expression is a risk, and one that not everyone feels they can handle. But if we push ourselves to share, to connect, and to grow in truthful communication with others, we can fulfill our desires for stronger, closer, and more intimate connections with the valuable people in our lives.