Psychodynamic Therapy: An Overview
Perhaps one of the most well-known types of therapy, psychodynamic therapy is a therapeutic approach based on the psychoanalytic theory. It aims to help patients address mental health issues by exploring their thoughts and feelings. When you hear the word “therapy,” this is probably what you imagine. That’s because it’s the predominant therapy modality featured…
What Does Depression Feel Like?
Depression is a serious condition that may impact nearly every aspect of the day-to-day life of a sufferer. It can cause the individual to experience severe hopelessness and sadness for months at a time. Contrary to popular belief, depression is about more than just feeling unhappy; it can be a devastating condition that must be…
What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a rapidly growing form of psychotherapy. Created in the 1980s by Stephen Hayes, it is considered one of the “third wave” psychotherapies, which include dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and schema therapy. It is an offshoot of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and relational frame theory (RFT). In ACT, you want to get…
What Emotional Codependency Really Looks Like in Relationships With Addicts
Emotional codependency in relationships with addicts can deeply affect both partners. The addict often becomes the focal point of the relationship, while the codependent partner sacrifices their well-being to manage the addict’s behavior. Over time, this creates an unhealthy dynamic where one person struggles with self-worth and the other continues their destructive habits. The codependent…
How Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Are Expanding Access to Mental Health Care in Underserved Communities
The United States faces a significant mental health crisis, marked by a growing demand for services that outpaces the availability of qualified professionals. This gap is particularly acute in underserved communities—including rural areas, low-income urban neighborhoods, and regions with large minority populations—where barriers like geographic distance, cost, provider shortages, and stigma create formidable obstacles to…
The Critical Role of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners in Modern Mental Health Treatment Plans
The landscape of mental healthcare is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by increased awareness, burgeoning demand, and persistent challenges in access to care. Amidst this evolution, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs), often referred to as Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs), have emerged as indispensable providers, playing a critical role in shaping and delivering modern mental…
What You’ll Learn in an Online Master’s in Counseling Program
The decision to become a professional counselor often stems from a deep desire to help others navigate life’s challenges and promote growth and mental well-being. A Master’s in Counseling program offers unprecedented flexibility and accessibility without compromising the quality and depth of education required for this demanding yet rewarding profession. But what exactly does such…
How Earning an MSW Online Can Help You Support Mental Health in Your Community
For those passionate about making a tangible difference, pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) provides the advanced knowledge, clinical skills, and ethical grounding necessary to become effective mental health advocates and practitioners within their own communities. The Expanding Role of Social Workers in Mental Health Care Social workers are uniquely positioned within the healthcare…
Fast-Tracking Your Mental Health Career: The Advantages of Advanced Standing MSW Programs
An MSW (Master of Social Work) is a graduate degree that allows someone to practice as a social worker. Typically, getting an MSW takes 2 years of full-time study. However, many schools offer Advanced Standing MSW programs that allow students with a BSW (Bachelor of Social Work) to complete their MSW in just 1 year….
Selective Memory: An Overview
Selective memory is a person’s tendency to remember certain pieces of information while forgetting others, often leading them to forget things like everyday tasks or events. The term is often used in the punch line of jokes, like when a spouse gets upset with their partner about forgetting to take out the trash. They might…
Can Sexual Frustration Lead to Depression?
Whether you’re single, in a relationship, married, divorced, or widowed, sex is a vital aspect of life. Any dysfunction that occurs in this area is bound to cause disappointment and frustration. Although the frustration that results from a lack of sexual activity can lead to depressive symptoms, the link between sexual frustration and depression is a…
What Is Submechanophobia?
Submechanophobia is the fear of man-made objects that are submerged underwater. People experiencing this condition are typically afraid of things like buoys, submarines, sunken ships, and other objects that sink into the ocean. Submechanophobia is among the many conditions classified under specific phobias, fears that are irrational, overwhelming, and accompanied by symptoms of severe anxiety…
What Is Somnophilia?
Somnophilia is a condition in which one experiences sexual arousal in response to a sleeping or unconscious person. It is a type of paraphilia: a sexual interest in uncommon objects, people, or situations. The name is derived from the Latin word “somnus,” meaning sleep, and the Greek word “philia,” meaning love. It is also known…
The 8 Types of Love: What Can They Teach Us Today?
The concept of love is intricate and multifaceted. It manifests in diverse forms and relationships throughout our lives. Love can lead us to commit to and build a life with a partner, cherishing them deeply. It can evoke an unconditional, wholehearted affection towards our children. Love can also be directed towards our parents or best…
Sons of Narcissistic Mothers: Do They Become Narcissistic Themselves?
Children of narcissistic mothers can be at a higher risk of becoming narcissists themselves. While all children raised by narcissistic mothers tend to be deeply shaped by their mother’s condition, the trauma and abuse experienced by sons typically differs from that of daughters (Green et al., 2020). Below, we’ll explore the potential risks, including various…
Therapy Treatments for Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety, when severe, can be highly debilitating. Even for those who experience mild symptoms of an anxiety disorder, the effects can interfere with their daily functioning and place a burden on themselves and those who care for them. Whether it is generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, or panic disorder, it can disrupt your life physically, mentally,…
Physical Therapy’s Role in Mental Wellness Shown Through Progress in DPT Programs
Physical therapists do much more than treat injuries and pain. These skilled professionals help people of every age group – from babies to seniors – stay active, avoid surgeries, and boost their mental health. The numbers tell a clear story about physical therapy’s impact. DPT degree programs dedicate 77% of training to classroom learning, while…
How Learning Math Improves Cognitive Function and Mental Resilience
Mathematics is a subject that either sparks enthusiasm or induces dread. It’s not just about the calculations; there’s a richer significance, brain training time. Solving equations isn’t the only benefit of math. It strengthens your mind, making you more resilient to challenges. Problem-solving, adapting, and thinking logically are becoming more important. Math helps you be…
Digital Detox: How Taking Breaks from Your Phone Can Improve Mental Health
Ding. A notification. Another one. Your phone lights up—again. Without thinking, your hand reaches for it, your eyes scan the screen, and suddenly, minutes (or hours) vanish. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. On average, people check their phones 96 times a day—that’s once every ten minutes (Asurion, 2019). And while smartphones connect us, they also…
What is Intimacy Therapy? An Overview
For a couple to seek out a fulfilling sex life and build a strong intimate relationship is natural and healthy. After all, the frequency at which couples have sex is associated with happiness, as physical and emotional intimacy are essential parts of well-being. That said, there’s more to having a satisfying intimate life with your…
Dating Someone With Depression: 23 Tips From a Therapist
Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 8.3% of people in the United States have experienced at least one episode of major depressive disorder in the past year (2021 NSDUH Annual National Report, n.d.). Depression affects individuals in a variety…
How to Identify a Covert Narcissist
Narcissists are typically associated with the more commonly known behaviors they exhibit such as arrogance, grandiosity, lack of empathy, entitlement, manipulation, and more. While these are definitely traits of someone who might be characterized as having a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), researchers have found that people can have a more internal presentation and continue to meet…
44 Positive Affirmations for Depression to Inspire Change
Have you ever given yourself a pep talk? You may not have realized it, but you were practicing a form of positive affirmation. Coping with depression can be discouraging and debilitating. By vocalizing positive messages of encouragement to yourself, you can improve your mood and inspire motivation internally, leading toward positive change. Affirmations are a…
Teen Depression: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
The teenage years are a tumultuous developmental period when adolescents are making that big push toward independence. Hormones are raging and they’re at that awkward place between childhood and adulthood. The physical and psychological shifts result in mood swings, and changes in behavior, and often involve conflicts with others as they struggle to find their…
What Is Engaged Listening?
When engaged in conversation, most of us focus on our own thoughts and what we will say next. This habit is actually quite distracting and gets in the way of better understanding what others are communicating. Improving in this area entails engaged listening, which refers to paying close attention to what others are saying and…
The Myers-Briggs Personality Test: An Overview
Personality has always been a hot topic for psychologists and mental health professionals who wanted to shed light on the human mind’s vast complexity. When Psychoanalyst Carl Jung developed his theories on the subject, they were considered groundbreaking and paved the way for the creation of one of the most popular personality assessment tools, the Myers-Briggs…
What to Expect from Couples Therapy
In the early months of a relationship, it can seem like nothing can go wrong. Why wouldn’t you both be head over heels for each other forever? No matter what comes up, there’s nothing you can’t get through, right? While that may indeed be true at that moment, that head-over-heels part isn’t meant to last…
7 Ways to Help Someone You’ve Hurt
When you’re in a relationship with someone, you will hurt your partner at some point. You will also be hurt by your partner at some point. Whether intentional or not, it’s hard and painful when one partner hurts the other. When you’re the one who hurt your partner, it’s a tough spot to be in….
The Grey Rock Method: A Guide to Emotional Protection
The grey rock method is a technique in which an individual becomes emotionally non-responsive, boring, and virtually acts like a grey rock; bland, uninteresting, and unworthy of attention. This emotional detachment strategy undermines a manipulative person’s attempts to lure and control, causing them to lose interest and grow bored. This strategy is most commonly applied…
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an interactive psychotherapy technique used to help alleviate trauma-related distress by encouraging patients to focus on past traumatic memories while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (usually eye movements). The goal of this treatment is a reduction in the vividness and emotional pain associated with these memories. There are multiple…
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
Dialectical behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy that focuses on mindfulness and acceptance. In addition to identifying and challenging irrational thinking patterns, DBT encourages patients to accept themselves and their reality and focus on the present moment. DBT was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Marsha Linehan….
What Is Crippling Depression?
Millions of people are diagnosed with depression every year. Depression has a range of different presentations, which are often categorized by severity and symptoms. Crippling depression is a term used to describe a type of depression that is characterized by depressive symptoms that are so severe they limit the person’s ability to function normally and…
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a hands-on treatment that helps people understand that their thoughts are directly connected to how they feel, and how they feel is directly connected to their behavior. Recognizing this can help a person realize that if they can change their automatic thoughts in negative situations (using a variety of tips,…
Social Media and the Holidays: How to Keep a Healthy Perspective
The holiday season is overwhelming on social media. Your Instagram or Facebook feed is probably filled with perfect photos of happy family times, big gifts, and beautifully decorated homes. But don’t be fooled – what you see online isn’t always the whole story. Just because someone is posting perfect holiday moments doesn’t mean they’re having…
How to Cope With Grief During the Holidays
Grief is a complicated thing. Just when you think you have a handle on it, it pops up to rear its ugly head. And, as if that isn’t hard enough, the littlest and most unexpected things can trigger it. A distinct smell, a savory taste, or the notes to a beloved song can instantly bring…
How to Cope With Nighttime Depression
Depressive symptoms can sneak up on us and attack when we least expect it. Sometimes life events are the root cause but sometimes there is no clear reason. Common symptoms of major depression disorder (MDD) include feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in usual activities. Many who suffer from depression can function adequately…
Grounding Techniques for Coping With Anxiety
If you are having a difficult time managing the symptoms of your anxiety, you are not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems today. People experience various types of anxiety ranging from mild to severely debilitating. Anxiety is associated with many different intense emotional states. It can be difficult to focus…
8 Tips For Saving a Failing Relationship
If you’ve been involved in romantic relationships that have come to an end, you are likely familiar with that feeling you get when you realize things are going south. Maybe you and your partner spent time trying to fix the relationship to no avail. It’s difficult and even painful to watch your relationship struggle and…
What Is Spectrophobia?
Spectrophobia refers to the fear of mirrors. This fear is not limited just to the mirrors themselves, but what people see reflected back at them. Spectrophobia is classified as a specific phobia, a category of anxiety disorders in which people experience irrational fear in response to certain objects and situations. Many times, this fear can…
How Do You Know if You Have a Damaged Vagus Nerve?
The vagus nerve connects the brain to almost every major internal organ. It plays an important role in regulating physical and emotional health. This system supports the body to regulate stress responses, such as heart rate, sleep quality, and digestion. Damage to the vagus nerve can interrupt or alter these processes, causing negative health symptoms….
What Is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychological response to a traumatic event. Those suffering from this condition experience disturbing thoughts and feelings about their trauma long after it has passed. A common condition treated by mental health professionals, PTSD can interfere with a person’s daily functioning at work and home. What Causes PTSD? Even…
Dealing With an Overbearing Mother
As an adult, dealing with an overbearing mother can feel like an impossible challenge. If you are reading this, you may be familiar with exactly what that means. She doesn’t approve of your significant other or your friends. She comments on everything from your hairstyle to your weight. She constantly adds her two cents about…
Semantic Memory: What is it and Why is it Important?
Scientists have been studying how human memory works for years to figure out how memories are stored short and long-term and what the functions and purpose of memory storage are. When we think of memory we think of how our own experiences in life get stored in our brains and how those memories of the…
Fluid Versus Crystallized Intelligence
Intelligence is one of the most talked-about subjects in psychology. What comes to mind when you think of intelligence? Is it the accumulation of facts? Or, the ability to solve complex puzzles? Intelligence is more complicated than that. There are two main types of intelligence: crystallized and fluid. In the 1940s, psychologist Raymond B. Cattell…
What Is Genetic Sexual Attraction?
Genetic sexual attraction (GSA) refers to the notion that a powerful sexual attraction can develop between blood relatives that initially meet as adults. This type of reunion could result from family members who were separated by adoption, or immigration, or who were conceived via sperm or egg donation. Background Often, adoptees encounter their birth parents…
Depression and Anxiety Chat Rooms: An Overview
If you have experienced depression or anxiety at any time during your life, you know that it can be hard to manage alone. The symptoms can make it hard to function in your everyday life to such a degree that even getting out of bed can prove to be a difficult task, much less going…
The Benefits of a Long-Distance Relationship
We’re told that getting into a long-distance relationship is a bad idea. But research says that may not be true anymore. It’s reported that 75% of college students in relationships and 3 million adult couples live apart from their partners (Long-distance Relationships Can Form Stronger Bonds Than Face-to-face Ones, 2013b). People in long-distance relationships have…
What Is Trypophobia? Definitions, Signs, and Treatments
Trypophobia is disgust or fear of small holes or bumps, such as the holes in sliced bread, a cheese grater, strawberry seeds, honeycombs, skin problems, spotted animals, showerheads, and even some flowers. The origin of the name comes from the Greek word “trypa,” which means “hole” or “drilling.” Despite its fairly common occurrence, the American…
Is Online Premarital Counseling Effective?
Ask any married couple and they will tell you that marriage is hard work. Even the happiest couples have arguments and struggle every once in a while. But the joys that come from a loving partnership make the extra effort and compromises all worthwhile. Many couples find that premarital counseling is a beneficial and positive…
Eating Disorders: An Overview
Eating disorders are a type of illness characterized by a severe disturbance in eating behaviors and thoughts and emotions related to food and eating. People with eating disorders typically become preoccupied with food and their body weight. They also tend to experience distortions in body image. Eating disorders affect people of all ages and social…
Sociopath vs. Psychopath: Understanding the Difference
People often use the terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” interchangeably as if they both mean the same thing, when in fact, they do not. The two terms are typically used to refer to people who have antisocial personality disorder. Clinically speaking, there is currently no classification of sociopathy or psychopathy listed in the most recent edition of the…
Is Mental Illness Genetic?
Nearly one in five American adults will experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime. This includes all levels of severity, from mild to serious mental illnesses. While the US is among the countries with the highest rates of reported mental health disorders, it is by no means an outlier, as roughly 10% of the…
How to Foster Better Self-Awareness: 3 Tips
Self-awareness entails seeing yourself honestly and becoming aware of your behaviors, traits, and feelings, including both your strengths and flaws. Developing self-awareness has been found to improve self-control, creative abilities, self-esteem, and an understanding of other people’s perspectives.[1] I’ve found three core strategies to be effective in nurturing the capacity for self-awareness and improving overall…
How to Cope With a Midlife Crisis?
A midlife crisis is a period in a person’s life, typically sometime between ages 40 to 60 when they evaluate the choices they have made during their lives and experience anxiety resulting from thoughts about their mortality. Feeling confronted by end-of-life concerns, regret over missed opportunities, questioning self-doubt, and contemplating the way forward are all…
Are Hot Flashes in Men Anxiety-Related?
You’re a generally healthy man. But then one day, all of a sudden, you feel as if your skin is on fire. You’re sweating as if it’s 100 degrees, and you can feel your skin reddening. Your first thought might be that you’re experiencing hot flashes, commonly associated with women going through menopause. But is…
What is Regression in Psychology?
In the context of psychology, regression refers to an unconscious, emotional defense mechanism where an individual’s personality reverts to an earlier point of development. An example would be if a person were to display behaviors from childhood when confronted with threatening or objectionable situations. Individuals engaging in such behavior can be said to be regressing to previous…
How to Bring Romance Back Into Your Marriage
Marriage can be difficult, and many couples experience moments where they feel less connected, less intimate, and less engaged in the romance and passion they experienced when the relationship began. This is a normal part of a relationship and is not something to worry about or fear; it is a result of seeping into the…
How to Cope With Parental Anxiety
Parents have much to worry about, the health and well-being of their family, finances, and much more. While worry and stress are common feelings from time to time, some people experience these emotions intensely, with little or no respite. If you find yourself worrying excessively, to the point that it interferes with your daily functioning,…
How to Spot Emotionally Unavailable Partners
Entering a new relationship can be both thrilling and scary at the same. The possibility that things will progress and evolve into a long-term commitment may excite you, but it’s hard to ignore the risk that you may end up getting hurt. One common fear in new relationships is that your new partner is emotionally…
How to Stop Panic Attacks: 7 Helpful Tips
For those who suffer from panic attacks, the onset of symptoms is undeniable. They often seem to come out of nowhere and mimic medical emergencies such as a heart attack. The pressure and mounting stress set off a chain of unpleasant events in the body leading to a panic attack. Why Panic Attacks Happen Panic…
What is Stendhal Syndrome?
The condition of experiencing rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion, or even hallucinations when encountering artwork or objects of great beauty is known as Stendhal syndrome, a rarely documented psychological condition first identified back in 1817. While many mental health professionals are skeptical about the true nature of this condition, people have reported experiencing it for…
Are Children With ADHD More Likely to Lie?
Fibs, white lies, or straight-up whoppers, call them what you want, but at one time or another, parents may catch their kids in a lie. Sometime around the age of three, children discover that conjuring up tales can impress their friends, get them what they want, or keep them out of trouble. Older children may…
How Does Trauma Therapy Work?
Trauma therapy refers to the various psychotherapy treatments for helping individuals manage the intense emotional response triggered by experiences of extreme fear, stress, or danger. Such responses can include irritability, guilt, shame, flashbacks, emotional distress, difficulty sleeping, and many more. For those who have experienced trauma, support groups and counseling, such as trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, are…
An Overview of How PTSD Service Dogs Can Help
Post-traumatic stress disorder may result from a single encounter with trauma or from a series of traumatic episodes. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can greatly impact a person’s quality of life and ability to function. Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, and avoidance of triggering memories. Other symptoms may include agitation, irritability, anxiety, or isolating behaviors. Specially trained…
How to Deal With Enochlophobia (Fear of Crowds)
Enochlophobia is the fear of crowds and crowded places. It is categorized as a specific phobia, an intense, excessive, and irrational fear of certain objects and situations that are not actually harmful. The anxiety experienced as a result of this phobia can be unbearable enough to make you resort to avoidance behaviors. On the one…
What Is a Serial Monogamist?
Serial monogamy is a term used to refer to people who follow a pattern of frequently entering committed relationships for short periods (generally a few months). Then, after a breakup, they quickly enter into another committed relationship. The serial monogamist is not ‘cheating’ on their partners but rather jumping from one relationship to another. Relationships…
How Is Anxiety Linked to Appetite Loss?
Fight-or-flight mode is our body’s natural response when we’re in jeopardy. It helps people cope in dire situations and causes various changes in the body including reduced appetite. Sometimes anxiety can cause you to enter fight-or-flight mode, leading your body to respond as it does to danger. Prolonged anxiety often causes changes in appetite and…
20 Things Not to Say to Someone With PTSD
Imagine you are the survivor of a horrible car crash. One day, while you’re walking down the street, you hear a car horn followed by a screeching noise. Before you get a chance to look around and figure out what happened, you feel a sudden rush of adrenaline. Fear paralyzes you from head to toe,…
Signs of a Female Psychopath
People tend to associate the term “psychopath” with an evil criminal or serial killer. We have books, television, and movies to thank for that distorted perception. In reality, though, a psychopath is not necessarily evil. Psychopathy typically refers to those with antisocial personality disorder, a condition in which one exhibits signs of manipulative and anti-social…
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is an integrative or complementary treatment that is used in the treatment of a variety of mental health conditions. This science-backed treatment can help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance the overall quality of life of patients. Practitioners of music therapy are called music therapists, using specific evidence-based interventions to help clients meet…
8 Simple Ways to Lower Your Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is a stress hormone in the human body that is released by the adrenal glands and helps the body manage stressful situations. The brain initiates the release of cortisol to mitigate stressors. Cortisol regulates sleep, controls blood pressure, decreases inflammation, and handles the way that the body uses nutrients. When cortisol levels are elevated for…
Is Skype Secure for Online Therapy Sessions?
One of the most common video conferencing platforms used for online therapy is Skype. While it’s among the oldest and most popular communication tools on the Internet, it’s wise to explore how Skype handles your personal information and what security measures are taken to protect your sensitive data. Are Skype Therapy Sessions Secure? The short…