Early childhood experiences are foundational to emotional, psychological, and social development. When a child faces trauma, experiences deep shame, or suffers from poor attachment to caregivers, the effects can ripple throughout their entire life, influencing their mental health, relationships, and overall well-being. One of the…

The holiday season is often bittersweet. We long for the perfect family picture. Pies. Laughter. Hugs. The sparkle of lights. The closeness of family. Yet, underneath there may be a longing, or a sense of discomfort that’s hard to identify. Susan Cain describes bittersweetness in…

I watched the evening news tonight and saw a nine-year-old boy and his mother fleeing Ukraine. His father was staying to defend their country. The little boy told the reporter that Putin is a monster. I looked at this little boy’s face and his mother’s…

Today marks the second anniversary of my dear friend Sue’s transition. As young stay-at-home moms in the 1980s, Sue and I met at The Mothers’ Center Group in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We found this program at a time when a large percentage of mothers were…

It can be difficult to witness the people we love in emotional pain. Oftentimes we try to fix it. Make it better. Talk them out of it. What if we instead stopped talking, and starting walking through the pain with them? Emotions come up for…

  Broken Bones and Broken Hearts Patti Ashley, PhD January 29, 2021 Several years ago I broke my elbow. For almost three months my arm was stuck in a perpendicular angle resting perfectly in a sling. The doctor said it would take three months before…