This past weekend, I decided to be still. For the last many years, I have found myself consumed in busyness. I have a full-time psychotherapy practice. I write and present professional development trainings. I’ve written three books, and promote them through social media posts and…
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…
This Valentine’s Day I have two ghosts in my house. One living and one dead. The one who is dead is Laurence Freedom, my partner and fiancé who died six years ago of a sudden heart attack. The one who is living is the first…
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…