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Do you find yourself drawn to unavailable partners or feeling anxious when relationships begin to deepen? Do you struggle to trust others or feel unsettled when someone gets emotionally close? These patterns may be signs you have attachment issues, emotional patterns that often begin in early childhood and continue shaping how you connect with others as an adult. Many people carry attachment patterns without realizing it. They repeat relationship dynamics that leave them feel

There’s something about the arrival of fall that can make us feel like we’re supposed to do something with it. We’re surrounded by pumpkin patches, cozy gatherings, fall bucket lists, weekend trips, seasonal recipes, family activities, and beautiful reminders to “make the most of the season.” I personally think this is especially true because the novelty of back-to-school has worn off, Christmas/Holiday season is still a bit away. We need to focus on something, and if you're

Ah, yes. It's Sunday afternoon. You've just returned home from church, brunch, the farmer's market, or wherever your Sunday has taken you. You're hanging out with your family, catching up on laundry, and then. Suddenly. "Out of nowhere", it starts. The dread. Remembering the emails you didn't answer on Friday. Mentally reviewing your schedule for the week. Wishing for another day or two or three of weekend (or retirement). Sound familiar? You're not alone. You may be experi

Have you ever looked at your to-do list and thought, "I should be able to do this"? Maybe you have deadlines you're avoiding, emails you can't bring yourself to answer, laundry that's been sitting in the dryer for three days, or a project you've been thinking about for weeks but haven't started. You know what needs to be done. You may even care deeply about getting it done. So why does it feel so difficult? And why, when you're struggling to get started, does your brain immed

My Teen Won’t Talk to Me: What Parents Can Do and When Therapy May Help “My teen won’t talk to me.” It’s a concern we hear from many parents. Maybe your child used to tell you everything, and now you’re lucky to get a one-word answer. Maybe “How was your day?” is met with “Fine,” and every attempt at conversation seems to end with a slammed bedroom door. It can be frustrating. It can be hurtful. And, perhaps most importantly, it can be scary. You may find yourself wondering:

You don't have to wait for a crisis to try therapy. Individual therapy is a fancy way of saying "therapy by yourself." It essentially means the therapy is focused on you, and not you and your spouse/partner, you and your child, or you and your family. It is the most common type of therapy. Certainly, aspects of your relationships with other people will be discussed in therapy (we are humans and humans are designed for connection!), but the main focus is you and, well, what

Yes. Yes you do. That's it. That's the blog. .... Okay, I'm kidding. But I mean, we are a therapy practice, and genuinely believe that pretty much everyone could benefit from having an unbiased person to talk to. But okay, okay not why you clicked on the blog I supposeeee, so here's the real post: You might have asked yourself this question more than once. Maybe things are difficult, but you’re still functioning. You’re going to work, taking care of your responsibilities, sho

If anxiety has started affecting your sleep, relationships, work, school, or ability to enjoy everyday life, you may have reached the point where you're considering therapy. But finding a therapist can feel overwhelming in itself. There are psychologists, licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other mental health professionals. Then there are different therapy approaches, specialties, insurance plans, appointment formats

You know the feeling. You’ve made it through the day. You finally crawl into bed, pull the blankets up, close your eyes… …and suddenly your brain says, “Excellent. Now that we have nothing else to do, let’s review every awkward thing you’ve said since 2007.” And then... you don't sleep. If nighttime is when your worries seem to get louder, you’re not alone. For many people, the quiet of bedtime creates the perfect opportunity for anxiety, overthinking, and “what if?” thoughts

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (or GAD) is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable worry about various aspects of daily life. Unlike other anxiety disorders, which can be triggered by specific events or situations, GAD involves persistent and often irrational worry that can disrupt one’s daily functioning. About 5% of people experience GAD in their lifetime, with about 3% in any given year. How Does GAD Manifest in Everyday Life? 1. Persistent Worrying Individuals with GAD

Social media is not a neutral space. It shapes how we think, how we see ourselves, and how we interpret the world around us. It can be positive, but also contribute to emotional distress.

You've almost certainly heard the term "dissociation" - while it's real and common experience, it's also one of the new "pop psych" terms to use. And you definitely almost certainly experienced "zoning out". They seem very similar. So what's the difference? Let's Dive in: Zoning out vs dissociation is really a question about where you land on one long spectrum of the mind stepping back from the present, from the harmless daydream on one end to a deeper protective disconnecti

I recently published THIS post on facebook. It went viral! (Well as viral as a CCTS post is gonna get). People LOVED it, and it makes sense - who doesn't want to support students? Anyway, I took local high school mascots and turned it into what we can learn from that Mascot about mental health. Disclaimer: there are 500 public school districts in Pennsylvania. I'm so sorry I can't cover every one of them! I want to, I promise. But I can't. The School districts covered here

Mental health treatment depends on something extraordinarily important: trust. When someone enters therapy, they are often sharing the most private and vulnerable parts of their life with another human being. The therapist has specialized training, professional authority, and an ethical responsibility to put the client's welfare ahead of the therapist's personal needs. That power imbalance is one reason professional boundaries matter so much. This article reviews a few princi

Being a human means that at some point, you're going to deal with grief. It's one of those guarantees, there's no escaping grief. Even young children can empathize with the grief experience: losing a pet, a grandparent, or witnessing loss in a movie. Grief is universal - it does not care about your race, your ethnicity, your religion, your income, or anything else. All humans grief at loss. Ambiguous grief is more challenging to understand - there's still loss, but it's less

It's almost that time again. A successful school year isn't just about grades. The backpacks are coming out. School supply lists are being checked off. Bedtimes are getting earlier (or at least we're trying 😂), and families everywhere are preparing for another school year. And while it's easy to get caught up in making sure your child has the right pencils, folders, shoes, lunchbox, and approximately 47 other things on the school supply list, there's something else we want t

Somehow, summer flew by. One minute we're staying up a little too late, eating popsicles for breakfast, and enjoying slower mornings. The next, we're searching for school supplies, figuring out bus schedules, adjusting bedtime, and realizing that the first day of school is *really* happening. For some kids, that transition is exciting. For others, it is really, really hard. Maybe your child suddenly has a stomachache every morning. Maybe they're asking approximately 47 questi

Move-in day is supposed to be exciting. You've bought the dorm supplies. You've packed approximately 47 times. You've labeled things that have never needed labels before. You're trying to figure out how a person who somehow managed to lose three water bottles in one week is now going to keep track of their laundry, assignments, medication, meals, and entire life. And somewhere between loading the car and saying goodbye, you may find yourself wondering: What if my child isn't

Back-to-school season comes with new teachers, new routines, new friendships—and sometimes new challenges. While we may spend weeks preparing our children with school supplies, schedules, and new shoes, there is another important conversation worth having before the first day: bullying. Talking about bullying doesn't mean we expect it to happen. In fact, giving children the tools to recognize bullying, respond safely, and ask for help can help them feel more confident as they

Summer somehow flies by, doesn't it? One minute you're chasing fireflies and making popsicles, and the next you're labeling backpacks and wondering how your child suddenly needs the next shoe size. As exciting as a new school year can be, back-to-school season is also the perfect time to review something just as important as bus safety and emergency contacts: body safety. These conversations don't have to be scary. In fact, when they're part of everyday life, they help childr