By Elizabeth McMahan

Therapy usually leaves you feeling great, right? You learn new skills and tactics, you get to focus on yourself, and you figure some things that you may not have been able to on your own. The only downside is you can’t keep your therapist in your pocket at all times…so you have to find ways to live what you learn when your session is over.

By Elizabeth McMahan

You have a planner, an iPhone scheduler, and a traditional calendar on the wall.

You’re ridiculously busy. You’re driving. You’re planning You’re volunteering.

You’re filling the fridge. You’re shopping. You’re fretting, soothing, disciplining, cheering them on and checking their social media for all the things you might be missing.

By Elizabeth McMahan

For the most part, people think of couple counseling and marriage counseling as a means to save their relationship when they have come to the end of their rope.

Either both partners realize they need to make the effort and commit to counseling; or, it’s one spouse’s desperate, last-ditch attempt to convince the other to hold it together.

Having to deal with an unresponsive teen can certainly test every bit of your parenting skills and patience.

So, how can you communicate better with your teen, especially during this time of their life when open and frank discussions are needed more than ever?

By Elizabeth McMahan

Intuition is a gift we were all given at infanthood. Intuition is how we connect with our inner selves through our bodies. It links closely with body awareness, also known as somatic awareness or “learning to feel your body.”

So, why is it that important to trust what your body is telling you?

It’s a common misconception that there is one, fixed way to deal with grief and loss. This is because we see mourning as a problem that needs to be fixed when this really isn’t the case.

As uncomfortable as it is to deal with emotional pain, it’s something that we as humans all experience. It’s natural to search for a resolution that will stop our pain.

The heady stages of a new relationship are among life’s more exciting moments.

You feel like you’re living in a real-life fairy tale. You idealize your partner and think he or she can do no wrong.

This is called the “honeymoon phase.” It’s fun and romantic.

It usually occurs in the early stages of a relationship and can last anywhere from 6 months to two years. But sooner or later, it comes to an end.

By Elizabeth McMahan

Relationships are a non-stop work-in-progress. We work on ourselves as part of being a couple while we also work on ourselves as individuals. The more work we do, therefore, the more smoothly we learn and grow. This growth needs mindfulness. Healthy relationships, for that matter, also need mindfulness.

By Elizabeth McMahan

Trust is tricky – it’s hard to gain and easy to lose.

It’s also one of the biggest cornerstones of any relationship. When lost, the person betrayed may feel extremely devastated because it can completely alter the path of the entire relationship. We’ve all experienced some form of hurt or betrayal, but to what extent? The nature of the relationship, as well as the level of hurt we feel, will probably determine whether or not we’re willing to forgive the person who betrayed us.

By Elizabeth McMahan

Life. It’s full of beauty, full of fascinating discoveries, full of surprises… and full of responsibilities.

Your education, your job, your bills, your family. Everything is jumping, screaming, and begging for your attention.

And more often than not, those things get your attention first—before yourself.

In the end, your life always revolves around other people and other things