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If you're a man who shuts down during conflict - goes quiet, freezes, walks away, or suddenly feels nothing at all - you're not weak, broken, or emotionally unavailable. You're overwhelmed. This shutdown response isn't a personality flaw. It's biology. It's conditioning. It's survival. And understanding why it happens is the first step to changing it. Men Don't Shut Down...[ read more ]

Bargaining is just another way of saying that we get what we want by giving the other person or persons what they want. In our daily lives bargaining may look like exchanging money for clothes, food, and other necessities, offering to provide your friends dinner if they agree to help you move, or agreeing to split your meal with a...[ read more ]

Being the leader of a business can be difficult. That's why it is important to find ways to communicate effectively with your employees. One way you could do this is by using validation techniques. Validation helps people feel that their contributions are valued and respected in your organization. Furthermore, it helps them feel seen and heard by you as an...[ read more ]

Depression is most associated with persistent feelings of sadness, but there are actually several symptoms that may indicate we are struggling with depression: Sadness, becoming easily tearful, or feelings of emptiness and hopelessness Lack of interest in things that used to be personally enjoyable Irritability and angry outbursts Difficulty falling or staying asleep Low physical energy Changes in appetite, such...[ read more ]

Anger is a tricky emotion to navigate in our world. Anger is seen as a masculine emotion (one that women and children are punished for expressing), and when anger is felt or expressed it is frequently met with other people’s frustration, shame, and defensiveness. The reality is that anger is every humans’ normal response to injustice. When we feel like...[ read more ]

Faith-Based Counseling is for Everyone First of all, faith-based counseling can be for anyone. You don’t have to look, act, or believe a certain way for faith-based counseling to help. Come as you are and allow yourself to be vulnerable in your therapy sessions. You are worthy of help and deserve to see someone who respects your faith, or lack...[ read more ]

The Problem With Being "A Man" Society has put so many unrealistic expectations on you. What you should look like. How you should act. Who you should be. It’s awful. The amount of pressure on you to do well in every aspect of your life and “be a man” is too much. No one can be “tough” all the time....[ read more ]

Emotional abuse is a way to control another person by using emotions to criticize, embarrass, shame, blame, or otherwise manipulate another person. In general, a relationship is emotionally abusive when there is a consistent pattern of abusive words and bullying behaviors that wear down a person's self-esteem and undermine their mental health. -National Network to End Domestic Violence  What is...[ read more ]

This is one of the most common things I hear from couples counseling and marriage counseling. In fact, it is so common that I would venture to say that almost everyone in a relationship has felt it from time to time. But, that doesn’t make it hurt any less.   The more often you feel ignored by your partner, the...[ read more ]

  The first few times the idea of starting marriage counseling enters your mind, you talk yourself out of it. You likely told yourself you don’t need it. You may have abandoned the idea out of fear you’ll receive blame for everything. Or, you didn’t follow through since sitting in a stuffy room talking about relationship issues seemed like another...[ read more ]