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In many families, daughters become the quiet carriers of responsibility long before they are developmentally ready. They step into adult roles—emotionally, practically, or both—because the family system requires it, or because a parent is unable or unwilling to fulfill their role. This phenomenon, known as parentification, shapes not only childhood but also the daughter’s adult identity, relationships, and sense of self. Breaking this pattern is possible, but it requires unde

Recently, someone in my life texted me, scared and alarmed because her teenage child made a reference to “the family being better off if they weren’t here.” She was understandably upset and panicked about what to do. Hearing someone that you love to express the desire to no longer be alive is terrifying. Having those thoughts yourself can be completely disorienting and frightening. These thoughts, however, are surprisingly common. The desire to no longer exist, the belie

Understand common PTSD warning signs, how trauma impacts both the mind and body, and the ways therapy can support healing, coping, and long-term recovery.

Explore the importance of normalizing mental health conversations among men, recognizing signs of stress and burnout, and understanding why seeking support is a sign of strength—not weakness.

Just like avoiding a foreclosure requires early action, mental wealth requires proactive care. Too often, we delay seeking treatment until an acute crisis occurs—but guidance is available the moment you notice the very first sign.

When people hear the word “trauma,” they think of a house fire. Abuse. Violence. Substance abuse. Severe neglect. But what about the more subtle forms of emotional injury that over time, just like trauma, can shape the nervous system? Sometimes trauma looks less like a single horrifying event and more like years of subtle instability, emotional inconsistency, criticism, tension, or feeling emotionally unseen. A child might grow up in a family where no one talks about feeling

There’s something about losing someone where the memory of them feels incredibly visceral. As you reach for the same cereal that your father used to buy every week, as you suddenly find yourself folding laundry and remember how your wife used to complain about matching pairs of socks, as you hear a song in the car and are immediately transported to a kitchen, a holiday, a conversation, or even the person you were before the loss. They’re suddenly there for just a second. And

“Willpower” as a concept is not scientific. Some people call it “grit”. Others might frame it as “discipline”. Some might see it as “virtue”. Regardless of how you define it, “willpower” is not a uniform or static personality trait. You are wired for varying degrees of monitoring, both internal and external, and understanding that circuitry is often the key to making changes in your life and shifting behaviors that you keep repeating, regardless of how much “willpower” y

I have a close friend who often refers to bedtime as “dread time”. In the nearly 30 years we have known one another, her relationship with sleep has been complex, inconsistent, and disappointing, and it has weighed on her mental and physical health. Sleep disruptions and insomnia are some of the most common conditions that I work with in my practice. Regardless of a client’s age, sleep problems can be chronic and debilitating. Outside of obtaining medical treatment for und

Life Kit podcast ran a fascinating episode this week on the key to happiness, featuring an expert who made the distinction between choices that “makes us feel right” and decisions that “makes us feel happy”. She offered the example of going to visit a sick friend in the hospital. We know that this act probably will not bring us joy or a sense of peace. We don’t expect the hospital environment to boost our mood, and we don’t equate being there with being happy. We equate it

The recent news of the strikes initiated by the U.S. and Israel has left many of us feeling a profound sense of heaviness. As we watch the conflict unfold, it’s hard not to feel that our society—already brittle from years of economic strain and the lingering shadows of the pandemic—is being pushed to a breaking point. When global giants clash, the ripples don’t just hit the stock market; they hit our living rooms, our sleep, and our collective peace of mind. War forces us i

Have you ever caught yourself doom-scrolling? You open Instagram or TikTok for a few minutes, and before you know it, you’ve gone down a rabbit hole of watching everyone else live their best life. You see vacations, engagement announcements, fitness transformations, new homes, promotions, perfectly decorated spaces, and “that girl” morning routines. Somewhere in between all of that, questions start to pop up in your head: Why am I not there yet? Why don’t I look like that? Sh

Subtitle: Examining how emotional regulation supports resilience, decision-making, and well-being during high-stress moments—and how therapy can help individuals build steadiness when life feels overwhelming. One of my favorite parts of being a therapist has been learning about the ways that other people think about and understand their emotions, especially when they experience them as extreme, heightened, or intense. Many of my clients struggle to regulate their emotions

I have always had a complicated relationship with “mindfulness”. Many people have framed mindfulness in a variety of ways. Some described it as an inner calm characterized by a lack of thought. As a designated ovoverthinkerI am skeptical at best. Others describe a state of being in the moment fully and without distraction. I live to multi-task. My rabbi framed it as an appreciation of the small, quotidian joys in life. I have had a gratitude practice for years, so? “M

It started with a lunch invitation. Ten years ago, Jane Fowler and I were coworkers at a private practice, slated to help open a second location. We were colleagues, acquaintances really, but we weren't yet partners. One afternoon, Jane asked me to lunch. I expected a strategy meeting about our employer's new office. Instead, she looked me in the eye and presented an idea that stopped me in my tracks: "We can do this ourselves." I was shocked. Becoming a business owner was no

Secular ritual is simply the practice of including structured, symbolic, and repetitive actions into your day that help center you and meet your emotional and psychological needs. Many ritual habits are simple. I like to cuddle with my dog every morning before getting out of bed.

Among the Al-Anon literature, there is a book titled Hope for Today, which is a collection of reflections written by adult children of alcoholics who are on their own path to recovery from the trauma and experiences of their childhood. The writers reexamine and reconsider their relationships with their parents through the lens of maturity […]

For two decades, I’ve had the privilege of working with countless individuals—from high-powered executives to dedicated parents—all striving to be more efficient and effective in their lives. And in the present day, there’s a new challenge that keeps surfacing, a silent but significant drain on us to live out our best lives: digital fatigue. You […]

When you hear the word “ADHD” (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), what comes to mind? Maybe you picture a restless child, bouncing in their seat, blurting out answers in class. Teachers scolding them to “sit still” and “focus.” That’s the stereotype most of us know. But ADHD doesn’t vanish the moment you turn 18. Instead, it […]

When I started my career as a therapist, one of the first trends I noticed with my clients was how difficult it is for many of them to understand the distinction between a feeling and a thought. Feeling and cognition have become synonymous for many of us, leading to a pattern of conflating emotions and […]