As summer comes to a close, and the fall season is on the horizon, it’s easy to fall back into negative patterns. You don’t need to change your personality to start. If you are a person that chooses silence as a response or no as complete sentence, then it’s more about noticing when you’re about to trade what’s true for what’s easy.
Summertime is still a time to look forward to, but if you’re someone who is not used to having downtime, you may need a reframe and the tools to make slowing down work for you.
Here’s a reframe: “The discomfort isn’t a problem, it’s a signal.”
Building a supportive and inclusive community for LGBTQIA youth requires a collective effort from families,schools, churches and community organizations. Family therapy can play a critical role in this process by empowering families to communicate and navigate the challenges they face and remind young people they don’t have to face the world on their own.
True mental health awareness doesn’t live in a hashtag. It lives in the moment a parent notices their teenager has gone quiet. It lives in the uncomfortable silence after someone says I’m not okay. It lives in the family that loves each other deeply but has never learned how to talk about what’s really happening beneath the surface. It’s where emotional awareness, connection, and community care begins.
Children learn emotional regulation by watching the adults around them. When a parent can pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully instead of reactively, especially during conflict or stress, children internalize that pattern.
Creating emotionally healthy environments for children requires adults to first develop their own emotional capacity. Here's what that foundation includes:
As summer comes to a close, and the fall season is on the horizon, it’s easy to fall back into negative patterns. You don’t need to change your personality to start. If you are a person that chooses silence as a response or no as complete sentence, then it’s more about noticing when you’re about to trade what’s true for what’s easy.
Couples often save for years for their ideal wedding. For some people it’s the day they have dreamed about since childhood so they want to make it one of the best days of their lives. Not only do couples spend on average 6-18 months planning their “big day,” but they also spend a lot of money. In 2023 the average wedding in the US cost about $35,000.
Leveraging the power of your relationships can make a big impact in your health and feeling of well being. A study done by The National Library of Medicine showed that those who have healthy close relationships not only have less stress but also live longer. Research continues to demonstrate that relationships impact our overall feeling of happiness as well as our mental health.
As I sit in front of my computer to write Ibisanmi Relational Health’s first blog in the month that we celebrate Black History and Black Love, I can’t help but think about the trials and tribulations our ancestors and elders endured in a world that saw them less than human and unworthy of love and strong familial relationships.
As summer comes to a close, and the fall season is on the horizon, it’s easy to fall back into negative patterns. You don’t need to change your personality to start. If you are a person that chooses silence as a response or no as complete sentence, then it’s more about noticing when you’re about to trade what’s true for what’s easy.
Summertime is still a time to look forward to, but if you’re someone who is not used to having downtime, you may need a reframe and the tools to make slowing down work for you.
Here’s a reframe: “The discomfort isn’t a problem, it’s a signal.”
Building a supportive and inclusive community for LGBTQIA youth requires a collective effort from families,schools, churches and community organizations. Family therapy can play a critical role in this process by empowering families to communicate and navigate the challenges they face and remind young people they don’t have to face the world on their own.
True mental health awareness doesn’t live in a hashtag. It lives in the moment a parent notices their teenager has gone quiet. It lives in the uncomfortable silence after someone says I’m not okay. It lives in the family that loves each other deeply but has never learned how to talk about what’s really happening beneath the surface. It’s where emotional awareness, connection, and community care begins.
Children learn emotional regulation by watching the adults around them. When a parent can pause, take a breath, and respond thoughtfully instead of reactively, especially during conflict or stress, children internalize that pattern.
Creating emotionally healthy environments for children requires adults to first develop their own emotional capacity. Here's what that foundation includes:
Valentine’s Day often floods our feeds with images of over-the-top bouquets, candlelit dinners, and #couplesgoals hashtags. We’re taught to chase the appearance of a perfect bond, yet behind closed doors, many of us are struggling with a persistent, quiet disconnect. When couples walk into therapy, the most common grievances usually fall into two categories: "We don’t communicate" or "We’ve lost our intimacy."
