By: Colleen Andre, LMHC "You must know Karate." "When I look at you, I don't see color" "What are you?" "Why do you sound so white?" Do these comments sound familiar? If a sudden pang of irritation comes upon you or feelings of offense while reading some of these comments, then you have just experienced a microaggression. What is a
By: Colleen Andre, LMHC According to the national institute of mental, the most common mental health disorder faced by Americans is anxiety disorders. Women are 50% more likely than men to experience anxiety. At this point, you might be asking yourself: what is anxiety really? Anxiety is a feeling of excessive fear and worry. It is normal for everyone to
By: Colleen Andre, LMHC "Nothing. Nothing is wrong with you according to my assessments." the doctor states. After visiting the emergency room, your doctor's office, and having multiple blood work done, your doctor has just determined that nothing is wrong with you, at least to your body. Then why in the world do you feel as if you are dying
By: Colleen Andre, LMHC Often times we paint anger as an evil and demonic thing that seems uncontrollable. But, what is anger? It is an emotion just like sadness, disgust, joy, and fear. Every emotion is essential to a person in order to function properly. Anger is just another emotion. It is an emotion notifying us that something is wrong. Anger
Do’s and Don’ts For Parents and Children Going Through Separation or Divorce No. You didn't misread the title. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age, more and more children and teens have to be the ones that take on the responsible role of setting boundaries in the family. This is the most common when parents are going through a separation or
By: Colleen Andre, LMHC In August of 2016, Tamar Braxton was involved in a domestic dispute escalating to the point where police were involved. There is belief that the dispute led to a physical altercation, which some speculate was not a one-time incident. This is not the first occurrence where a celebrity makes news for domestic violence. We all remember the shocking footage of Baltimore Raven's
After a hard day, we come home eager to seek refuge. We ultimately desire a time to rest and recharge for next day's grind. However, do we actually rest or are we just escaping? Often times, after a hectic day, we are desperate to shut down. We come home to plop ourselves in front of the T.V, phone, or video
When August comes around, mixed feelings begin to stir in parents, teachers, and students. Many dread the end of summer while others are chipper and eager for the first day of school. Everyone has the intention to kick off the school year strong, but what really happens? Typically August and September are excellent months, but as October, November, and especially
The number one thing I hear as a counselor is that couples want to improve their communication. They want to be understood and be able to talk to their partners in a healthier way. In order for that to happen, however, couples first have to learn how to listen. Keep in mind that communication is something learned, but not in
I never imagined my life would include me being a stepparent. Never. If you would’ve told me I’d be sharing vacations, Christmas’s, and parenting styles while raising a child other than my own, I would have told you you’ve lost it. In fact, quite the opposite was my expectation. It would look something like this: I’d meet a wonderful man
