“Am I the only one that feels like this?”
“Do other people talk to you about this kind of stuff?”
“This is super embarrassing, but…”
“I know this isn’t normal.”
“Literally no one gets it.”
I’ve heard the above statements and questions over, and over, and over in the therapy room, especially when I am working with teenagers. In their world, they’re the only one with this experience, this struggle, this thought, this worry, this insecurity. This perception leads to feelings of isolation, loneliness, low self-esteem, and hopelessness. Learn More...
The Secret to Co-Parenting Success: Shifting from a Personal Relationship to a Parental Relationship
/in Creative Family Counseling, Family Life, Partnership/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SAs a Therapist who has spent over a decade working with families and children, I’ve had the great privilege of sharing the various journeys of many, many clients. Some journeys (especially at the end of my work with clients) take a positive turn; I cherish the moments when I see clients thriving and no longer needing therapy for the time being. Most people, however, begin their work with me at the start of a challenging journey, such as a journey of separation and divorce. Since I specialize in working with children, teens, and parents, the caregivers typically reach out to me after they’ve made decisions to end their relationship. They are oftentimes seeking out support for the purposes of best caring for their children through the transition. Sometimes they need support in developing c0-parenting skills, and sometimes they need support in how to tell their children about the divorce (and most times, both). If you need help in planning how to tell your children you are separating, this article may be helpful, here. Learn More...
How to Choose a Therapy Group
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Courtney Morgan, LPCAYou’ve decided Group Therapy will help you meet your mental health treatment goals, and are excited to start this new journey – Yay! Now you may be wondering, which group is best for me? Here’s a few factors to consider…
Open versus Closed Groups: We offer both open and closed Group Therapy formats at Creative Family Counseling. Open groups do not have an end date, and allow for new members to join as current members exit. Closed groups are time-limited with a start and end date, and do not allow for new members once they’ve begun. Learn More...
Introducing ‘Grow’ – A Group for Teens
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Courtney Morgan, LPCA“Am I the only one that feels like this?”
“Do other people talk to you about this kind of stuff?”
“This is super embarrassing, but…”
“I know this isn’t normal.”
“Literally no one gets it.”
I’ve heard the above statements and questions over, and over, and over in the therapy room, especially when I am working with teenagers. In their world, they’re the only one with this experience, this struggle, this thought, this worry, this insecurity. This perception leads to feelings of isolation, loneliness, low self-esteem, and hopelessness. Learn More...
Coping with Grief During the Holidays
/in Family Life/by Amy TravisGrief is a complex mixture of emotions. Grief can come from many types of losses or transitions including death of a loved one or pet, divorce, job loss, loss of a friendship, moving, etc. Grief emotions are often cyclical in nature and are felt at various levels throughout the year depending on the intensity of emotional triggers. Sometimes seasonal changes bring back memories of other emotional experiences at that same time of year. Learn More...
New Group Offering: Artfully Inspired Therapy Group
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Courtney Morgan, LPCAHappy almost 2023! This time of transition is often characterized by reflection, resolutions, and future planning. Although we do not have to wait for a New Year to begin making changes, oftentimes this hopeful energy fuels us to bettering our overall health. One way to accomplish this is by seeking therapeutic support, such as Group Therapy. Group Therapy is a valuable resource to incorporate into one’s mental health regime. Learn More...
All About Group Therapy
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Courtney Morgan, LPCAWe are so excited to begin offering Group Therapy to our community! Our team of expert clinicians are eager to begin implementing this new therapeutic modality in order to serve the needs of the community in a way we never have before.
Group Therapy supports individuals of all ages experiencing concerns such as challenging social interactions, low self worth, difficulty managing stressors, feelings of anxiety or depression, feelings of isolation, or struggling with life transitions. Group Therapy is a highly effective therapeutic modality that may be implemented as a stand alone mental health treatment, or in addition to other forms of therapy such as individual, family, or couples counseling. Learn More...
Teaching Our Child the Gift of Independent Play
/in Family Life/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SMy partner and I have two children, who are four years apart in age. As anxious and loving new parents, we participated in our oldest child’s play as much as we could, and as early as we could. From infancy, we joined our oldest on the floor to show interest in his world, communicate with him in the language he speaks (play), and demonstrate his importance and value to us. As a Registered Play Therapist, I teach parents daily about the importance of child’s play and how children learn, problem solve, communicate, express, and work through their feelings, all through play. I also educate families about how much love and significance a child feels when parents join in the activities that bring joy to the child; it builds connection! And as we know, when children are more connected, they are generally more cooperative. So much good comes from playing with your children! Learn More...
Merry & Bright or Chaotic & Stressful: Preparing for the Holidays
/in Family Life/by Lacey Ryan, LMFT, RPT-SFamilies across the country are preparing for the upcoming holiday break. This time of year, while full of joy and love, can also be a time of chaos and stress for many people. There is a change in routine and schedule, new experiences, new stimuli and lots of changes in general.
Consider your holiday break last year. Was it stressful? Would you like this year to be more on the Merry & Bright side instead of the Chaotic & Stressful side? We are here to help! Creative Family Counseling has two upcoming, time limited services available, which can help your winter break go peacefully this year! Learn More...
A Day in the Life of a Play Therapist: Attending a Play Therapy Conference
/in Creative Family Counseling/by Lisa Howard CardwellHave you ever wondered what a day at a play therapy conference might look like? I can assure you, it’s a lot of fun! I recently attended a fun Play Therapy Conference focused on Puppets in Play Therapy and Nature Play Therapy. Here are some highlights of the conference. After checking in I found my seat with some colleagues from Creative Family Counseling and some play therapists from Hazard, Ky. We chatted a bit and then our trainer, Jaime Lynn Langely, LCSW, RPT-S, started the class with a fun challenge. She had us list all the ways we might use a small brown paper bag in play therapy. I listed 11 which was the most of all the people in attendance. I won a prize for having the most responses! My clients will definitely use these prizes. This was a great way to start the conference! Learn More...
Attachment and Teens: Staying Connected to Your Child During Adolescence
/in Family Life/by Rebecca Street, LMFTAdolescence is a challenging time for most parents. Often in our therapy offices at Creative Family Counseling we hear from parents that they knew how to care for their children when they were small, but that they feel like estrangement or conflict are inevitable as their child navigates adolescence. While it is understandable that many parents feel this way, it is the cultural stereotype of teenager/parent relationships. The loss of connection between you and your child does not have to be inevitable. Learn More...