Stress, busyness and commitments of all sorts (those involving work or play) have become badges of honor in our society. Rarely are people praised for carving out time for rest or putting boundaries around what they will and will not commit to.

As a therapist, what is more concerning to me than burnout itself is that it has been normalized. Along with realizing that a lot of the people I talk with think that burnout is “normal,” neurodivergent clients experience burnout at a more intense and frequent rate than others. My 20-something neurodivergent friend recently told me […]

If “burnout” was not something you heard about prior to the pandemic, 2020 sealed the deal in ensuring we all knew what burnout looked and felt like. I can still remember images of nurses and doctors with deep indents on their faces from wearing masks for endless hours while trying to save those battling COVID. […]

Last month we began exploring the treatment modality of Internal Family Systems (IFS). As stated last month, IFS is an approach to therapy that aims to help the individual become aware of their inner voices to begin the path to healing and wholeness. IFS recognizes that each person has a true Self, but that the […]

Internal Family Systems (IFS) was created by psychologist Richard Schwartz.  Schwartz worked as a family therapist and noticed that people described their thoughts and feelings as different parts. Furthermore, he discovered that people’s parts often did not get along or were in conflict with one another. As a result, Schwartz began to develop a system […]

Last month we started unpacking what the term “neurodivergent” means. The word neurodivergent was coined in 1998 by a sociologist named Judy Singer who wanted to point out that each person’s brain is uniquely developed.

“Neurodivergent” is a buzzword that came from the related term “neurodiverse.” You may have heard someone describe themselves as “neurodivergent” or being “neurodiverse.” Judy Singer (a sociologist) coined the word “neurodiversity” in 1998 to point out that every person’s brain develops in a unique way. In fact, we know that no two brains—even the brains […]

As weird as it sounds, I have always been personally and professionally interested in grief. I think it is because somewhere along the way I realized that grief, like love, is universal. The saying goes—if you love you will grieve. And I have found this to be true. People that know me say I “love […]

“Ambiguous loss happens when you are grieving someone who is still living. It’s different than the grief you experience when someone you love dies. That kind of loss is finite and certain and there’s no question you should feel pain. Ambiguous loss happens when something or someone profoundly changes or disappears” (www.whatsyourgrief.com ). Some examples […]

When I was younger, my mom would often advise me to “slow down.” She would say, “just because you can do everything does not mean you should do everything.” And most memorably, “every time you say yes to one thing, you say no to something else.”