Entries by admin

How do we help those who serve?

  By: Kellie Medendorp, LCSW I have a vivid memory as a kid sitting in my dining room and watching my father and brother rush out of the house after their pagers went off for a fire call. I also remember my father taking me up to the fire house as a kid to explore […]

Why Does My Therapist Want to Know About My Childhood?

By Samantha DeFilippo, LPC Click here to request an appointment   Many people who start therapy are curious about why their therapist wants to know so much about their childhood. After all, the problems they are experiencing today seem to have nothing to do with what happened when they were a kid. But as Gabor […]

Parenting Toolbox: Grandma’s Rule

    By Jennifer “Jen” Drager, LPC Click here to request an appointment   Experts, parents, and bystanders all agree that parenting is tough. Having been in the counseling and parenting field for the last 18 years, I can acknowledge how tough parenting can be. Parents are trying to love, nurture and keep their child(ren) […]

Child Directive Play: It’s Not About You

By Jennifer “Jen” Drager, LPC Click here to request an appointment   Educators, childcare workers, and counselors all understand the importance of child-directed play. As a counselor in the child-welfare field for almost 20 years, I am here to educate you as a parent on the necessity of fostering creativity and child-directive play.  Child-directed play […]

Parenting Techniques: Limited Choices

By Jennifer “Jen” Drager, LPC Click here to request an appointment   As a professional in the world of family counseling and parenting, I am often asked what my go-to parenting strategies are. My favorite and most suggested parenting technique is limited choices. Offering choices instead of demands can be a very effective parenting tool, […]

Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

By Samantha DeFilippo, LPC Click here to request an appointment   In today’s digital era, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, shaping how we connect to and interact with others. While these platforms offer various benefits, such as the ability to remain connected with friends and family over long distances […]

The 3 C’s of Parenting: Clear, Concise, and Consistent

My philosophy with parenting has always been the three C’s: Clear, Concise, and Consistent. This is a set of complementary communication strategies that can improve your relationship with your children, reduce the frustration you may experience, and lead to more effective parenting.

Forgiveness as a Coping Skill 

It can be challenging to focus on the reasons to be grateful and to actually practice forgiveness. The losses we have experienced, the pain, the sadness, the disappointment, the jealousy, and any other feeling you are having that can keep you in a place of feeling stuck and ungrateful can be overwhelming.