trauma treatment

Taking Treatment Into the Great Outdoors

By Beau Black Why is being in the great outdoors so helpful to our mental well-being? The benefits of spending time in nature have long been understood, and their value in therapy is beginning to be accepted and documented by psychological research. That’s sprouted into a branch of treatment called… Read More

Abandonment Issues at the Holidays

By Anna McKenzie The holidays often bring families together. While the emphasis on close relationships results in joy for many, it can mean sadness and fear for others. If you have experienced abandonment, estrangement, or the traumatic loss of a parent or guardian, the holidays may dredge up painful memories. Even… Read More

Building Strength and Resilience through Facing and Dealing with Life’s Problems

Resilient qualities are not only what we’re born with but also the strengths that we build through encountering life’s challenges and developing the personal and interpersonal skills to meet them. It is one of life’s paradoxes that the worst circumstances can bring the best out of us. According to the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) studies performed by Robert Anda (2006) and his team at Kaiser Permanente’s Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego, we will all experience four or more serious life stressors that may be traumatizing, and according to positive psychology research, most of us will grow from them. Read More

What I Wish I’d Known as a Teenager

I worried about grades as a teenager. I mean, I really worried. Today, I know this was not typical anxiety about school. Looking back, I struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder and perfectionism. Among other things, I was obsessive-compulsive about never wasting time. Not. One. Second. Further, I was laser-focused on… Read More

Identify Your Triggers to Avoid Relapse

By Claudia Black, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Clinical Architect of the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows The following is an excerpt from Claudia Blacks Audio CD “Triggers.” You can find it in The Meadows online bookstore or on… Read More

To Thine Own Self Be True

By Dr. Shelley Uram Authentic Self What is it? Where does it come from? Why don’t most of us know about it? Most of us are well acquainted with aspects of our personality, like being a nice person, an addict, a good employee, the therapist, the hero, the traumatized person,… Read More