Are you thinking about potentially joining a DBT group in the greater Philadelphia area? Are you curious about what happens during these DBT groups? Maybe your talk therapist or psychiatrist suggested you check out a DBT group to help you along your journey to recovery. Whatever the case may be, I wanted to take the time to explain what exactly Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is and what actually happens during a group!

We can all agree that it is not easy to talk about the hard things. In fact, some kids may even shut down, hide or yell when it is time to discuss something challenging. Learn how play therapy and sand tray therapy can help children explore their feelings and needs in therapy…

Did your child tantrum at age two, two and a half or even three? If not, is your child tantruming now? When children tantrum at an older age it is often a result of skipping a normal developmental stage called, Rapprochement. I am sure you have heard of the “terrible twos” and the bad rap that comes along with temper tantrums.

Sometimes, it can be extremely difficult for a person to know if they are experiencing the effects of trauma. Often, we might not consider our experiences to be traumatic, deciding this category is too intense to classify our own experiences. Other times, we might know we have experienced trauma, yet not feel comfortable talking to our family and friends about it. When we do not have anyone to talk to about the worst experiences of our lives, we might bottle up our emotions and disconnect from our support systems. How can you know that you have experienced trauma? Read more here…

Learn about Recovery Month and resources for those in recovery and their loved ones..

Are you suffering from symptoms of PTSD, grief, anxiety, depression, or addiction and are interested in EMDR therapy BUT you’re hesitant about pursuing it now that counseling sessions are virtual? Great news! EMDR therapy can effectively be conducted via telehealth! Learn more here…

The prospect of entering into group therapy can be intimidating. I know it can feel scary, and, perhaps it could be an important step in your recovery. Important steps are often scary. So, if you can relate to this blog, maybe group therapy is right for you!

Do you find yourself having difficulty accepting the way life is right now? Maybe you find yourself experiencing intense emotions seemingly out of nowhere that feel hard to control. If so, you may benefit from learning new coping skills to enhance your recovery. In this blog are a few DBT skills that I’ve found to be especially helpful to enhance overall recovery.

Spilove Psychotherapy is working to do a better job about lifting marginalized voices including black and queer voices. One way we are working to do this is by highlighting and featuring these marginalized voices in our newsletter, blog and other social media platforms. We asked our friend, Christie if she would be willing to share her coming out with us for pride month and to use our platform to post about her small music business.

This Pride month there should be a call to all members, supporters and allies to reject inequalities more assertively than in the past. Read more here about the call to social justice through the LGBTQ+ and Black communities, and what you can do to support…

Does alcoholism or drug addiction run in your family? Are you married to someone or co-parenting with someone who struggles with drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, mental health issues or other things that affect your relationship with them? Are there times where you’re feeling angry and hurt because your loved one calls you drunk or abuses you during a mental health episode? Read here on ways to handle boundaries with family or loved ones with mental health issues.

What is the critical inner voice? How do we form this inner voice that often controls our life? How do we combat this inner critic that lives within us? Well, luckily I have got some answers for you, and you're in the right place.

Today marks one month since the beginning of COVID-19 quarantine lockdown and it’s been longer for some. While some people are feeling gratitude and connection with their loved ones, many are feeling anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms, PTSD symptoms, isolation, grief and loneliness. So, what do we do with the pain? The anxiety? The trauma memories if we’re not supposed to avoid them?

With routine being thrown out the window and heightened levels of anxiety around a pandemic that feels completely out of our control, many people are turning to their go-to coping mechanisms to manage this stressful time. If you or your loved one has a history of disordered eating, here is why this time may be particularly difficult and what you can do to support recovery.

Putting off self- care? Julia Salerno, one of our graduate level therapists, opens up about her journey to accepting her need for self-care..

You might be thinking in yourself, “ok, so my therapy sessions have been canceled, what do I do now?” Or maybe you were thinking of beginning therapy, but due to the current circumstances you feel that you have to, yet again, place your mental health on the back burner. Well, technically that is not the case, you can in fact continue your mental health care or begin your journey via telehealth!

During a crisis our bodies go into fight or flight mode (stock up on as much toilet paper as possible!) and we may experience emotions such as anxiety and fear. Yes, the COVID-19 crisis is scary and unknown. Yes, social distancing is a necessity and we must isolate ourselves from almost every part of our lives. Not fun. Now what? How do we get though the present moment while making it tolerable? How do we accept what is without resisting what is?

We are all currently scrambling to grapple with our current way of life. We are not used to the isolation of being alone, as we are social beings. Fortunately, there are numerous online resources that individuals and groups can take advantage of during this time of uncertainty. We did a little research to start your search….

Grief. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. But, what makes the grief process so difficult for us as human beings? In order to understand the five stages of grief, we need to understand what grief actually is.

As we near the end of Black History Month, we thought it befitting to speak about the role of counseling in the African American community. Here at Spilove we understand that there are barriers that People of Color (POC) face in seeking counseling…

Change your negative body image thoughts and induce self-love and acceptance.  Body image Support Group beginning March 7, 2020 in Philadelphia!

DBT therapy offers skills-based learning to strengthen coping skills for difficult emotions while also providing opportunities to develop a new way of thinking about life, emotions, relationships and your sense of Self. Learn more to see if this could be the right therapy for you…

We know it can feel a bit uncertain to see a counselor “in training”, but there can be many benefits that may go unnoticed. We want to provide you the low down on what it actually means to see a graduate level therapist. 

Recently, I created a list of questions to ask when vetting an eating disorder treament program to see what they actually provide. I thought I’d share this with all of you in case you’re looking for a higher level of eating disorder treatment.

I’ve created a list of 5 simple ways you can create more space in your day utilizing mindfulness to prevent burnout and overwhelm.

The aim of substance abuse counseling is to help make your life better, rather than just suppressing substance use. Through substance abuse counseling, you and your therapist can explore ways in which your life without substances can become better than your life with substances.

Questions to consider in determining the extent of your substance use.

Sometimes when people think of substance addiction, they imagine extreme compulsive and habitual use of substances that results in severe negative consequences. Substance addiction, however, can look different from person to person.

 Let’s face it, we’ve all had our fair share of funky relationships. Whether it’s with a friend, a partner, or a judgmental passive aggressive parent who always finds the need to point out a flaw. Whichever the case, these relationships after a while just no longer feel good. Find freedom now…