You or someone you know may have a deep passion for pop culture and fandom like Star Wars, Batman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer while others in your life may enjoy games like Settlers of Catan, Tekken 8 and Dungeons and Dragons.  Perhaps your joys lie in anime like Sailor Moon, Jujutsu Kaisen or Dragonball Z. Whether you like to play games or cosplay (dress up as your favorite character),or like to find the newest boardgames, there are venues called Comic Con(vention)s for you

Living with others—whether roommates, friends, partners and/or family members—can be both challenging and rewarding.  I have recently come across a few   essays  that explore the act of living together and the types of compromises you may end up making in doing so. One suggestion these essays focus on is the idea of flexibility and how, when living with others, you may need to “ loosen ” certain strong preferences—such as décor, how dishes are put away or how common areas are

Prior to working at Looking Glass Counseling, one of the staff at the day program I worked at introduced me to the practice and art-making style of Zentangles. What made this approach special to me was that it was introduced by the program’s Peer Specialist, a colleague who self-identified with having mental illness while valuing the recovery model we were both working at. Whether in group therapy sessions when accessing the day program or an employee helping our group pract

As we stare at the tail end of 2025 while simultaneously stumbling through a sea of various holiday celebrations, it can feel complicated. But, if you identify with this sentiment, know that there is a way to soften the impact. Consider this to be a music themed part II to my previously written entry, “Coping Your Way Through the Holidays.” According to Starcke and Von Georgi, among many other music therapy researchers, the iso principle is an incredibly effective way to modu

Lights! Camera! Action! Welcome to your Monday Mental Health Moment at the movies, a series discussing the intersection of psychology and cinema. Some spoilers ahead… Nobody talks about the dark side of motherhood, but in Mary Bronstein’s new film , the horrors of postpartum  are on full display. The film follows Linda, a full-time therapist trying to support her daughter’s mysterious illness while she herself is in a downward spiral. Sleep deprivation, overstimulation and co

You may have a sense that the darkest time of year is not actually on the Winter Solstice (December 21), but during the first week of December.  While the solstice technically has the shortest amount of daylight, the earliest sunset does not occur on that day. Rather, the earliest sunset was last week. Thus, these early weeks of December may feel the darkest. After the winter solstice, we inch closer to longer days, though it may not feel like it. After the holidays in Januar

In the years of providing individual therapy, there are a variety of ways to help get one’s thought process organized and contextualized for their session or their day ahead in between sessions.  Although commonly geared to children to think about their day or week, the question can easily be applied to adults as an act of mindfulness and slowing down. Adapting the prompt from the University of Colorado Boulder  you can imagine the three parts of a rose: the bloom, a bud (the

Holidays, while they can be an excellent excuse to celebrate during the darkest months of the year, can be complicated . However, whether it’s due to family dynamics, difficult anniversaries or dissatisfaction with current life situations (perhaps a combination of any/all of these), there are some ways to soften the more challenging parts of this time of year. Accumulating positives.  Plan at least one small, doable and pleasurable experience that you can engage with as mindf

The holiday season is here! For many this is a time of joy and connection, but guilt around food and weight around the holidays are very real. Here are some quick tips to help reduce guilt around the holidays and increase feelings of joy and connection! Avoid Skipping Meals- Many people will skip breakfast or eat less the day after a large meal, this can actually contribute to over eating in the future, not to mention you will feel really crabby! The best thing you can do is

Transgender Day of Remembrance November 20 has become known as Trans Day of Remembrance. In 1999, advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith hosted a vigil to commemorate her dear friend Rita Hester whose life was ended brutally and unremorsefully . In 2025, there are 38 deaths recorded  due to violence against transgender folks. Trans Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to remember and mourn these lives that were taken. Vigils are common practices where candles are lit and the names of t