GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Avoiding relapse is an important part of recovery. A relapse is difficult for a person to cope with, but when they are equipped with the proper tools, they can avoid relapse and stay on a path that promotes a healthy life. People in recovery work hard to achieve their goals- whether for sobriety, abstinence, anger […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Burning out is normal- we all burn out sometimes. It is a form of prolonged stress and is most often applied to someone who is overworked with little opportunity breaks or recovery time. The stress that leads to burnout could come from work, school, home, or in other areas of life. Over time, stress can […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach that is used for different types of mental health challenges. It can help a client who is struggling with different experiences, including a depressed mood, anxiety, ruminating thoughts, low self-esteem, poor impulse control, anger management issues, and more. CBT is an effective form of treatment that can […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
The theory of the cycle of abuse was developed in 1979 by Lenore E. Walker. Walker identified 4 stages that occur in an abusive relationship: Tension Building, Incident, Reconciliation, and Calm. Defining these four stages has been instrumental in learning about abusive relationship patterns and how they affect both the abused and the abuser. Coming […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
In 1969, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross developed the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Each stage represents a common experience with grief when coping with loss. While present-day professionals argue against the validity of the theory, the 5 stages are often referenced for their representation of common experiences associated with grief. The […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Anger can be a difficult feeling to understand and control. Everyone feels angry sometimes, but dealing with chronic anger can be challenging for a number of different reasons. It is not easy for a client to struggle with controlling their anger, but a good first step to managing angry feelings and minimizing consequences is to […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Suffering from abuse is hurtful, but it is not always easily seen or identifiable. People can commonly find themselves in abusive situations long after it has started, and many do not even realize they are being abused until much later on- or even at all. Abuse is scary to go through, but it is more […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Depression is an oppressive disorder that can cause many challenges. It can be felt for different reasons and can cause people to act in ways that are not in their character. A person with depression may even have habits and tendencies that they do not realize are symptoms of depression. Many people with depression believe […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
After learning what cognitive behavioral therapy is, how it works, and how components like cognitive distortions, automatic negative thoughts, core beliefs, emotions, and behavior all contribute to our perceptions, it is important to learn how to challenge negative thoughts and cognitive distortions. A great tool to learn how to challenge cognitive distortions is the automatic […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
In cognitive behavioral therapy, a therapist will often work with their client to identify their cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are patterns in thinking that typically make someone think in the negative and have negative expectations. This can be detrimental to the client for many reasons, the biggest being it holds them back from growing mentally […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Having coping strategies is an important part of maintaining good mental health, but sometimes a person can develop unhealthy coping strategies without realizing the impact they have on their quality of life. Unhealthy coping strategies may be effective, but that does not necessarily mean that they should be used to cope with life stressors. There […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Core beliefs are the strong and withstanding beliefs that a person has about themselves and how they relate to others, the world, and their future. These beliefs are based on what a person has learned through life experiences and begin being formed during childhood. The way a person sees each aspect of their life is […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Suffering from postpartum depression can be a scary and upsetting experience. It causes mothers to experience a depressed mood with unique symptoms and risk factors. Being aware of these symptoms and risk factors can make a difference in ensuring that an affected mother gets the treatment she needs to keep herself and her baby well. […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Anxiety is a common feeling people have, but when it is happening on a chronic basis it can impact a person’s quality of life. A person in therapy needs to understand what anxiety is and how it affects their life. Often people do not fully understand what anxiety is or how it affects them, which […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Experiencing a traumatic event is a challenging experience. It can cause our bodies and minds to react in a number of different ways. Reactions to trauma can be obvious, like shock and fear, but there are other reactions that may not be so obvious. People who have suffered trauma may be reacting to their trauma […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Supporting a loved one with depression can be challenging. It can drain you mentally, emotionally, and physically, which can lead to burnout and exhaustion. While it is a gesture of love to support a loved one who is struggling with depression, it is important to do so in a healthy way. There are ways to […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Trauma can affect a person in different and unexpected ways. People can suffer from different symptoms without realizing that they are from the traumatic event they experienced. Helping a person get in touch with their trauma can help them understand how they are feeling and learn what to expect from the experience. Going through trauma […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Psychotherapy is a term that refers to talk therapy. Talk therapy is what a person may think of when they envision what it is like to be in counseling. It can be helpful to teach a new client in counseling what psychotherapy is and how it can help. There are different types of psychotherapy. Each […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Everyone reacts differently when faced with a high-stress situation. It can be confusing for people to know why they reacted to such situations the way they did when reflecting, but there is a theory that suggests that when a person is faced with danger, they will react in one of three ways. They will either […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Listening skills are important to have, but not everyone is taught effective methods of listening to others. To listen does not mean to formulate a response, it means to understand the points and perspective of another. We all get eager to respond to things we are listening to at times, but it is often more […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A major factor in the success of achieving a goal is how a person plans for a goal. Oftentimes people set goals that are not realistic, but they do not realize that until they are overwhelmed with work. Because of this, it is important to develop proper goal-setting skills when creating a plan for the […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Bipolar disorder is a disorder that can cause extreme highs and lows in mood. It is important for a person with bipolar disorder to understand the condition and how it affects them. With bipolar disorder comes challenging symptoms, but the symptoms can be managed with the right education and expectations. People who struggle with bipolar […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Change takes time. Change can be challenging for people to accomplish, and it is often something that people resist. Change is scary, but can also be exciting, healthy, and liberating. Some changes cause pain while others cause relief. Whatever the need is for change, it can be difficult for a client to facilitate change in […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Managing symptoms of mental health conditions can be challenging, especially for clients who prolonged mental illness or clients who are new to managing their mental health and wellness. It is common for clients to give in to their symptoms and allow them to take control, which can feel good at the moment, but causes a […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Jumping to conclusions can have a major effect on how a person relates to others and feels about themselves. When people jump to conclusions, they draw conclusions based on part of the whole picture they see. This causes them to assume things that may not be true and can prevent them from handling a situation […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Learning about cognitive distortions can be helpful for a person in therapy. A cognitive distortion is a pattern of unhealthy thinking. When a person thinks through cognitive distortions, they are not able to see a situation clearly. This can impact their judgment and how they view themselves and the world around them. A cognitive distortion […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
An important skill to have when managing negative thoughts is learning how to identify cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is a pattern of unhealthy thinking. Identifying cognitive distortions is an important part of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps you learn how to challenge and rethink unhealthy thoughts. One type of cognitive distortion is called generalizing. The […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Emotional reasoning can be a major barrier in a client’s progress in therapy. When a client uses emotional reasoning to understand the world around them, they develop a poor self-image and distrust for people around them. Emotional reasoning can cause a client to have unrealistic expectations and misunderstand the reality of the challenging situations they […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
People who suffer from anorexia nervosa face many challenges with their self-esteem and body image. It is a condition that causes a person to go to extreme efforts to not gain weight. For a patient and their families, it can seem like the disorder only affects body image, but that is not the case. People […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A big part of therapy is learning how to experience one’s own emotions. It can be hard to experience emotions and learn how to be comfortable with feeling them. It is not uncommon for people in therapy to struggle with identifying and embracing how they feel. This can cause them to transfer all of their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Negative thoughts can have a significant impact on how we feel and how we react to challenging situations. They can cause us to act out of character, and get down on ourselves for reasons that are not fair to us. When we give in to our negative thoughts, we set ourselves up for feeling anxious, […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Anger is a powerful emotion that can have many effects on people. Everyone feels anger for different reasons, and everyone has different triggers for their anger. It is important to be in touch with your anger. Understanding your own anger and why you are feeling angry is an important step in managing anger. If an […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects many people. Typically, a diagnosis of ADHD is diagnosed during childhood, but it can also be diagnosed during adolescence and adulthood. People with ADHD suffer from symptoms related to their cognitive functioning and behavior. ADHD causes difficulty with concentration, behavioral impulsivity, and many other symptoms. People who suffer from […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is important to encourage children to understand and embrace their emotions at an early age. Children who develop emotional intelligence can learn how to cope with uncomfortable feelings at an early age. That way, they develop a level of identity and self-awareness that will help them develop a healthy relationship with themselves and with […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Bipolar disorder is a disorder that causes intense mood swings and impulsive behavior in people. It is a condition that can be challenging to live with, as it affects many areas of a person’s life. Bipolar disorder is a condition that can be serious, but it is manageable with proper treatment and understanding of the […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is important to teach clients how to challenge their negative thoughts. Negative thoughts lead to negative self-talk, which can affect a client’s self-esteem. It can also affect how they relate to people around them, and have a negative effect on their ability to build relationships with others. Cognitive restructuring is a process that involves […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A great method of helping a client overcome their anxiety is educating them about cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are patterns of negative thinking that make the client have unrealistic expectations or perceptions of a situation. Cognitive distortions can cause a person to view the world and themselves in a negative light, which prevents them from […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Cognitive distortions are a major source of mental and emotional strain on a person’s day-to-day life. Everyone struggles with cognitive distortions sometimes. They are natural patterns that our brain develops to understand how the world affects us. The challenge with cognitive distortions is they warp the way we see the world and how it relates […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Anger affects everyone. It is a powerful emotion that can be triggered by many different things. You may feel anger from an upsetting situation, stress or another emotion you don’t entirely understand. Sometimes, when we do not understand our anger or how it negatively affects us, it has a damaging effect on our quality of […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Awareness about your own cognitive distortions is an important part of therapy. It is a step toward correcting thinking errors. A cognitive distortion is a pattern in negative thoughts. It is an error in thinking that causes many challenges in a person’s life. Understanding cognitive distortions is a part of the process of cognitive behavioral […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When people are angry, they are not only angry. Their anger is a reaction to a trigger. A trigger occurs in a person’s environment, but it is fueled by much more. Feelings, thoughts, insecurities, fears and memories all contribute to a person’s anger. It is important for a client to understand this fact. Clients rarely […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Anxiety is an oppressive emotion for people to feel. People with chronic anxiety tend to suffer from cycles of anxiety, panic and avoidance. It is not uncommon for these people to not realize the cycle of anxiety they fall into, nor how the cycle affects them. In order to learn how to manage anxiety, a […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) is a form of therapy that can be very effective in helping clients. It offers a means to gain perspective on challenging situations. REBT suggests that the way people understand situations causes them to be reactive. The concept of REBT implies that a situation is neither positive nor negative. A […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Everyone has stressors in their lives. When people are in therapy, different stressors can serve as triggers for different conditions. Most people in therapy will have significant triggers that can cause them to think, act and feel in ways that are not healthy for them. An important part of therapy is helping clients identify their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A major part of learning how to cope with stress, anxiety and other mental health disorders is to learn effective relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques are a critical part of maintaining good mental health. They are needed for different areas of your body, and without them you cannot properly cope with stress, anger and other upsetting […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Phobias are a challenging struggle for clients to experience. Working with clients who are trying to overcome irrational or debilitating fears takes a great deal of time and patience. A person who is facing a phobia or fear will work hard to develop the courage to face it head on, and often need guidance and […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Just like adults, children can have a hard time controlling their anger. They often do not understand how their anger affects them, and how it affects others. Children can struggle to learn how to process and express negative feelings like anger, so it is important to teach emotional intelligence skills to keep them grounded when […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Everyone struggles with cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is an error in thinking. It is a pattern of thinking that is detrimental to the way clients think about challenges and behave in reaction. A cognitive distortion can cause different issues with stress management, communication, and relationships. It can also affect a client’s self-esteem, self-image, and […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When used properly, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a very effective form of therapy. CBT helps people work on their problem behavior by providing a means to understand their thoughts and feelings. People often react to stressors quickly, and that can prevent them from thinking things through. CBT teaches a person how to slow down […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Stress is a natural part of life. Everyone experiences stress, and everyone is affected by stress in different ways. It is important to know how to manage stress. When you do not know how to manage your own stress, you face consequences like anxiety, depression and sleep issues. The first step to learning how to […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Cognitive distortions (thinking errors) are a huge contributing factor to many people’s mental health issues. Cognitive distortions are erroneous patterns in thinking that lead to negative thoughts, bad feelings and poor behavior. When someone suffers from a cognitive distortion, they are not able to perceive tough situations in a healthy way. That is why it […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients cope with their triggers is teaching them about cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are patterns of thinking errors, and they affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions to upsetting situations. It is not uncommon for a person in therapy to turn to cognitive distortions like […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Our thought patterns make a difference in how we interpret challenging situations. When we practice healthy thinking patterns we can control how we react to upsetting issues. When we have errors in thinking, or cognitive distortions, we can misunderstand a challenging situation and behave in a way that may not fit our character. Cognitive distortions […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of successfully developing effective communication skills is understanding what it means to be assertive. Assertive communication skills are essential for clients who are learning how to express themselves effectively. When a person is assertive, they are able to make their point and perspective clear. They are able to state their needs and […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Emotions can be challenging to understand. Sometimes they have concrete reasons for being felt, and sometimes we are not sure why we are feeling a certain way. When we feel emotions we do not understand, we can struggle to understand how to cope. People who struggle to understand how to identify and cope with their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Cognitive distortions, or errors in thinking, can cause a person to misinterpret situations and see themselves in a negative light. They are powerful and can have effects on a person’s sense of self-esteem, mood, and reactions to challenging situations. Teaching a client in therapy about how cognitive distortions may be impacting their mental health can […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Stress is a natural part of life. It is a part of life that everyone must face and learn how to cope with. Some people are able to manage stress well, while others tend to really struggle to cope. Stress can lead to other issues, like anxiety, depression, motivation issues and relationship issues, so it […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
The first step to managing stress is learning how to recognize stress. Most people who experience symptoms of stress do not realize that it is a physiological reaction. They also do not realize how often daily occurrences can be triggers for stress. When working with a client who is struggling with stress-related issues, it is […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
The Cognitive-Behavioral model is used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It is a model used to explain the process of how CBT works and how it is helpful to utilize while in counseling. Often clients struggle to understand the meaning behind concepts in CBT, so it is helpful to have a visual aid that explains the […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Teaching emotional intelligence skills is important when working with young children. Often children have feelings they may not understand, which makes it difficult for them to express how they are feeling and if they are upset. This struggle can prevent caretakers and parents from being able to understand the child’s needs, and can further complicate […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Creating mantras is a great way to help your client learn how to cope and self-soothe when going about their day-to-day life. A mantra is a saying or phrase that is created and used by a person in times of distress, discomfort, sadness or anger. Mantras derive from meditative practices and have been found to […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
There are many reasons why rewarding systems and operant conditioning strategies can be beneficial for a client. Whether it is to learn new parenting skills, communication skills, or leadership skills, understanding the process of reinforcement and punishment styles can be instrumental in a client’s therapeutic process. While helpful skills to learn, understanding the difference between […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
We all know that sometimes life can get overwhelming. Whether it is stress at work, home, or from an unexpected circumstance that causes us to feel overwhelmed. Whatever the case, it is important to know how to manage the feelings of stress, anxiety, fatigue, and depressed mood that comes with difficult circumstances. We all have […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
In successful therapeutic processes, there will come a point in which a client needs to learn how to maintain a healthy, positive lifestyle that promotes mental health and wellness. Clients learn a great deal while in therapy, and making sure that the skills they learn is important to ensuring the client’s successful completion. It is […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
The way we think is a huge component that contributes to the way we feel, behave and react to situations. People develop habits in thinking. Sometimes those habits are healthy, but often people can develop erroneous patterns of thought that affect the way they perceive the world and their place in it. These thoughts are […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Sometimes it can be tough for our clients to know what words to use to express what they are feeling. Feelings and emotions are complex, and can sometimes be uncomfortable and overwhelming. When our clients struggle to articulate their feelings it can be helpful to provide a guide to help navigate them through the words […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When teaching a client how to use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for managing anxiety it helps a great deal to provide a visual aid. Clients who suffer from severe or chronic anxiety struggle to maintain control over anxious thoughts and resulting anxious feelings and behavior. It is important to teach clients in CBT treatment to […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Sometimes our clients have a hard time expressing how they feel to their therapist and others. There could be several reasons for this, like the client was not brought up to express their emotions, they struggled to relate to how others feel, or they simply struggle to make the connection between feeling and expressing their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
There are a number or reasons why our clients develop a tendency of stunting their emotional expression. Many grow up in homes where they learn to silence their feelings, some suffer from mood disorders that cause unfamiliar feelings, and some come from traumatic, abusive, or negligent situations that prevent them from being able to understand […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is sometimes difficult to control anger. Whether it is an isolated situation or a long-term problem, managing anger can be a challenge, especially when feeling overwhelmed with emotions or stress. Triggers for anger can potentially cause a person to react in alarming and sometimes dangerous ways. Those who suffer from anger management issues find […]
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