GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Therapists who are trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) find value in teaching their clients how to cope with automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). ANTs can be catalysts for negative behavior like lashing out at others and self-destructive habits. They also cause negative emotions and hurt feelings that may not necessarily fit the situation that caused the […]
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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
A common component to a client’s experience with low self-esteem or emotional issues is poor self-image. There are many reasons that a person may have a poor self-image, but one reason that can affect a client is not being aware of or understanding the things they value in life. Being disconnected from personal values can […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Children find it hard to cope with things they do not understand. There are many people, places, and things in the world that scare children, and when children are afraid they feel lost, alone, and vulnerable. A fearful child will have a hard time developing the confidence they need to face their fears, but helping […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A common cause of challenges with relationships is how a person communicates. Communication skills can affect a person in different ways, whether they are struggling with relationship issues, social anxiety, self-esteem, or other issues. Being able to communicate well helps with a person’s mental health in several ways, including boosting confidence, working through emotional challenges, […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Anger is difficult to control sometimes. It is powerful, and can affect a person in a number of different ways. When a person does not feel in control of their anger, they can react in ways that leads to consequences. It is important to know how to stay in control of anger. Anger can be […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
An important step to understanding anger is understanding how intense it can become and the situations that make it as intense as it can be. People with anger management issues find it difficult to assess a situation without their anger affecting their judgment, which makes it challenging for them to control their reactions. Learning how […]
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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
In therapy, a client learns a lot about their emotions and gain perspective on their life challenges. Through self-exploration, they learn different ways to cope with the challenges they face. Therapy teaches coping skills that help clients relieve their symptoms in real-life situations. They learn valuable life skills in sessions, but sometimes it can be […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Family bonding time is an important part of any family dynamic. A family’s sense of unity and connectedness grows when they can enjoy time together and make fond memories. Setting time aside to enjoy the company of your family also helps family members feel wanted and appreciated, which helps boost self-esteem and trust in your […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Thoughts can be upsetting sometimes, but the thoughts that upset us are not always healthy or realistic. We often have thoughts in reaction to situations that we may not fully understand or are interpreted through our feelings. Upsetting thoughts can affect how we feel about ourselves, our behaviors, and our emotions, so it is important […]
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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
Anger management skills are an important part of maintaining good mental health and healthy relationships. People who struggle with anger are often struggling with other feelings, like stress, grief, and fear. In the moment, they may not realize how many other things are going on that is causing the anger, which can lead to outbursts […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
When you do not set clear and healthy boundaries with others, you put yourself at risk of being mistreated. Without proper boundaries, the people in your life may mistreat you and not realize it. This is because they do not know that the way they are approaching you is upsetting you or simply does not […]
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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
Teamwork is an important part of any relationship. Whether it is family, partners, peers, classmates or coworkers, being able to develop a good working dynamic can be a skill that lasts throughout the course of the relationship. In order to have a productive relationship, you must have good communication skills. Without effective communication skills, working […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Children in therapy can often struggle with expressing how they feel. For a number of reasons, a child can struggle with expressing their feelings and needs, even with their parents and friends. When a child is struggling to talk about how they feel, it can be helpful to think about other means of expression. A […]
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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
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
Understanding your own positive traits is an important part of building your self-worth and self-esteem. When you do not know your own positive traits, it is hard to feel like you know yourself. You often do not know how to make proper decisions, or how to behave in a healthy way. Your self-worth and moral […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Children often do not understand how to handle their anger in a healthy way. They may act out, shut down, or lash out at others. Anger can be a complicated emotion for children, so ensuring that they understand how to cope with the feeling is important. Children often need guidance for how to communicate their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
A huge part of having a healthy lifestyle is having proper boundaries with yourself and the people in your life. Boundaries promote healthy relationships with others and a good sense of self-esteem. They are very important, but can sometimes be difficult to maintain. Everyone’s boundaries are different. Each person has their own unique needs and […]
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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
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
Social anxiety has an effect on how people interact with others. It affects the connections people make with friends and family. Social anxiety can cause a great deal of stress for affected people, and can be really frustrating to manage everyday. Those who seek help with social anxiety aim to learn how to manage their […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Having healthy communication skills are important, but also challenging to develop. Some people may struggle with articulating their feelings and needs. It is common for a client to struggle with being assertive or understanding what it means to be assertive with your needs. Learning how to reflect on a situation before confronting another person can […]
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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
When working with kids, especially those who have behavioral problems, it can be a challenge to teach empathy and healthy socialization skills. Being able to express gratitude and appreciation for others helps a child relate to their peers and teaches them how to identify positive qualities within themselves. When a child can express appreciation, they […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Arguments are never easy, but it is important to know how to effectively argue to keep lines of communication open. Often when people struggle with arguments the point of the argument is lost, which prevents the partners to find resolution. This is why it is important to learn how to effectively argue to find resolution […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Promoting self-love is an important part of therapy, but sometimes can be a challenge for clients. It is a lesson that is dynamic, and should be treated as such. For a client to learn to love himself or herself, he or she must also learn how to love and appreciate those around him or her. […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Healthy communication is an integral part of strengthening relationships. People who are struggling in a relationship often have a hard time expressing their needs openly and effectively. This can cause tension between partners, leading to a rift in the relationship. Exploring relationship needs requires time and planning. Some needs will be addressed daily and some […]
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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 cause confusion and frustration for caretakers. It also affects the child’s ability to build healthy communication […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Emotional regulation is an important part of mental health, and it is often a part of a client’s treatment plan. Learning how to regulate emotions can be challenging, but is an important skill set. Teaching clients how to regulate their emotions helps them understand how their emotions affect their reactions to difficult things in life. […]
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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
Interpersonal issues like assertiveness, aggression, and confrontation are often things people struggle to know how to handle. There is a fine line between assertiveness and aggression, hostility, and passivity when dealing with confrontation. Sometimes, it can be difficult for someone in therapy to know which road to take- whether to be assertive, aggressive, or submissive, […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
It is common for couples in therapy to struggle with communicating and resolving conflict. Conflict poses challenges for people in relationships because it impacts communication, which is an important part of socializing, bonding, and getting along with others. When a person in therapy struggles with communicating, their self-esteem, ability to relate to others, and overall […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Accepting things that are outside of our control is challenging. Many clients in therapy struggle with accepting the limits of control and being tolerant of the things that are outside of their control. Experiences like chronic pain, grief, loss, anxiety, and depression can cause a great deal of suffering, but being able to accept the […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
One common cause of stress for clients in therapy is understanding how to handle confrontation and interactions with others. Sometimes people struggle with being assertive, controlling their temper, or simply expressing how they are feeling or what they are thinking in a given situation. When clients struggle with such challenges, it helps to assist them […]
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GinaMarie Guarino, LMHC
Negative thoughts can control the way people perceive almost every aspect of their lives. Some may have negative thoughts about themselves, others, or the way of the world. Negative thoughts generate negative feelings. In turn, negative feelings contribute to harmful behavior and can worsen mood disorders. That is why it is important to know how […]
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