Couples counseling can be thought of as an educational process for effective communication between any two person system. This would include spouses, lovers, siblings, parent-child or co-workers. Effective communication by two people will involve clear messaging that is hearable and specific. It requires that while one…

Hi, my name is Lesa Spravka and I’m a psychotherapist here at Heartwood Center. I want to tell you a little bit about a therapeutic technique I was recently trained in called The Completion Process. This process was created by Teal Swan (tealswan.com) who developed it to assist herself in recovering from some horrific…

Imagine building your inner strengths to deal better with stress, frustration and change. Do you ever notice the feeling of relief in your body when you’ve arrived at a good decision or feel the tension when you’re uncomfortable about something you are about to do? We are always being guided by our inner experience and…

After a particularly challenging session last week, I asked myself the other day how many times along the journey of becoming a therapist someone wiser, more experienced and often older in years told me to “Trust the process.” By the third stressful year of graduate school, hearing that phrase led to feelings of anger,…

Summer is going by so quickly and mid August is fast approaching.This is the month when families prepare for the new school year once again. Every August brings big changes to families. Perhaps your child is preparing to go to school for the first time. Perhaps you are preparing to send your first child off to college.…

By: Lindy Ferrigno, ABT, CI (AOBTA) Summer is the time of the Fire Element. It is a time of celebrating and rejoicing in the beauty, fullness and fruition of life. The climate is hot and dry and the Earth is abundant in this season of maturity when plants blossom and bear fruit. It is a time when we relax and enjoy the…

The latest buzzword in wellness these days is mindfulness and for good reason. It has been shown to reduce stress, decrease anxiety and provide a greater state of happiness and peace of mind for those who regularly practice it. With its upcoming programs and events, combined with the skills of several of its practition…

We all love summer. After living with the cold and being inside all winter we enjoy the days of picnics, outside music festivals, spending time outside in nature and watermelon! We take vacations; have adventures and summer romances both with people and places. This summer I facilitated an inspiring pilgrimage to the s…

Well it’s that time of year:  NCAA Basketball, March madness (although March has come and gone so I’m not sure why it’s titled that), The Final Four, etc.  To be honest, that’s really all I know about it.  I no longer own a TV and when I did sports was never my interest.  Yeah sure, I know that a free throw is a point,…

Many people get depressed during the winter season. The physiological explanations for depression and substances unbalance are varied and it is not my intention to discuss them here. I would like to share my experience with alternative medicine. I have seen patients who have been suffering depression and who are under…