Blog Articles
Additional resources written by our PCS therapists.
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Three Roadblocks to Recovery and One Intervention
Sobriety and recovery require a great deal of self awareness. The process of knowing self is key. When we lack self awareness it is difficult to live with intention and know when and how to intervene. Initially, it is important to identify behaviors that block us from healthy living. Defensiveness,… -
Noisy Spaces Make Little Room for Connection
Okay, I know I am going to sound old and cranky here, but I can’t help but notice how loud most restaurants are these days. I love going out to eat with friends and family. I love trying new foods and breaking bread with those I love. I love slowing… -
Mindfulness in the Heat: How My Summer Walks Taught Me to Be Present
When I was on my mindful walk last week in the 102° weather, I became acutely aware of how sad I will be to stop going on these walks. Summers in Arizona are tough. The intense heat drains the energy out of many of life’s usual rhythms—even something as simple… -
The Importance of Showing Up: Lessons from Life and Loss
This morning, as I drove to work, I found myself deeply moved by an audiobook recommended by a friend: “The Amen Effect” by Sharon Brous. In the opening chapters, she reflects on her grandmother’s powerful rule about the importance of showing up—not just during moments of joy, but also in… -
Why Food Matters Especially When Supporting Mental Health
A healthy and balanced diet is crucial in supporting our physicality, and this is no different when it comes to our mental health. Our brain primarily runs on glucose, needing a consistent supply from the foods we eat. Thankfully, our bodies are brilliant, and we can get “brain fuel” from… -
Uncovering your Reflection
I was always drawn to kaleidoscopes growing up…being able to look through and see colorful patterns shifting and changing could mesmerize me at a moment’s notice. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m drawn to symbols and metaphors in my own life. I use them to ground myself and articulate… -
The Orienting Response
At any given moment in time, your senses are bombarded with a vast amount of data. To effectively filter and prioritize what you pay attention to – or orient toward – you must, therefore, select some environmental cues to the exclusion of others. This process is correlated with your internal… -
2024: A Year to Leave or One to Embrace
I have typically not embraced the New Year as a significant transition point. I enjoy the year in review summaries to reminisce on the prior year events but not found the motivation or purpose in setting goals for the year. Goal setting has always been an ongoing process for me,… -
What Will Be, Will Be
A new year is something that begins with creating resolutions, goals for the future, and brings a renewed sense of energy and motivation. One consistency through each new year that I have observed, is the idea on everyone’s mind: “What can change look like for me this year?”. Desired change… -
Same Me
If you are reading this, it’s highly likely that you have heard of the idea of “New Years Resolutions” and have also heard the highly optimistic phrase “New Year, New Me.” I have begun to ponder why there’s such a busyness and bustle about these ideas so much so that… -
Giving Yourself Grace
I have been thinking a lot lately about stress and pressure and how all encompassing it can be. I see it everyday as a student and as an intern at PCS. The external pressures that come from every angle externally. The societal, familial and peer pressures to live up to… -
HEARD Animals
Humans are herd animals. That is, we are hardwired for connection and togetherness. We depend on being connected to physically survive, and we absolutely need it in order to thrive psychologically, physiologically, emotionally, and socially. So what is connection? It comes from the Latin word connectere which means to “fasten… -
Managing Holiday Stress
The season is changing, and coming with it is the shift into the holidays. While the holiday season can be wonderful, there are often many stressors. Some people struggle around their families. For others, the holidays are a painful reminder of a difficult time. If you struggle to manage your… -
My Relationship with Pain
I’ve been thinking about pain lately, because there’s just so much of it, and everywhere. Not just in the world, that’s obvious and relentless, but with the people I love, closest to me. And yet, I find myself saying to my children, “You will look back at this time and… -
“The Story I Tell Myself…”
There are moments when you feel securely tethered to the truth. These are the times when you are more confident in your knowledge about how the world works and how to best move through it. Within this mental comfort zone, your stress response is diminished, and your social engagement system… -
“Not Throwing Away my Shot”
In the musical “Hamilton” the phrase “I am not throwing away my shot” references the concept of wasting an opportunity. I think all of us can relate with the idea, particularly when we go into ‘coulda woulda shoulda’ thinking as we rehash historical content with the means to shame, blame,… -
What to Look for In Our Closest Relationships
I am unaware of anyone, personally or professionally, who does life well in isolation. We are social beings. We need connection. It is built into our survival. Of course there is room for introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts, but those expressions of who we are focus on how we get those… -
6 Ways To Support A Loved One With ADHD
Maybe you have lived with someone with ADHD growing up. Maybe you are currently in a relationship with someone with ADHD. Maybe someone you love just received an ADHD diagnosis. No matter what, if someone you care about has ADHD and you don’t, you have some work to do. Here… -
Group Psychotherapy and How Interpersonal Neurobiology Can Help Explain It
Mirror neurons biologically help explain the idea that “individuals attune to one another and represent themselves in and through each other” (Gantt & Badenoch, 2018, p. 25). The idea we are mirrors of one another and can deeply know and understand ourselves through connection is not a new idea but… -
LET’S DEFINE SEXUAL CONSENT
It seems obvious, right? Of course, we always get consent from others before we are sexual with them. It just comes naturally, right? Sadly, all too often the answer is no. From college campuses to our own private bedrooms, consent before sex is too often overlooked, ignored, or exploited. We…
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