AI and the Art of Wellness: Bridging Technology and Humanity

By Dr. Victoria Ranade

When I was a kid, I spent hours building forts out of pillows, carefully arranging each cushion until it felt like my own little world. I traced shapes on the walls with my fingers, letting my imagination carry me to places no one else could see. I survived dysentery on the Oregon Trail, guiding my pixelated pioneers through hardships I didn’t yet understand. In the evenings, we played red light, green light with the neighborhood kids, laughter filling the sunshine and street, spilling across the pavement like it belonged to everyone.

Even the quietest moments felt alive—watching dust float in a beam of sunlight, tiny specks moving as if with a secret presence of their own. The clerks rang up our orders, and we wandered the aisles, unhurried, as if we had all the time in the world. These small, ordinary rituals made life feel connected, human.

Now, it’s different. Children swipe through screens instead of building with their hands, and we check out at machines that don’t ask how our day is going. Packages appear at our doors with startling speed, delivered by strangers whose names we’ll never know. Technology is changing our ways of life faster than we can adjust to it. It often feels as though the rhythm of innovation is outpacing the rhythm of our humanity, leaving many of us feeling isolated and disconnected.

But here’s the thing: change doesn’t mean loss. It means adaptation.

AI as a Bridge to Wellness and Connection

The same curiosity that once inspired me to trace patterns on a wall or imagine worlds inside a pillow fort now finds new expression. Artificial intelligence (AI) is here, and while it may seem like another force pulling us apart, it also holds the potential to bridge gaps in our lives.

As a clinical psychologist, my hope is that AI transforms mental health care, reducing the burden of anxiety, depression, and everyday overwhelm. By offering support in moments of need, AI can create more space in our lives for wellness and connection.

Of course, there are gaps in what AI can provide. As Carl Rogers, a pioneer in humanistic psychology, reminded us, true healing often comes from authentic relationships—the power of being truly seen and heard. While AI cannot replicate the depth of human empathy, it can act as a bridge, offering support in the in-between spaces and freeing up mental and emotional energy for the deeper connections that make us feel alive.

Here are three simple ways to use AI to enrich your life and wellness while staying true to what makes you curious, creative, and connected as a human:

1. Use AI as a Mental Health Companion

AI-powered tools can help you practice mindfulness, track your moods, and provide gentle, evidence-based support when you need it most. These tools offer affirming responses like, “It’s okay to feel this way,” which can validate your emotions and remind you that help is always within reach.

2. Reignite Curiosity and Creativity

AI can make learning fun again. Ask it for a new recipe, a creative writing prompt, or an explanation of a concept you’ve always been curious about. Think of it as a playful teacher that turns everyday boredom into opportunities for discovery.

3. Lighten Your Mental Load

On days when you’re too tired to string together coherent thoughts for an email or task, AI can help. Simply input a few phrases, and it will craft a polished response, reducing the overwhelm of daily responsibilities. This kind of support creates space for rest, focus, and self-compassion.

Adapting Without Losing Ourselves

By embracing AI with intention, we can let it enhance our lives without losing the essence of what makes us human. It’s not about replacing connection—it’s about deepening it. AI can bridge the gap between isolation and connection, freeing us to spend more time on what truly matters: our relationships, creativity, and well-being.

As humans, our greatest strength is our ability to adapt. In a world of constant change, let’s hold onto the things that matter most—including our sense of connection, our curiosity, and the simple joy of being alive. And in doing so, we grow and evolve into our fullest expression.

6 Practical Ways to Cope with Post-Election Anxiety

If you’ve spent this week worried about your future and the future of the people you love, you’re not alone. 

The aftermath of this election probably feels heavy for many, especially when the stakes are as high as they are for women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other communities that have faced marginalization in the United States. The mixed emotions people feel after election results—fear, anxiety, frustration—are valid.

Many people are deeply concerned about what these results may mean for women’s rights, bodily autonomy, immigrant rights, trans rights, marriage equality, healthcare, and more. By practicing compassionate self-care, building resilience, and finding ways to support our communities, we can help ease this anxiety, protect our well-being, and create hope for the future.

First of all: post-election fear and anxiety is valid

It’s understandable to feel afraid or anxious in the coming days and weeks, as we grapple with the results of this election. If you’re feeling unmoored, you’re not the only one. Many of us are concerned about the future of human rights, the potential rollback of protections for our families, workers, and the environment, and what this means for our loved ones and communities. Fear about state violence, endless war, immigration policies, and the safety of LGBTQ+ individuals—particularly trans folks—is grounded in the lived realities of many. 

When basic rights and freedoms are on the line, it’s natural to feel shaken. It makes sense to feel afraid when things are frightening. 

These concerns can be especially pressing for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities, who may have experienced the impact of restrictive policies or harmful rhetoric in the past. If you’re feeling like your mental health is taking a hit from all this uncertainty, know that you’re not alone. While it’s natural to feel uncertain, getting stuck in a state of despair and fear isn’t actually going to help anyone at this moment. GIve yourself time to feel your feelings, but make sure that you don’t stay in grief-mode forever. 

Second: remember that there’s power in community and resilience

While the current landscape can seem bleak, there are things to be hopeful about. One of the most powerful tools we have is our ability to come together, lean on one another, and work toward a future that reflects our values as communities. The concerns we have about what’s coming can bring us closer to our communities, who share those fears. As humans, we are social creatures, and we crave being with others. We often find strength, resilience, and support in others, and building connections with other people can help us feel like there is more good in the world than bad.

One powerful way to address political and social anxiety is through building community. 

It’s natural to feel isolated during difficult times, but we’re often stronger together. Building community is a skill that can help buffer us from the stress and anxiety of an unpredictable future.

Community-building isn’t always easy; it involves learning to navigate conflict, respect differences, and communicate openly. But when we come together to support each other, we create networks of resilience that allow us to withstand challenges more effectively. Everyone has something to offer at this moment, whether it’s a skill, an open ear, or a comforting presence.

Every movement for change was built step by step, and we’re part of that ongoing journey. Staying connected with what matters to us, whether through advocacy, education, or supporting those affected, can give us a sense of purpose and hope.

6 Practical Ways to Cope with Post-Election Anxiety

Your feelings right now are valid, and there are certainly things to be concerned about, which can make taming anxiety difficult. These are a few ways to care for your mental health and take action.

Acknowledge your feelings

Beating yourself up for how you feel isn’t going to be helpful for anyone. Give yourself space to feel anxious, angry, or afraid without the need to “get over it” immediately. Bottling emotions can add to stress, so allow yourself to process in whatever way feels right—whether through journaling, speaking with friends, or engaging in quiet reflection. You’re allowed to have feelings. 

Set boundaries if you need to

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by news cycles and social media, and the algorithms that they run on thrive on intense emotion, like fear. If updates are causing more stress than reassurance, set limits on how often you check them. Staying informed is valuable, but constant exposure can heighten anxiety. 

It’s also important to curate your sources to follow trustworthy, balanced reporting or advocacy-focused accounts that align with your values. In a time of mass misinformation and disinformation, it’s tricky for people to determine what’s true and what’s not. Learning how to spot misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda can help you make sense of what you see on your screen. This type of media literacy is very rare, and it is a valuable skill to both learn and share. 

Join a group or community

It might be helpful for you to narrow your level of focus from the whole country to your local area when things feel overwhelming. Learning who is doing what already in your area can help you determine what kind of community needs there are. There are groups out there doing work on things you care about! Starting with organizations that are already on the ground doing the work can help you feel more connected to the community around you. 

Community doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it can be cultivated with intentionality. Find people who share your concerns and are also looking for ways to feel empowered in the face of adversity. Remember that community can take many forms—from neighborhood groups to online forums, advocacy organizations, or therapy support groups.

Focus on small actions

It’s easy to feel helpless, but change can begin with small, consistent actions. Consider the causes that matter most to you and think about how you can support those efforts—whether that’s through advocacy, volunteer work, supporting community initiatives, or simply having open and supportive conversations with those around you.

Taking even small actions to support a cause you care about can ease anxiety and foster a sense of control. Every effort counts, and collective action grows through individual contributions.

Here are a few ideas for taking meaningful steps forward:

• Join local or national advocacy groups focused on your concerns.

• Find or form community spaces where people can come together, share stories, and support one another.

• Commit to self-education on issues that impact your community.

• Practice “gentle activism”—actions that allow you to contribute without overwhelming yourself, such as sharing resources or creating safe, welcoming spaces for open dialogue.

Lead with compassion

Remember to show yourself and others in your community compassion right now. Elections can stir up intense emotions. Practicing mindfulness—like deep breathing, meditation, or grounding exercises—can help you feel more calm in anxious moments. 

Self-compassion practices remind us that it’s okay to feel affected by what’s happening, but it’s also okay to give ourselves a break from the weight of it. There is a ton of divisiveness out there right now, as we know all too well. 

How can you bring some kindness into your corner of the world? Let’s lean into this moment with compassion—for ourselves and for each other. We are stronger and more resilient together. 

Get help when you need it 

The world can feel overwhelming, but by balancing mental health care with intentional action, we can find ways to channel that anxiety into resilience. In challenging times, even the smallest steps toward supporting each other and taking action can make a difference.

If you’re finding it difficult to manage your emotions or cope with post-election stress, consider reaching out to a mental health professional. Therapy can provide a safe space to process feelings, develop coping strategies, and reconnect with your strengths, even when the future feels uncertain. 

Are you in need of extra mental health support in the aftermath of the 2024 election? We can help. We work with folks in the McLean, Great Falls, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC regions, as well as offering online services in DC, MD, VA, and all PSYPACT states. If you would like to talk to one of our therapists, please contact us here.

Understanding Your Attachment Style to Improve Your Relationships

Have you ever noticed patterns that keep coming up in your relationships with others?

If you have, you’re not alone. These patterns can often be traced back to what’s called your attachment style. Your attachment style is the way that you form relationships with the people closest to you, and it’s heavily influenced by the way you were treated by your caregivers growing up. 

Being in relationships with other people can sometimes bring up complicated feelings, and even lead us to behave in ways we don’t always understand. When we experience disconnection in our relationships, some of us might tend to pull away, while others might cling even harder to the other person. Some of us might do some combination of both. Often, these reactions aren’t something that we think about - they’re fairly automatic responses that we’ve been using since childhood.

When we talk about attachment, we often think about romantic relationships, but romantic relationships aren’t the only relationships where attachment styles come into play. The way we attach to others affects all aspects of our lives, from friendships to workplace dynamics, and even how we connect with family members. 

Understanding your attachment style more deeply can be a key to not only improving romantic partnerships, but also deepening your connection with family, friends, coworkers, and your community as a whole.

Where our attachment styles come from

Attachment theory was initially developed by British psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s. It explored the emotional connection between a child and their primary caregiver. Bowlby’s work, which was later expanded on by developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth, identified distinct patterns of attachment in children. These patterns are largely determined by how caregivers respond to the child’s needs for comfort and security.

Throughout childhood, the ways our caregivers respond to our emotional needs teach us what to expect from others. Emotional connection is actually a matter of life or death for us when we’re young. Think about it - without the help of a caregiver, babies wouldn’t be able to survive on their own. The care we receive as children influences how we perceive relationships as we grow up, and we carry these relational patterns into adulthood. 

If our caregivers were emotionally available and attuned when we were children, we are more likely to form secure attachments. On the other hand, inconsistent or emotionally distant caregiving can lead to developing an insecure attachment style. These patterns don't just stay within the confines of childhood—they influence how we form and maintain all kinds of relationships later in life.

What are the different attachment styles?

There are four main attachment styles that people develop in childhood: Secure Attachment, and then what are known as insecure attachment styles, which include Anxious Attachment, Avoidant Attachment, and Disorganized Attachment. 

Anxious Attachment

Anxiously attached individuals often worry about being abandoned or not being loved enough. This fear stems from inconsistent caregiving—perhaps you received comfort and attention from your caregivers some of the time, but at other times, it was unavailable. As a result, you might feel a heightened need for reassurance in relationships.

In adult relationships, this may manifest as needing constant validation from friends, partners, or even colleagues, with a persistent fear that relationships could fall apart. You might feel overly sensitive to any perceived rejection or distancing. This can be overwhelming to deal with, especially if your partner also has an insecure attachment style, and lead to wedges in your relationships, which is the opposite of what you crave. 

Avoidant Attachment

People with an avoidant attachment style tend to downplay their emotional needs and prefer to be independent. This attachment style is often a result of caregivers being emotionally unavailable or dismissive of your needs when you were growing up. 

In adult relationships, you may feel uncomfortable with intimacy or vulnerability. You might prefer to keep relationships at arm’s length. This can affect romantic relationships as well as friendships, making it hard to connect deeply. You might find yourself pulling away from others when emotional closeness is expected. If your partner also has an insecure attachment style, the ways they try to gain closeness might feel suffocating to you, which leads to you pulling away further, making the cycle worse. 

Disorganized Attachment

A disorganized attachment style is often the result of trauma, neglect, or inconsistent caregiving that fluctuates between comfort and fear. Children with this attachment style learn that their caregivers are sources of both safety and harm, creating confusion and anxiety around connection.

In adult relationships, disorganized attachment can show up as chaotic or unpredictable relationship patterns. You may feel drawn to relationships but fear being hurt, leading to push-pull dynamics or difficulty trusting others. Often, the inconsistency can be confusing for other people you’re in relationships with, and lead to further disconnection. 

Secure Attachment

A secure attachment style develops when your caregivers were consistently responsive to your emotional needs when you were young. Because of this, you learned that relationships are safe, stable, and nurturing. 

In adult relationships, those with a secure attachment style tend to have healthier relationship dynamics. You likely feel comfortable being vulnerable, can trust others, and can navigate conflict with confidence. Having a secure attachment style can be a protective factor during times of relationship stress and conflict, because you trust that you will eventually return to safety together. 

How our attachment styles show up in our relationships

While we often think of attachment in the context of romantic partnerships, your attachment style can influence different relationships, including:

• Friendships: An anxiously attached person might worry excessively about whether their friends truly like them, while someone with an avoidant style might struggle to be fully present in intimate friendships.

• Workplace: In professional environments, someone with disorganized attachment may experience heightened stress around authority figures or struggle with trust and communication, while securely attached individuals are more likely to collaborate confidently.

• Family: For those with avoidant attachment, emotional distance might extend into family dynamics, leading to feelings of isolation or disconnect.

How can you determine which attachment style you tend to fall into?

Understanding which attachment style you tend to experience can help you recognize negative patterns and explain why you tend to react in certain ways when you feel disconnected in your relationships. Determining which attachment style you gravitate toward takes self reflection on your patterns from childhood to now. 

You can begin by:

• Reflecting on your childhood experiences: How did your caregivers respond when you needed comfort or support? Were they consistently available, or were their responses unpredictable? Did you feel like you could rely on your caregivers for safety?

• Noticing patterns in your relationships: Do you find yourself constantly seeking reassurance from others? Or do you tend to pull away when people get too close? Do you find yourself in a confusing push-pull pattern? 

• Taking an online assessment: There are online quizzes and self-assessments that can help you identify your attachment style. Keep in mind that anyone can make an online quiz, though. An online assessment might be a good starting point before you begin working with a mental health professional.

• Working with a therapist: Therapy can be an excellent place to dive deeper into your attachment patterns and explore the impact they have on your adult relationships. A therapist can help you reflect on your childhood experiences as well as your adult relationships, and help you determine which attachment style you tend to experience. 

Attachment style isn’t fixed

One important thing to note is that your attachment style isn't set in stone. Your attachment style is a relational trait that can change over time, especially as you grow in self-awareness and experience new, healthier relationships. You might also experience a different attachment style in different relationships. You might experience anxious attachment with your romantic partner, and avoidant attachment with a family member, for example. 

Whichever attachment styles you experience, it’s never too late to work toward security, trust, and deeper connection. By understanding your attachment style, you can create more meaningful, fulfilling relationships in every area of your life, from romantic partners to lifelong friends. 

Are you looking for more support in your relationships? Working with a therapist can help you explore your relational patterns and understand your attachment style. Our clinicians have appointments available - contact us today to get started.

How to Craft a Joyful Daily Routine

Are you intentional with your daily routine? Or do you find yourself just going through the motions?

When a routine feels like drudgery, instead of something you’re excited about, it can feel as though joyful moments are few and far between in your daily life. The key is working in new joyful moments into your day, either by altering your current routine, or creating a new one altogether. 

First: What Brings Joy into Your Life? 

Take a few moments to reflect on your typical day. What parts of your day do you enjoy the most? Is it enjoying a hot cup of coffee in the morning? Is it calling a friend on your commute home from work? 

Make a list of these moments. If you can’t think of them now, keep a notepad with you, or start a note on your phone to keep track of them as they happen throughout the day. 

When you have your list of things that bring joy into your day, make not of how frequently you do those things. Rate it on a scale of one to three:

• 1: rarely do you do this

• 2: you do this somewhat regularly

• 3: you do this all the time

Take a look at the things you’ve given a one or a two. Do you not do them often because they don’t improve your mood that much, or have you just not found a way to work them into your day more regularly? 

Write out how you usually spend your time each day. It doesn’t have to be super detailed, but give yourself a general outline of what goes on. Where can you add in those 1’s or 2’s? Can you shift your routine around to make more room for them? 

For example, if your favorite part of the morning is sitting and reading with a fresh cup of coffee, consider giving yourself more time to do it! Can you alter your nighttime routine to include setting your coffee maker to brew automatically in the morning, or shower at night to free up time in the morning? Maybe set your clothes out the night before so you don’t have to take time away from your morning routine figuring out what to wear. 

When you’ve found what parts of your day make you the happiest, try combining them with parts of your routine you don’t enjoy. 

For example, a friend struggled to motivate herself to maintain her morning and night hygiene routine. Getting up, brushing her teeth, washing her face, etc. It just wasn’t fun for her! So she didn’t like doing it, which made those two parts of her days seem like a burden. 

What she did love was setting aside time to listen to her favorite music, and playing with her cat. So, in order to make her routine more joyful, she combined all three! Now, when she needs to get that hygiene routine going, she puts on her favorite album. She gives herself a few minutes to sit and enjoy it (or dance around) before migrating into the bathroom while it continues to play on. And when she brushes her teeth, she plays with her cat’s laser pointer. So while she’s doing something boring, that she disliked before, she’s able to enjoy it! 

Finally, consider what is missing from your routine. 

Once you’ve identified your favorite parts of your day (and hopefully found ways to brighten up your least favorite parts) consider: is your daily routine missing something? 

Ask yourself “What sorts of things do I enjoy doing when I have free time?” 

Maybe you like trying new restaurants. Or patronizing local coffee shops. Maybe you like to learn or craft, or are a film buff. Think of your hobbies. Make a list similar to the first one, where you rank these hobbies on a scale of one to three, using the same scale.

Now, how can you add them into your routine? 

You might not be able to add in everything you want to, but you can probably make some small adjustments! If you love being outside and going to local coffee shops, find one nearby. Choose one day a week to walk there and have your morning coffee routine take place there. 

If you like to learn, think about what subjects interest you most. Even if you’re busy you can find ways to add some learning into your day. Maybe there’s a podcast on the subject you can listen to while you commute, or shower or cook. 

Or, leave some space, either in your daily routine or at least once a week, where nothing is structured or scheduled. Use that time to follow your whims and passions. What can you do during that time to bring yourself some more joy? 

Crafting a joyful routine is all about small, intentional decision making.

 Rather than just trying to get through the day and achieve as much as you can, try to shift your mindset. Think instead, what will make me feel most fulfilled at the end of this day? What will leave me feeling joyful and excited to start again tomorrow? 

Crafting a joyful routine is a wonderful act of self care. If you need help figuring out how to add more joy into your daily routine, our therapists can help. Get in touch today!

therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a therapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide compassionate care to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

Well Rounded Wellness: Exploring the Health Benefits of Spirituality

What is well-rounded wellness?

We’ve talked a bit before about the link between physical and mental wellness. And research is now showing that there is a significant mind-body connection; meaning our mental health can influence our physical health, and vice versa. 

So we know that health isn’t just one or the other. It’s not physical or mental, it’s a combination of caring for all of the different aspects of ourselves. But within this mind body connection, there’s another aspect often left out of the conversation: spiritual wellness. 

This aspect of wellness asks us to address our beliefs, our values, and our connection to the world we live in. It is often linked very directly with our mental health; spirituality can help with feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, listlessness, lack of purpose, etc. And in being so linked with our mental health, we see that a well rounded sense of wellness has to include the whole picture: mind, body, and soul. 

What is Spirituality?

For some, spirituality might be religion. Whether Judaism, Catholicsm, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sihkism, etc, religion, no matter the denomination, is an expression of spirituality. 

But spirituality doesn’t have to be expressed through an organized religion. 

At its core, spirituality is about connecting with your world. It’s about finding your values, and finding ways to live your life with them in mind. It’s about finding your purpose, your connection to others, your connection to the world around you. Spirituality, whatever form it shows up in, is how we make sense of the time we’re given in this world. 

What is spiritual wellness?

Spiritual wellness is just like any other type of wellness: recognizing and meeting needs. The variance lies in what those needs are. You might need a structured religion, a holy text. Or you might need something more fluid, a spiritual connection to the earth or your own intuition. 

Spiritual wellness just means that you are asking yourself the question “What does it mean for me to be spiritually fulfilled?” and then doing your best to incorporate practices that help you achieve that fulfilment. Those practices might include things like: 

• Meditation

• Prayer

• Yoga 

• Community gatherings

• Volunteer work

• Journaling

When finding what feels right for you, please remember to be culturally sensitive. While mental & physical health do benefit greatly from spiritual exploration, it’s important to remember that while some spiritual practices are meant to be shared, others are intended as a sacred part of a closed culture. Please do your research if you are exploring spirituality or religion outside of what you are familiar with. 

How does spirituality improve our overall wellness?

There are many ways spirituality helps our overall wellness. A few include: 

Improved Sleep

Because most religions have some sort of mindfulness practice (prayer, meditation, yoga), the health benefits of mindfulness are also true of the health benefits of spirituality! And research has found that those with a steady mindfulness practice get better, more restful sleep than those without. 

Boosted Physical Health 

Spiritual practices not only help our mental and emotional health, but our physical health as well. Having those steady practices helps give us a regular mindfulness routine which not only improves the quality of our sleep, but has also been shown to lower blood pressure, and strengthen our immune system. 

Improved relationships

Spirituality often centers on the idea of connection, and often requires (or benefits from) some sort of community involvement. And when we are committed to a community, that means we are attuning ourselves to be mindful of others wants and needs, as well as strengthening our own skills in communication–simply through practice! And these skills aren’t restricted just to your own spiritual community. They become habit, and make it easier for you to handle conflict and communication with other people in your life. 

Decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression

When you explore and commit to your own spirituality, you feel a stronger sense of connection. To yourself, your friends and loved ones, your community, your environment, etc. This feeling of connection helps to lower the risk of depression. And spiritual practices like meditation, prayer, and yoga help to increase our mindfulness, and in doing so decrease our stress and anxiety levels. 

Improved coping skills

When difficult life events occur (sudden illness, relationship trouble, death of a loved one, etc.) spirituality helps to give us a guidebook on how to manage what seems unmanagable. Take, for example, the death of a loved one. While traditions vary across religions and spirituality, the thing that links them all is that there is some sort of tradition or ritual that accompanies grief and loss. This can help facilitate the grieving process. Rather than pushing those difficult emotions to the side and ignoring them, spiritual or religious traditions help us to face them. And the traditions or rituals that go along with those occurrences helps us to feel like we are in control of our own grieving, or emotional journey. Without these traditions it would be much more difficult to grapple with uncomfortable emotions (like grief) and the feeling of being untethered and out of control would just make things worse. 

Incorporating spirituality into your life is a great way to round out your wellness practice. Keeping a holistic view of wellness (mind, body and soul) reminds you to take stock of your needs, and find enjoyable ways for you to fill them, without sacrificing your health in other areas.  And, in fact, can help you to improve both your mental and physical health! 

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therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide compassionatecare to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

Is Perfectionism Holding You Back?

What is perfectionism?

“Perfectionism is a trait that makes life an endless report card on accomplishments or looks.” That is how Psychology Today makes short work of defining perfectionism. While simple, this succinct definition of perfection hits the nail on the head. 

While achieving perfection sounds positive, the trait of perfectionism is actually more toxic than beneficial to our overall health and wellness–because, as most of us know, perfection isn’t actually possible to achieve. Instead, perfectionism is a trait that acts as a harsh, critical voice inside our heads, making us too afraid of failure or criticism to try new things, expand our world, or let ourselves be vulnerable in any way. 

In essence, if you are a perfectionist, the thought of doing something incorrectly can hinder you from trying it at all. There is a constant fear of judgement, criticism, or ridicule in the back of your mind. You also likely attribute your value, your worthiness, your purpose, etc. to things that you can achieve. Due to this, the idea that you might not be successful at something new isn’t just a learning experience for you; it’s an experience that makes you question your value entirely. 

Signs you might be a perfectionist: 

• You would rather not do something at all, than do it incorrectly

• You’re specific about your process: things have to be done in a certain way or else they are wrong

• You’re overly critical of yourself

• You pay more attention to criticism than praise

• Your standards (in work, regarding personal goals, etc.) are extremely high

• You’re prone to procrastination

• You invest too much time in something, often “correcting” mistakes that others don’t see

•  Success is never enough: no matter what you accomplish, you feel you can still achieve more.

Where does it come from?

As we touched on above, perfectionism is rooted in fear, which can essentially be boiled down to one general fear: that you won’t be enough. 

Whether that comes in the form of not being smart enough to do something well, or not being creative enough to tackle a new project, or not being skilled enough to be an expert at everything, there’s is an underlying fear at the root of all perfectionism. 

In the mind of a perfectionist, criticism isn’t just a tool that can be used to learn, grow, and get better. It’s a judgement on their worthiness, their quality, all of the core parts of their identity. 

How does it impact our lives?

Obviously, this trait can have a huge impact on our lives. 

Whether your perfectionism comes in the form of obsessively hiding your imperfections from others, or in trying to achieve perfection in all things, it can take a huge toll on the self. 

If you are constantly worrying about perceived imperfections, you will be more concerned with how you’re appearing to others than actually taking care of yourself. Rather than making decisions based on what it is you need and want, you’ll make decisions based on how those choices will appear to an outside observer. 

And if you are constantly trying to achieve (or at least project) perfection in all things, failure–or not being able to achieve absolute perfection–will feel devastating. In fact, it will feel so horrible that you likely will stop trying new things, stop allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and stick only with what you know you can do. 

In either of these cases, it’s clear that perfectionism is a one way track to stopping our growth and self betterment. 

How can we resist the pressure of perfectionism?

Learning to resist the compulsion for perfectionism is hard, and can feel very scary. But it is also an amazing step on your journey toward self care! While healing from perfectionism can be a long and arduous journey, there are a few things you can do for yourself to get you started:

1). Give yourself concrete reasons for change

This may seem silly at first, but make a pro + con list when you see your perfectionism rearing its head. How are you benefitting from the need for perfection? How is it holding you back? Maybe there’s a big project you need to be working on, but you know that you aren’t ready to do it perfectly, so you’re putting it off. The “pro” here is that you’re giving yourself a sense of reassurance that there will be a later time when you’re more prepared to handle this task, and you are saving yourself from immediate criticism. But how else is it impacting your life? In the “con” side you might out things like: putting this project off is making it harder to manage my time, I’m constantly stressed because I know I will have to deal with it later, I’m giving myself a shorter amount of time to produce something of quality, etc. 

Be kind to yourself when doing this exercise. Remind yourself that your perfectionism serves a purpose–it likely exists to offer you some sort of protection. However, at this point in your life, the protection it offers is outweighed by the burden it puts on you. Giving yourself a physical list to show this can be a powerful reminder & motivator when trying to overcome your perfectionism. 

2). Celebrate what you’ve done well

A big problem in perfectionism is that when a perfectionist is not 100% successful at something, they don’t just see it as an instance in which they failed. Rather, they see it as the turning point when they became a failure. Reminding yourself of things you have accomplished, jobs done well, even small victories, can help you to remember that even if you don’t succeed at one thing, you aren’t a failure. 

3). Only compare yourself to you 

If you’re trying something new, and you compare yourself to an expert, you’re obviously going to feel like you’re coming up short. Instead, use yourself as the yardstick to measure accomplishment. If you want to learn to play the piano, don’t compare your first day at a piano to Elton John now. Instead, think about how yesterday, you didn’t have the courage to even sit down at a piano, and now you’re actively learning! In a month, or a year, you’ll be able to look back and see what progress you’ve made. 

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therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

How to stop social media from making you feel bad about yourself

When you think of self care practices, do you ever consider your social media? 

While social media is great for so many things (keeping up to date with friends who live far away, finding new music or movies or other cultural events, staying on top of local events, just to name a few) it’s not something we should use mindlessly. 

And for every positive aspect of social media, there’s an equal and opposite negative action. Yes you’re able to keep up with friends, but do you remember that their lives aren’t as perfectly curated or posed as they seem on social media? Do you forget to check in with loved ones because seeing a facebook update makes you feel like you’ve already caught up? Do you get stressed from the information overload that can come with mindless social media scrolling? 

Just as with all other social interactions, social media requires a bit of intentional effort. We have to find out what works for us and what doesn’t, and we have to learn to take a step back when things aren’t working. But because social media is so ingrained in our culture, it’s easy to forget that this effort needs to be put in. 

If you’re finding yourself feeling bad more often than you’re feeling good when you use social media, it might be time for some major social media self care. Below are our top 4 tips for how to practice self care with your social media:  

1. Curate Your Feed

Who are you following on twitter or instagram? When you scroll through your feeds do you feel at ease, or anxious? Because we are able to take in so much information and content in a short time with social media, it’s important to make sure we’re being careful with exactly what kind of content we’re consuming. If you find yourself constantly frustrated or upset at a certain account's posts, remind yourself there is no social obligation making you follow them. 

Have you heard of the tidying method from Marie Kondo? The basic idea is that you decide what sparks joy for you from your possessions, and get rid of those that don’t. You can do the same thing with your social media feeds! While you scroll through, think to yourself, is this account bringing joy? Is it adding something positive to my life? Unfollow or mute accounts that aren’t. It will help keep your social media as a positive space, and leave you less anxious or tense after scrolling. 

2. Be Intentional with Your Social Media Presence

There is this idea that if we stay plugged into social media all day long, we’ll be better informed. But really, all this does is feed into our own anxiety and create a compulsion to keep checking and checking and checking our feeds. And when we’re too busy checking our feeds, we’re not actually engaging with the life, culture & experiences around us! Social media, after all, is meant to be a platform where you share parts of your life, not the main way you live your life.

So, like curating your feeds, taking time to decide which platforms spark joy can be hugely beneficial. You don’t actually have to be on every social media platform. Decide which ones actually add joy to your life. Do you like instagram because you can keep up with local events, or see how friends far away are doing? Or does it stress you out to see pictures of what everyone else is doing because it makes you get caught up in the comparison game? Leave the platforms that leave you upset after visiting them. 

3. Use it After Leaving Social Events

There is often a compulsion to keep everyone updated with everything you’re doing as you’re doing it. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to share a picture of you and your friends! But try to keep your social media time to the times when you aren’t otherwise socially engaged. Do your best to be present when at a party or event, and wait until you’re back home to share a post about it. That way you’ll be able to focus on actually having a good time wherever you are instead of just making it look like you had a good time on facebook. 

4. Take a Break

Sometimes, what you need is a good old fashioned social media vacation. You don’t have to delete your accounts, but try deleting the apps off of your phone. See if you can stay off them for a week. When we’re so used to being “on” all of the time, it can be hard to imagine a total break like that, but it might be just what you need. It will help to remind you that the satisfaction you get from scrolling through your social media feeds isn’t the only way you get social satisfaction in your life. And when you do get back on the apps, you’ll be able to keep it in perspective and moderate your time a bit more than before. 

therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

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How to Tap Into and Listen to Your Intuition

What is Intuition?

Intuition sounds like a complex, magical thing. When we think about intuitive people there’s an air of fortune-telling or mysticism that comes along with the word, but all intuition really is is your feelings. Intuition is your gut instinct in any situation. 

You know that saying “you know more than you think you do”? That’s where intuition comes in. We have so much knowledge stored in our brains that we don’t access on a daily basis, so sometimes we forget it’s there. Your gut feelings, your intuition, is that knowledge coming back up. 

Past experiences are all stored in our brains, and while we may not be actively thinking about them, our brain can access them when it needs to. It uses those past experiences and cues from our environment and our sense of self and all comes together to give us those gut feelings we call intuition. 

Your body and your brain can interpret your environment faster than you can, so when you get a “bad feeling” it doesn’t mean you’re overreacting or being “crazy”–it means that there is something there, some element of your environment that triggered that knowledge in the back recesses of your brain before you could piece it together yourself. 

Our intuition doesn’t yell at us. It’s like a whisper in the back of our minds. Sometimes we can’t even explain what it’s trying to say–it’s just a feeling that something is off, that something needs closer attention, something drawing us in a particular direction. This is also why our intuition is so often ignored. If you aren’t intentional about listening to your intuition it can seem like a silly feeling, something you just need to shake off. 

Signs You Aren’t Listening to Your Intuition:

1. There’s constant discomfort in your stomach

   Yes! Turns out your gut feelings can actually have a physical effect on your actual gut. The mind-body connection is extremely powerful; our bodies know when something in our mind has been left unattended. And when we have ignored our feelings or anxieties, our body tries to force us to address them. These feelings manifest in physical symptoms, which in this case is most commonly stomach ache or distress. 

2. You feel like you’re lying

   When someone asks you how you are and you respond “Great!” because you can’t point to anything technically wrong in your life, does it actually feel great? If you’re looking for reasons why that “great” might be a lie, chances are you have missed something your intuition has been trying to tell you. Even if things are going well, there is a gut feeling there that you need to make a change, and when you ignore that feeling, what should feel great starts to feel off. 

3. You feel out of place socially

   Our intuition can play a huge role in our social lives if we let it. When we listen to our intuition socially, we’re able to find our place better, find the people we can really bond with. But often, we’re looking for the people who are right for us on paper, rather than in our guts. Maybe you spend time with your coworkers because you want to fit in at work, maybe you feel like you’re constantly adjusting yourself to fit into your social group, etc. Instead of making changes within yourself that aren’t true to who you are, listen to what your intuition is telling you about your social situation. Tap into that gut feeling when meeting new people. Do you click? Does it feel right? Or do you feel out of place?

How You Can Tap Into Your Intuition:

Learning to listen to our intuition can be an incredible turning point. It might be a big adjustment (especially if you’re a person who likes to make pro/con lists before making every decision) but tapping into the powerful knowledge we already have about ourselves can do wonders for our mental health. It helps us: 

• Feel more confident in our decisions

• Feel more confident in ourselves

• Feel more at ease in our social circles

• Feel more at peace in our day to day lives

• Improve health & sleep overall

So how can you start to tap into your intuition?

1. Practice Mindfulness

   when you make mindfulness a regular part of your routine, your intuition (and your ability to hear and heed your intuition) grows stronger. Find a few moments each day to commit to mindfulness. Whether it’s on your drive to work, while you’re brushing your teeth, just before you go to bed, etc. Whatever it is you decide to do mindfully, commit to that one activity entirely. Think about what you’re doing, what you’re feeling, the environment around you. When you actively practice noticing the present moment, it is easier to recognize your intuition when it tries to speak with you. 

2. Make low-risk gut decisions

   Not sure how reliable your intuition is? Test it out a bit while you grow comfortable with it. When low-pressure decisions come up (where are you going to eat, what should you wear, what book should you start next) make the decision based purely on whatever gut feeling you get. This can help you start to trust your own intuition, and allow you to rely on it when bigger decisions come along. 

3. Keep a dream journal

   Our dreams are often huge methods of communication for our intuition. Do you ever wake from a dream and feel like it was important? What were the feelings you got from the dream, what were the big things that stood out? Keep a paper journal or use the voice memo app to record what it was that stood out about those dreams. Then take some time to reflect on what these dreams could be trying to tell you. Not every dream is a secret message, but learning to pay attention to what our mind is trying to tell us as it processes the day’s events can help us hone our intuition! 

4. Pay attention to your energy

   When does your energy feel depleted? When does it feel recharged? Do you feel anxious in specific situations? Do certain people have the same effect on your energy every time you see them? This can be your intuitions way of telling you what is good for you to keep in your life and what needs to be reevaluated. 

Do you need some extra support in learning how to tap into and trust your intuition? We can help. Contact us today!

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therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

7 Ways to Communicate More Effectively in Your Relationship

One of the hardest parts of being in a relationship with someone else is figuring out how to talk to them about serious stuff. Relationships can be complicated for many reasons, but sometimes a barrier between partners is that they don’t know how to effectively communicate with each other. Many of us didn’t grow up with positive models of relationships to look up to, so you may feel like you have no chance to catch up at this point. Luckily, that isn’t true! You can figure out ways to communicate with your partner that work in your relationship, even if healthy communication is completely new to you. 

Communication is an essential part of any relationship. It is intimidating to try to talk about vulnerable things with anyone, especially with someone you have strong feelings for. It might feel odd to try a different communication style with your partner, but keep an open mind, and remember you can always switch it up if it isn’t working for you both. 

Try these tips to communicate more effectively with your partner: 

Learn how you both prefer to communicate

The idea of love languages was developed by Dr. Gary Chapman to explain the differences in how people show love. There are five main love languages (words of affirmation, physical touch, receiving gifts, quality time, acts of service) in Dr. Chapman’s model, and the idea behind it is that everyone has a different way they prefer to show and receive love. If you and your partner have a difficult time showing each other love, it might just be that you have different approaches to how you like to be loved. Similarly, you can look at personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, or the Enneagram to pick up on some themes in how you relate to other people. If you dig in and do a little research on the ways you communicate and behave differently, you can then focus on how to communicate together. 

Practice listening

Listening sounds like a fairly easy concept, right? However, the way you listen actually matters when talking to your partner. When you’re communicating with someone, it can be easy to get caught up in what you’re going to say next, or to respond to what they’re saying before they’re finished. This is called listening to respond. However, instead of listening to respond, try to listen to understand instead. Put aside any thoughts of how you will respond, or things you want to say, and focus on what your partner is actually saying. 

Don’t Interrupt

One way to shut down a conversation is to jump in and cut off your partner while they’re talking. Instead of listening to understand, interrupting shows that you aren’t interested in what they’re saying and that what you have to say is more important, which is probably not the impression you want to give. 

Stay Present

One way to shut down communication is to hide behind a screen instead of paying attention to your partner. If you’re having a face to face conversation, put your devices to the side and stay present in the discussion. This shows your partner that talking to them is important to you. In addition to screens and other kinds of tech, clear your area of any other distractions. Turn off the TV, take out your headphones, put aside your book, pause the music. 

Talk about positive things too

Make sure you talk to your partner about positive things along with the negative! Make sure to ask your partner about positive things from their day. Keep a list of things you love about your partner, and try to work them into your conversations naturally. Find ways to show you see them and care for them. 

Use “I” Statements

Instead of framing your discussion as something about them, focus on using “I” statements. Don’t start a statement with “You”, start with “I”, and then describe how you feel. For example, instead of saying “You never make time for me anymore,” say “I feel like we aren’t spending as much time together as we used to.” Framing the conversation this way can help your partner feel less defensive and more open to hearing what you actually say, instead of trying to stick up for themselves. 

Think about your body language

When you talk to your partner, what is your posture like? Are your arms crossed? Are you facing each other, or looking away? Do they seem tense in any way? Nonverbal cues, like body language, are a valuable part of communication. You can sense your partner’s mood through the way they are holding themselves. When you want to have an open discussion with your partner, make sure your body language is open. 

If you need some extra support in learning how to communicate with your partner, we can help. Contact us today!

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therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

What parents of anxious children should know about anxiety

What is anxiety?

Feeling anxious is a completely normal part of life. When big events or school projects or new social experiences are coming up, it’s natural for your child to feel some degree of anxiety. However, just as in adult, anxiety in children can also become overwhelming. When this anxiety tips over from being a manageable emotion to being a major obstacle in their everyday life, that’s when your child may be struggling to manage an anxiety disorder. 

In general, there are three types of anxiety that are the most common in children. These are: 

1. Generalized Anxiety: when the child experiences pervasive anxiety or distress at everyday occurrences, most often regarding school or sports in children. Typically categorized by “undue distress about a variety of everyday things beyond the scope of more specific anxieties and phobias” (Child Mind Institute)

2. Separation Anxiety: when the child is anxious at the prospect of being separated from someone of significance. (A parent, a sibling, a close friend, a pet, etc.) This type of anxiety is very common in toddlers, but can also appear in school age & adolescent children. 

3. Social Anxiety: when the child is anxious, worried, nervous, etc. in any sort of social situation. This can include playdates, school activities, sports, clubs, etc. There is often an underlying self-consciousness, a fear of being judged, disliked, or embarrassed. 

4. Specific, Severe Phobias: this is when the child has a severe fear of something irrational. They might be afraid of thunder, which could cause them to work themselves into nervousness or an anxiety attack if the sky turns dark or it starts to rain. 

How does it show up in kids?

If you believe your child is struggling with anxiety, there are some key physical, emotional & behavioral symptoms to look out for. Physical symptoms include: 

• Frequent  physical aches: if your child is often getting headaches or stomach aches, it may be a physical manifestation of anxiety. Pay attention to any patterns you can identify when your child starts to complain of these aches. 

• Trouble eating: does your child feel sick or nauseated when it comes time to eat somewhere unfamiliar? Being uncomfortable eating anywhere other than the home is a sign of anxiety that can often spiral into physical sickness when the time to eat at school (or a friend’s house, or a club, etc.) comes along. 

•  Trouble using the bathroom: as with eating, if your child has difficulty using the bathroom anywhere new or outside of your home, that may be a symptom of anxiety. 

• Difficulty sleeping: just as in adults, anxiety can impair a child’s ability to fall asleep, sleep restfully, or stay asleep. 

Emotional & Behavioral symptoms of anxiety in children include: 

• Intense, heightened emotional reactivity: Anxiety is a difficult feeling to process and understand, especially as a child. Instead, they may be more inclined to react with other extreme emotions. If your child seems as though they are crying more than usual, is extremely sensitive, becomes irritable easily, etc. it is likely an emotional manifestation of their anxiety. 

• Continued worry over everyday activities: does your child seem worried or panicked about things you or they do all the time? Are they worried about being dropped off at school? Do they fret about getting out of the car in the right spot, finding the right door to walk through, etc.? These fixated worries are probably a sign of anxiety. 

• Isolation: does your child remove themselves from social situations, even ones you think they may enjoy? Do they participate in class or sports or clubs? Do they try anything to get out of going to school? Do they dread birthday parties, etc.?

• Need for approval: while there is an inherent desire for approval in almost all of us, anxious kids struggle much more with this need. They find themselves looking for approval or permission for everything they do.

• Look out for: the phrase “will you do it for me?” When kids are overwhelmed by anxiety, they can often want their parents to take over. Even if it something you know they are capable of doing on their own, if they are experiencing anxiety, this phrase is likely to crop up. 

What challenges will this create for them?

The ways in which anxiety manifests in children makes it difficult for them socially, academically & developmentally. At this age, learning to form new relationships is crucial, and the foundations of learning and personal development are taking place. 

When children are too anxious to take part in social or school activities, they miss out on critical experiences like: making friends, learning social rules, developing problem solving skills, etc.  

How can you help?

Hope isn’t lost though! There is plenty that can be done to help your child manage their anxiety and thrive, with healthy coping skills. Here are five ways you can help your child learn about & manage their anxiety: 

1. Give it a name: when your child is feeling anxious, have them draw a picture of what that anxiety feels like. Have them give it a face, a body, a name. This can help you teach them that their anxiety is a separate thing from their own identity. Talk about their anxiety monster as if it is it’s own being. When they have anxious thoughts, ask them, “What is Bob (or whatever name they choose) saying to you?” Remind them that there is no judgment, no wrong answer. Be there to help them separate fact from fiction in what their anxiety is telling them. 

2. Give them a chance to slow down: if you can, encourage your child to focus on their breathing. Show them how to breathe in and out slowly, counting breaths, until they are able to slow down. If they are in the midst of an emotional reaction (crying, a tantrum, etc.) give them a glass of water and have them drink the whole thing. In order to drink it, they will have to slow down and focus on breathing while they drink it, which can help calm them down. 

3. Have regular “worry time”: Make space in your schedule to sit with them and discuss what they are worried about. This will help them feel listened to and validated, and allow you to brainstorm solutions to whatever is worrying them. When it’s worry time, sit down with them and tell them “Okay, it’s Worry Time, tell me what you’re worried about.” Let them say anything they need to without cutting them off. Don’t tell them their worries are silly, instead offer a solution. For example: if your child get anxious about speaking in front of others, but knows they have a school project coming up, they will probably feel anxious about it. Teach them to manage their problems in small chunks. First, they can write down what they want to say. Then they can practice it in front of you. Then add a sibling or a friend, but have them turn around and face the other way. Then have them say it while facing you, etc. 

4. Help them find accommodations: if your child is frequently anxious in new social situations, try to expose them to new places + people in small, controlled doses. If there is a birthday party coming up, call the parents of the child and see if your children can get together at their house before the party, so it will be a more familiar environment. If your child is going to summer camp, see if you can visit and meet teachers or counselors or coaches beforehand. 

5. Teach them that worry has a purpose: It isn’t wrong to be worried–in fact that feeling of worry often lets us know that something isn’t right. The problem comes when that worry takes control of their whole life. Remind them that they can always come to you with their worries, and you will help them find a solution. 

If you're looking for support for your anxious child, or if you're not sure where to begin, contact us today for help! 

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therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!