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My daughter introduced me to early-2000s television show One Tree Hill. In one episode, the character Deb tries to convince her husband to attend therapy by offering him a choice between therapy and divorce. Spoiler alert: the couple begins divorce proceedings. As a therapist, I know better ways exist to convince your partner to see a therapist.

We all know how to spot the couple in the throes of early-relationship dopamine bliss. They physically space themselves close together and very likely touch. They focus on each other, oblivious to external distractions. Unless being used to take selfies, their phones are tucked away in their carefully chosen garments and accessories. Certainly feelings of love, interest, and passion fuel these attunement behaviors.

For many parents, caregivers, teachers and therapists, the start of 2022 feels far too familiar with the most recent Covid surge. Unexpected school closings and ever-changing guidelines on how best to keep loved ones safe continue to add undue strain to our already highly stressed lives.

After more than a year of pandemic stress; social isolation; and overlapping demands of work, home and school, many of us have been eagerly awaiting a return to normal. As the pace of vaccinations picked up in the early half of 2021 and states and municipalities relaxed restrictions, that return to a semblance of normality is upon us.

We asked Tamara Faulkner, LCSW, CADC, “What is the relationship between mental health and substance use disorders?”

We asked Tamara Faulkner, LCSW, CADC, “We often hear the term ‘pathologizing coping skills,‘ particularly when talking about substance use disorder. What does this term mean?”

This past year has provided us with a universal experience which, in turn, has produced vastly different outcomes, both socio-economic and emotional, for different people. Whatever your own experience has been — positive and/or traumatic — we all had to navigate a new set of behaviors and routine to accommodate both our own safety and the safety of those around us.  We now need to consider how to protect our emotional and mental health as well as emotional and physical…

During this season of giving thanks, we asked several of our therapists to share some thoughts on expressing gratitude on Thanksgiving and every day. Happy Thanksgiving!