Valentine's Day can be sticky for a lot of people (and not just because of all the candy). While the general focus of the day should be on letting the people in your life know how much you love them, our culture tends to put the emphasis on today being about romantic love over everything else. 

If you are not single by choice, if you have lost a partner to death, divorce or a relationship ending before you were ready, or if you are unable to physically be near your lover, you probably dread this day and want it to be over with as soon as possible. I hear you. I see you. I feel your pain. 

I want this Valentine's Day to serve as a reminder that you do not need to have romantic love in order to love yourself. Yes, this might mean you miss out on chocolates, bubble baths, and prix fixe dinners, though those are all nice, of course. What it does mean is that you spend the day focusing on your whole self, not just on the perceived flaws. It means talking to yourself the way you would talk to your best friend and not your worst enemy. It means taking responsibility for things in your life which you can control and practicing acceptance over things you cannot. And most importantly, it means you understand that in order to receive love from others, you need to start off with the conviction that you are deserving of love and kindness.

So with that, I wish everyone a happy Valentine's day! This article lists 20 authentic ways to love yourself today. I challenge you to practice at least one.

​https://tinybuddha.com/blog/what-self-love-means-20-ways-be-good-to-yourself/

Each week, we will take a look at one of the most effective and efficient ways to manage stress and other intense emotions. Follow me on Facebook to learn how tapping can work for you! 

You'll have a chance to suggest a topic or difficult emotion that you would like to see dealt with through tapping. You can follow along with me or save it for later. 

Recommendations can be made on Facebook (though these will be public) or privately through my email, and each  week a new one will be selected. 

Happy tapping!

I'm inspired by the #MeToo campaign for shedding light on the everyday, unspeakable traumas that women endure, just for being women. We all need to be working to diminish the shame that so many women carry at their core.

Birth trauma has similar impacts on women - the feelings of violation, guilt, lack of control, and overwhelming fear - but is rarely talked about. Join us as we break down the wall of silence and come together as a community to support each other, share our stories, and find peace within ourselves. 

Mindful Soul Center for Wellbeing and Insight Mental Wellness invite you to join us for this educational and healing event on Saturday, November 18th, from 1-4pm hosted by The Village-South Jersey Breastfeeding & Wellness in Haddonfield, NJ. $45 pre-registered or $55 at the door.
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Save Your Seat by emailing [email protected]
Please note: This is a “mommy only” workshop so you can just focus on you! Space available if anyone needs to pump. 

Thank you so much for your patience! I am excited to be getting back to work in a new office (pictures coming soon) starting October 9, 2017. I will hold regular office hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other days will be spent with my daughters. I feel so fortunate to have found a job where I can control my schedule and find that awesome (but often unattainable) balance between work and family.  

I have some exciting things coming up in November in collaboration with The Village - South Jersey Breastfeeding and Wellness. On November 12, we will resume the Mothering Without My Mother support group. This free group is meant to be a starting ground for connection and conversation between women who are navigating the waters of motherhood without their own mothers. We will focus on the different kinds of issues that you may be dealing with privately that keep you silent during regular supportive groups, or in conversations with friends who vent about the frustrations of dealing with their own mothers. Discuss the unique kinds of grief that the role of motherhood can bring up for you with people who “get it.” We pay particular focus to learning how to practice self-care while caring for so many others.
 
And on November 18 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm, Insight Mental Wellness and Mindful Soul Center for Wellbeing will be presenting Healing Invisible Wounds: A Birth Trauma Workshop at The Village.  This workshop is intended for women who are reeling from the physical and/or emotional trauma they suffered in childbirth.  Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth (PATTCh) defines birth trauma as occurring when, "the individual (mother, father, or other witness believes the mother’s or her baby’s life was in danger, or that a serious threat to the mother’s or her baby’s physical or emotional integrity existed." They also state that between 25 and 34 per cent of women report that their births were traumatic (www.pattch.org).  Many of these women go on to suffer their trauma in silence, which can lead to the development of mental health disorders including Post traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression (Postpartum Onset) and Anxiety (Postpartum Onset).  In hosting this workshop, we hope to increase awareness, decrease stigma, and provide access to resources to help women heal. This will include a panel of experts in the areas of mental health, physical therapy and osteopathic medicine. There will also be a treatment component to help decrease the acute symptoms of trauma the participants are coping with.  More information about this event will be forthcoming.

Happy Fall everyone!​

Hello! Just a quick update. I will be on maternity leave starting in mid-July and lasting until approximately mid-September. I will post a few weeks before I return and will be accepting new clients at that time. Thank you for all the well wishes as we welcome another baby girl into our lives!

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I'll admit it. I was a total skeptic of tapping when I first heard about it several years ago. It seemed too out-there, too hippie-dippy for me. But then I swallowed my  pride and went to a one day training and LOVED IT! I loved it because it worked - not just on other clinicians who were serving as "practice clients," but it worked on me too. It helped me calm down anxious thoughts when overwhelmed, addressed anger that was boiling at the surface and come to terms with sadness and feelings of helplessness in a way that felt productive and healing. I practice it regularly on myself as well as with my clients. It can be used for a range of emotions and situations, and the best part is you can do it on your own in just a few minutes. Here's a great video demonstrating how it's done. Watch it a few times and try it out. or contact me to set up a training session. Happy tapping!

Wow. I love where I live. Collingswood is offering a full week-long health extravaganza, with most events ranging from FREE to $5. I cannot wait to attend some of the classes and workshops that are being offered, and I am beyond excited to be participating by hosting a low-cost workshop on STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR TEENS AND FAMILIES at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, April 12!

Stress Management for Teens and Families, will give participants a wide array of stress management tools that they can begin using immediately. Teens and families need to understand the physical, emotional and cognitive effects of stress and learn how to be on the lookout for early warning signs so they can ensure good self-care before things become too overwhelming.  If you have a stressed out teen in your family or in your classroom, this workshop is what you have been looking for! Meant for both teens and adults, this promises to be a fun and interactive experience that will combine aspects of mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and more!

I hope to see you there. For more information and to view the other wonderful events taking place, visit http://www.collingswood.com/files/10668/2017/03/WellnessWeekSchedule2017_FINAL.pdf