Relationships
Support Sexual Trauma Victims
By the time you finish reading this article, four more Americans will experience sexual assault. The probability that you know someone who has experienced sexual trauma is high. Individuals who are at particularly high risk of sexual assault include children and young adolescents, elderly people — especially those with dementia — as well as individuals ...
Strengthen Connections this Holiday Season
The holiday season brings a long to-do list: decorate the house, bake the turkey, buy a gift for the next social event, send out cards, attend family gatherings and so on. Yet for all these attempts at getting together, experiencing meaningful human connection can get lost in the shuffle. Holiday bustle raises stress levels ...
Opioid Crisis Impacts Veterans, Military Families
Long after active duty ends, U.S. service members and military families face a different battle—the opioid overdose epidemic. Opioid overuse kills nearly 100 people in America every day, and Tennessee is ranked third in the country for prescription drug use. Further, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study shows Veterans are twice as likely to ...
Dads Matter! ™
Father’s Day is June 18, and it’s more than just an excuse to buy greeting cards, power tools, novelty neckties and, yes, bacon-scented candles. It’s a great time to recognize that dads really do matter. Moms are amazing and important, too, but we must remember what a vital role dads are meant to play in ...
Three Steps to a Safer Prom
High school students across the United States are getting excited for the 2017 prom and graduation season. All the fun things parents remember about those days still exist: dress shopping, tuxedo rental, flowers, photographs, parties. But there also remains a strong temptation to engage in underage drinking. According to a 2016 poll, alcohol use is ...
Spring Clean Your Way to a Happy Life
Spring has officially sprung. This means saying goodbye to early sunsets and hello to blooming flowers and chirping birds. For many, spring is when we clean out the clutter that’s accumulated over the long, cold winter months. While this can involve a weekend of chasing dust bunnies, clearing out cobwebs and washing windows, there are ...
Take These Relationship Goals to Heart
As Valentine’s Day nears, the internet buzzes with playfully captioned pictures (or “memes”) inspiring us toward “Relationship Goals.” But beyond those fun photos of mature couples who still push each other in shopping carts or wear matching Star Wars t-shirts, there must lie deeper efforts to uphold long term commitments. Marriage and family therapists at ...
Giving of Yourself Is a Gift to Yourself
From Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzaa, the winter holidays come wrapped up in themes of peace, love, presents and light that are admirably meant to bring more joy to this world. How wonderful it is to join in these celebrations! We’d be remiss, however, not to remember that so many—sometimes even you or I—may also ...
The Great Thing About Gratefulness
The sights and sounds of the holidays are all around us. It started before our Halloween candy had even been devoured. Turkeys, trees, candles, and lights have popped up everywhere you look and will be with us through the start of the New Year. It can very be easy to get caught up in the ...
Knowing the Signs Could Save a Life
In many ways our world is more connected than ever before, with social media venues of all kinds providing real-time access around the clock. However, even with all that connection and communication, suicide rates remain at alarming levels, proving that sensitivity to, and awareness of, warning signs is critical in providing lifesaving interventions. It’s not ...
