Collaborative Minds Blog
Education to empower your mental health journey.
How to Talk to Your Teen If You’re Concerned About Their Relationship
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, which is a great a time to start having conversations with your teen about healthy relationships and looking out for signs of potential harm. Keep reading to learn more about why this topic is so important and tips for starting the dialogue.
When It’s More Than Just Being “Shy”: Recognizing & Helping Teens with Anxiety and/or Social Skills Deficits
Navigating social interactions can feel overwhelming for many teens, especially when they are first starting to form and maintain social connections on their own; however, for some teens, struggling socially might be due to more than just a shy personality. Keep reading to learn more about the differences between social anxiety and social skills deficits, which can look very similar from the outside, as well as effective strategies for improving both.
7 Tips for Managing Your Mental Health During Cold & Flu Season
Cold and flu season isn’t just tough on our bodies—it can take a serious toll on our mental health, too. Whether you're feeling under the weather yourself, caring for sick family members, or just trying to avoid getting sick, the added stress can leave you feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or anxious. Keep reading for 7 practical ways to care for your mental well-being while navigating the season of sniffles and sneezes.
Ice Out the Winter Blues with these Mood-Boosting Tips
As a recent wave of freezing temperatures grips much of the country, many of us are feeling the toll of the long winter months. The coldest stretch of the year not only brings on physical challenges, but it can also cause a noticeable dip in our mood. Keep reading to learn why this happens and how can we combat the winter blues during this icy period.
5 Things Middle School Girls Wish Their Parents Knew
Middle school is a time of immense change and self-discovery. For many girls, it feels like they're walking a tightrope between childhood and adolescence, balancing a growing desire for independence with a need for support and guidance. As parents, it can be challenging to fully understand the world your middle schooler is navigating. Keep reading for 5 things middle school girls wish their parents knew about their experiences, struggles, and needs.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work (& What To Do Instead)
New Year’s resolutions are often seen as the ultimate reset button—a chance to become the healthiest, happiest, and most productive version of ourselves. But by February, most resolutions have fizzled out, leaving us frustrated and feeling like failures. Why does this happen, and how can we set ourselves up for real, lasting change?
Home for the Holidays: Managing Expectations While Your College Student is on Winter Break
College students often return home immersed in their own bubble, unaware of family norms or expectations. After all, they’ve been living a pretty independent life for the past few months. Keep reading for tips on how to manage your exceptions and avoid conflicts.
Getting Through the Holidays in a High-Conflict Family
The holiday season can be a time of joy and connection, but for those navigating high-conflict family dynamics, it can also be stressful and overwhelming. Keep reading for seven practical tips to help you maintain your peace and sanity during this challenging time.
Teens, Social Struggles, & Mental Health: Finding Connection Through Group Therapy
The teen years can be a time of immense growth and self-discovery, but for many teenagers, it can also be a time where social struggles are highlighted, impacting their mental health significantly. Keep reading to learn more about what to look out for in your teen and how group therapy could help!
Navigating Infertility in the Holiday Season
The holiday season can be a time of joy and celebration, but for many people facing infertility, it can also bring feelings of isolation, sadness, and emotional strain. Keep reading for some strategies for managing the emotional complexities of infertility during the holiday season, offering practical tips for self-care and fostering compassion for yourself.
7 Body-Positive Tips to Help You Survive & Thrive this Thanksgiving
Navigating Thanksgiving can be challenging for anyone, especially if you struggle with poor body image or disordered eating. With an obvious emphasis on food and eating, the holiday can trigger anxiety, negative thoughts, or even some unhealthy behaviors. Keep reading for tips to help you find balance, support, and self-compassion during this holiday season.
7 Tips for a Successful School Year
Between the various holidays, Election Day, Daylight Savings, and more, the inconsistency of the Fall/Winter school schedules can stir up many emotions and thoughts for students and parents alike. Figuring out how to balance homework schedules, extracurriculars, dinner time and more can be a huge stressor for families. Keep reading for 7 tips to help make this your most successful school year yet!
Stressed Out? Try These Tips to Support Hormonal Balance
Managing stress is crucial for overall well-being, but did you know that your hormones play a major role in how your body responds to stress? Understanding the connection between stress and hormones can empower you to better manage both.
How Your Child Learns Might Be Impacting Their Self-Esteem (And What You Can Do to Help!)
Adolescence is a challenging time, marked by rapid physical, emotional, and social changes. For kids and teens with learning disabilities (LD) and deficits in executive functioning (EF), these challenges can become even more complex, affecting their self-esteem in profound ways. Keep reading to learn more about how your child's learning challenges can impact their confidence and what you can do to support them.
The Power of Girls Groups: How Group Therapy Can Boost Confidence and Build Resilience
Navigating adolescence is a challenge for any young girl. Tween and teen girls, in particular, face unique pressures related to self-esteem, peer relationships, academic performance, and body image. Keep reading to learn more about how group therapy can hep girls build confidence and resilience in a safe, supportive environment.
Fight, Flight, or Freeze: A Deep Dive into our Stress Responses
Fight, flight, and freeze are three primary responses to perceived danger, each representing a different way our bodies and minds react to stress or threat. Keep reading to learn more about how identifying your typical stress response can help you to manage anxiety more effectively.
You Graduated College and Moved Back in with your Parents: Now What?!
Graduating from college is a monumental achievement, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. But what happens when the next chapter starts with you moving back in with your parents? Keep reading to explore some strategies and tips for both young adults and their parents to navigate this new phase, making it a positive experience for everyone involved.
Embracing a More Deliberate Life
A theme that often comes up in the therapy room is ideas and thoughts of what the future will hold. It doesn’t matter whether they are rooted in hope and excitement or in anxiety and stress, the theme remains consistent which is a lack of focus on the here and now. Keep reading to learn more about the importance and benefits of being present.
How Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills Can Help Your Teen
Navigating the teenage years can be challenging, marked by rapid changes, evolving relationships, and the quest for independence. During this time, effective communication and relationship skills are crucial. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers a set of interpersonal effectiveness skills that can significantly benefit teens, helping them manage conflicts, build healthy relationships, and maintain self-respect. Keep reading to learn more about what interpersonal effectiveness skills are and why they are important for teens.
Virtual Teen Girls Group: The First Session
Our teen groups are process oriented with a strong focus on the ‘here and now’ and learning more about how we behave in the world, and noticing how those patterns may come up in the group itself. Keep reading to take an inside look into what the first session of group might look like!