Heidi Summers, MA, LMFT, LPCC

Parents often become upset with their children when they've been reminded of something that triggers their fight-or-flight response. Counseling can help them to recognize when this is happening and keep perspective on the situation. https://www.psychologytoday.com//how-triggers-your-childho

Our experiences during the pandemic had a lot of commonalities, but everyone responded differently. Moving forward, it's alright to honor your own experiences and credit yourself for getting through it. https://www.psychologytoday.com//resilience-after-crisis-w

Boredom is a major contributor to addiction. During the pandemic, we've had fewer opportunities for social connection, but we can still work on cultivating creative pursuits. https://www.psychologytoday.com//the-connection-cure-our-a

Some set-backs are easier to bounce back from than others, and some will result in you significantly changing your life. But moving forward always begins with self-love and figuring out what you value. https://www.psychologytoday.com//how-do-life/202010/surviv

We imagine all sorts of terrible situations when we're anxious. But if you really thought those scenarios through, they would lose a lot of their power. https://www.psychologytoday.com//7-words-overcome-your-anx

We have a tendency to focus on negatives. But when we train ourselves to also see the positives and to weigh what's realistic, we can reduce our anxiety. https://www.psychologytoday.com//6-negative-mindsets-incre

Being a single parent might require you to learn new organizational skills and boundaries. Counseling can help make this a stable transition for you and your children. https://www.psychologytoday.com//what-know-when-divorcing-

Not everybody's self-care looks the same. Although there are some things that work for most people, your self-care is ultimately unique to you. https://www.psychologytoday.com//does-self-care-stress-you

Drinking alone at home is one of the riskiest behaviors in the development of alcoholism, and it's become more common during the pandemic. It's important to develop other ways of staving off stress and boredom. https://www.pharmacytimes.com//study-excessive-alcohol-con

Although the pandemic has put people under more stress, many people are also benefiting from easier access to care. This woman found that coping tools she'd already mastered made her more resilient to pandemic stress, as well. https://www.wfyi.org//how-addiction-treatment-prepared-one

Holidays can be a chaotic time, especially this season with the added stress of the coronavirus pandemic. Here 10 ways to cope during the holidays: https://mayocl.in/35E3Tlr

There are a lot of tough choices we have to make during the pandemic, and most of us are feeling the strain from that. But there may be ways you can streamline your decision making and reduce fatigue. https://www.psychologytoday.com//six-tips-reduce-covid-dec

Relationships don't just get stronger on their own; they have to be maintained through conscious effort. If you haven't been affectionate with your partner today, have you given yourself the opportunity? https://www.psychologytoday.com//did-you-show-your-love-to

In order to understand your needs, you have to be able to observe your own emotional and bodily reactions without judgment. This is called self-empathy and is a skill that improves with practice. https://www.psychologytoday.com//self-empathy-ethical-resp

Everybody's under additional stress during the pandemic, but for people with substance abuse disorders, things have gotten especially dangerous. Care to prevent relapse is especially important during this time. https://www.addictioncenter.com//recent-statistics-show-o/

You can't suppress a teen's desire to take risks. Instead, you can encourage them to plan and determine their reasons for wanting to do things. https://www.psychologytoday.com//parenting-in-response-ado

Fear of stress is a powerful source of stress in itself. During the pandemic, it's especially important to understand when you can make a positive change, and when your need for control is working against you. https://www.psychologytoday.com//when-your-coping-style-do

We're grieving for our old lives as well as those lost to the coronavirus. This article describes some ways for parents and teens to engage in self-care together. https://www.psychologytoday.com//how-help-young-people-gri

Clergy are subject to unique stressors and depend on a strong sense of identity to get through turbulent times. Many of them are familiar with self-care routines and counseling that can be useful to other people, as well. https://bit.ly/3e6tuX7

With more people drinking at home, there's a greater risk of developing bad habits. It's important to be on guard against big increases in consumption or lack of sleep. https://www.npr.org//drinking-has-surged-during-the-pandem

Have you noticed that your children are showing signs of increased mental stress? It may be time to limit news consumption and focus on ways to actively make a difference. https://www.psychologytoday.com//children-teens-and-anxiety

During the pandemic, everyone's feeling vulnerable. Consequently, we have an unusual opportunity to build deeper relationships with our friends. This article contains some advice on how to get those conversations started. https://www.psychologytoday.com//sharing-vulnerability-sec

The pandemic's upset to our routines has made it harder to divide working life and home life. For people who are seeing their spouses in contexts they're not used to, this can be uncomfortable, but it's also an opportunity to strengthen their bonds. https://blogs.psychcentral.com//coping-in-captivity-impro/

The pandemic has changed the ways we grieve, disrupting traditions and creating fatigue in the people most frequently affected. But allowing yourself to acknowledge your feelings is essential for processing them. https://www.psychologytoday.com//grea/202009/the-reckoning

If you and your partner have different levels of risk-aversion, it may be hard to feel that you're on the same team. But one skill you might work on is capitalizing on each other's strengths. https://psychcentral.com//simple-strategies-for-handling-/

The pandemic upset our sense of control and lots of people's treatments, but there are new alternatives. In addition to telecounseling, there are lots of online support options. https://www.psychologytoday.com//sobriety-online-managing-

It's easy to catastrophize during the pandemic, and that goes for your teen's schoolwork, as well. But when you learn to take a step back, you'll probably see that things aren't so bad. https://www.psychologytoday.com//2/back-school-back-stress

Although every relationship is different, there are several key areas in which people need to feel fulfilled for the relationship to thrive. When someone is recovering from anxiety or depression, it helps to focus on these areas explicitly. http://bit.ly/2P7GJxc