Category Archives: relationship advice

Are You A People Pleaser?



Dr. Ilene Cohen answers my questions about people pleasing. She discusses the difference between being nice and being a people pleaser, the causes of people pleasing, and gives an eight step guide to stopping the compulsion!

Dr. Ilene is a psychotherapist, blogger and award-winning author of the popular self-help guides, When It’s Never About You and It’s Within You. Her work regularly appears in top psychology publications.

You can buy her books HERE!

And you can read her blog HERE!


Silencing Your Inner Critic



Is negative self-talk impacting the way you view yourself? Do you know negative self-talk can be an obstacle in your relationships? Dr. Candice Creasman chats about how to heal your inner critic.

Dr. Creasman is s a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor with a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology and a doctorate in Counseling and Counselor Education. She has been in practice for 15 years working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma, individuals with addictions, chronic pain, mood and personality disorders, and severe mental illness. She uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and meditation to help clients work through trauma and live values-based lives.

Dr Creasman is offering a workshop in Intuitive Eating called “My Body, My Home” on September 14, 2019. For more information or to register please visit https://wellness-collaborative.org/mybodymyhome
You can also access Dr Creasman’s Insight Timer series on healing your inner critic at https://insighttimer.com/Dr.CandiceCreasman

What is Repeat Traumatization?



On this episode of High Heels and Heartache I chat with Dr. Amelia Kelley, owner and supervisor of Kelley Counseling & Wellness, about repeat traumatization. We discuss what happens when a person experiences more than one trauma in their life, how trauma changes the brain, and the role of nature vs. nurture have in repeat trauma. Dr. Kelley also teaches us about synaptic pruning!

Dr. Amelia Kelley, PhD, MS, LPC, ATR-P, RYT is an integrative therapist with 15 years of experience. She is trained in Art Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Yoga Therapy and other adjunctive treatments for trauma such as EMDR, Prolonged Exposure, Imagery Rehearsal Therapy and Trauma Sensitive Yoga.  She is the owner and supervisor of Kelley Counseling and Wellness in Cary, NC. Her practice is part of the Trauma Consortium at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana State University. She is a trained Level I and II Vinyasa Yoga teacher, a Yin Yoga certified teacher and a trained Restorative Yoga teacher. Dr. Kelley provides yoga therapy to individuals facing physical and mental health challenges to help reduce symptoms, address trauma in the body, help reduce addiction, restore balance and increase vitality. Her art therapy group work with the substance abuse population has been featured in the media as well as her advocacy for the licensure of Art Therapy in the state of NC. Dr. Kelley has been featured in the news as an expert discussing addiction to technology. She has also offered blog contributions in the areas of coping with ADHD in marriage as well as podcasts about Art Therapy in mental health. Additionally, she is a trained meditation teacher with a library of her teachings found on Insight Timer. Dr. Kelley is currently working on her first book examining healthy coping for an overactive nervous system in an overactive society.

For more information on Dr. Kelley and her practice, CLICK HERE.


What is Passive Aggression?



Signe Whitson chats about passive aggression.  We define passive aggression, talk about the different behaviors passive aggressive people employ, discuss the different levels of passive aggression, and explore what causes people to be passive aggressive.

Signe Whitson is an author and internationally-recognized speaker with 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and families.  She presents customized training workshops for professionals, parents, and students on topics related to bullying prevention, digital citizenship, managing anxiety and  anger in children, changing passive aggressive behavior, and intervening effectively in crisis situations in schools and treatment organizations

In her articles, books, and trainings, Signe provides down-to-earth, practical advice for navigating the daily challenges of living and working with children, tweens and teens.  As a mother of tween & teen daughters, Signe relates to parents on a personal level.

Signe is the Director of Counseling at The Swain School in Allentown, PA.   She is also the Chief Operating Officer of the Life Space Crisis Intervention Institute, an international training and certification program for turning crisis situations into learning opportunities for children and youth with chronic patterns of self-defeating behaviors.

She is the author of six books, including:
BULLY PREVENTION

The 8 Keys to End Bullying ACTIVITY BOOK for Kids & Tweens

The 8 Keys to End Bullying Activity book COMPANION GUIDE for Parents & Educators

8 Keys to End Bullying: Strategies for Parents & Schools

Friendship & Other Weapons: Group Activities to Help Young Girls Ages 5-11 to Cope with Bullying

ANGER MANAGEMENT

How to Be Angry: An Assertive Anger Expression Group Guide for Kids and Teens

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

The Angry Smile: The New Psychological Study of Passive-Aggressive Behavior at Home, at School, in Marriage & Close Relationships, in the Workplace, and Online.

You can follow her on Twitter @SigneWhitson, watch clips of her trainings on YouTube, read her articles on The Huffington Post or Psychology Today, or “Like” her on Facebook.


Is My Partner a Narcissist?



On this episode I chat with Dr. Elinor Greenberg about narcissism.  We discuss the difference between healthy narcissism and having the personality adaptation.  We answer the burning questions: Does a narcissist love you? And what causes the Narcissistic Personality Adaptation? We also outline the predictable stages of a romantic relationship with a narcissist.

Dr. Elinor Greenberg is an internationally renowned Gestalt therapist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Borderline. Narcissistic, and Schizoid Personality Adaptations. Dr. Greenberg is the author of the book: Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety. She also has a free online blog called “Understanding Narcissism” on psychologytoday.com and has over 1000 posts on these topics on Quora.com. Dr. Greenberg travels the globe teaching other therapists about these topics.

You can access Dr. Greenberg’s book by clicking here.
Her blog can be found here.
Her posts on Quora can be found here.


What is Gaslighting?



In this episode I chat with Dr. Stephanie Moulton Sarkis about gaslighting. Dr.Sarkis defines gaslighting, explains its effects, describes why it is such a powerful tool for those looking to manipulate others, and discusses how you can protect yourself against it.

Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph.D., NCC, LMHC, DCMHS is a bestselling author and psychotherapist. She has been in private practice for 20 years. She is an American Mental Health Counseling Association Diplomate (one of 100 in the U.S.) and an AMHCA Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Child and Adolescent Counseling (one of 20 in the U.S.).  Dr. Sarkis received her degrees and training from the University of Florida.  She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National Certified Counselor.  She also is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator and Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator.  She maintains a private practice in Tampa, Florida, where she specializes in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety.

To preorder Dr. Sarkis’s seventh book, Gaslighting: Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People -and Break Free, click here.

To read Dr. Sarkis’s article, “11 Warning Signs of Gaslighting” click here.

Click here for more information on Dr. Sarkis.


PTSD and Survivors Of Domestic Violence



In this bonus episode of High Heels and Heartache, I sit down with Crystal Yarborough to discuss how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, can affect survivors of domestic violence and abuse.  We chat about what PTSD is, the symptoms of PTSD, what recovery sometimes entails, and life after PTSD.

Crystal Yarborough is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. She has worked with people who have experienced trauma and addiction in many settings, including in a state psychiatric hospital, residential substance abuse therapeutic community, military settings, and outpatient clinics.
Please visit The National Institute of Mental Health’s website for more information on PTSD.

Relationship Red Flags



In my first episode of High Heels and Heartache, I sit down with Dr. Candice Creasman to discuss red flags in relationships that might be indicators of toxic, unhealthy, or abusive behaviors. We also have a fantastic chat about boundary setting in relationships.

Dr. Creasman  is a therapist, author, and meditation teacher with over 10 years of experience treating clients with mood disorders, personality disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. She is in private practice in Raleigh North Carolina where she works primarily with women who have survived domestic violence and sexual assault. She is a contributor to the meditation app Insight Timer, a foundational teacher for Aura Health, and expert contributor for marriage.com.

Learn more about Dr. Creasman by visiting (www.creasman-counseling.com

www.facebook.com/drcandicecreasman

www.insighttimer.com/dr.candicecreasman