College is an exciting time for young adults. However, it’s also a very stressful time. While starting college can feel like a marker of new independence, it’s also a period of rapid growth and new challenges. That’s one of the reasons it’s a great time to get started with therapy. Instead of navigating this transition […]

There has been a boom in the last few years in the awareness, offering, and requests for online therapy services. And it makes sense! Think of the world we’ve lived in the last few years: waves of the pandemic necessitating waves of quarantining ourselves in the midst of a high stress situation, and continued political […]

The new year is around the corner, and with it are murmurings of resolutions all over the place. Have you begun to think about how you would like to move through 2023? Some people find reframing resolutions as intentions is helpful–turning something that feels mandatory into a practice that offers you a chance to honor […]

Are you considering starting therapy, but aren’t sure if now is a good time? It’s completely normal to feel nervous about something new–especially something like therapy which requires a lot of vulnerability and hard work. But it can feel like there’s always a reason to put off taking care of yourself. Instead, here are reasons […]

If you’ve sought out therapy in the last year, chances are you’ve seen ads for (or maybe even thought about trying out) mental health and therapy apps. There are a lot of them now (and every podcast seems to be advertising them!) But what’s the deal with them? Are they really as good as they […]

It’s that time of year!  The time where it feels like there are hearts and chocolates and little flying Cupid’s everywhere we turn. Just like any day with a lot of expectations placed on it, Valentine’s Day can be difficult for a lot of us. It can feel like a lot of pressure to live […]

As we enter November, we’re also entering the start of the holiday season.  This can be a tense time of year for many of us–especially since it feels like there is so much external pressure to have it be the most wonderful time of the year. But with the season of holiday parties and presents […]

Sometimes, it seems like there are two types of people in the world – people who love fall and people who don’t.  For some, fall is an action packed time full of leaves, cool air, and warm beverages. For others, it’s a grim reminder that summer is over and winter is around the corner. No […]

Refreshed after a long break away from the stressors and pressure of school, and faced with the challenges of a brand new year, this time of year lends itself very well to self reflection and self improvement.  And every new start provides the opportunity to form new habits and set new goals! While some people […]

Is therapy right for your child? There are a lot of reasons children can benefit from therapy. If they are seeming overwhelmed frequently, like multiple areas of their lives are a struggle for them, that could be one indication that they could use some professional support. Others would be things like engaging in self destructive […]

If you’re a parent, chances are you spend a lot of time trying to do right by your child. Parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world, and everyone has a different opinion on how to do it. Although more and more folks are becoming accepting of LGBTQ people, it can still be […]

Summer can be a nostalgic time. The days are long, the weather is finally nice and warm, and best of all, school is out. There’s nothing like summertime when you’re a kid – the days last forever and you never seem to run out of things to explore. As adults, though, we’ve kind of lost the magic of summer. Especially after a year spent indoors and isolated, it might feel like summer is just another season to get through. This year more than ever, though, we deserve to make time for fun and childlike joy. We’ve been through a lot this past year. We have a lot of healing to do both collectively and individually and working with your inner child can be a healing practice. Summer tends to be a time of fewer responsibilities, so it can be the perfect opportunity to spend some time on yourself.

As we enter March, we’re also entering one full year of enduring this pandemic. 

While COVID of course didn’t just appear overnight in March 2020, that’s when we started seeing wide scale shut downs, and when our day to day lives started to change long-term.

It is a very difficult thing to have survived a year of sustained trauma, which is what we have all had to do this last year.

As we enter March, we’re also entering one full year of enduring this pandemic. 

While COVID of course didn’t just appear overnight in March 2020, that’s when we started seeing wide scale shut downs, and when our day to day lives started to change long-term.

It is a very difficult thing to have survived a year of sustained trauma, which is what we have all had to do this last year.

Self-care is a concept that has often been romanticized and unrealistically portrayed on social media posts and quotes, but what does self-care really mean and is it as simple as taking luxurious bubble baths, listening to your favorite playlist on repeat, indulging in ice cream and Netflix? While these can be helpful and uplifting, in […]

This year has been overwhelming for everyone, to say the least. Surviving a global pandemic and adapting to its everyday lifestyle changes has been a full time job. Getting the kids ready for virtual school and making sure they stay on task, watching what seemed like an endless political debate, canceling all summer plans, not […]

Those of you who also struggle with mental illness, might be feeling that these burdens are just way too much to bear. Thinking, “there isn’t enough time in the day” to tend to your responsibilities and the people in your life who need your attention, is overwhelming. Therefore, you’ve been unfortunately pushed to the bottom […]

For those of us who have lost a loved one, the upcoming holiday season may be especially difficult. Grief can come and go like a wave cresting in the ocean. At times, it consumes us, and other times we get opportunity to work towards healing. Practicing tradition and finding connection to others can assist in […]

This year has been more difficult than most. Not only has 2020 introduced us to COVID-19 and all its complications, we are on the precipice of a divisive election season. For many of us, this is just added stress, fueling the tumult of anxiety that we may have been feeling throughout the year. For some […]

What you should do before the 1st session 1. DO NOT surprise them. Telling your child what to expect will decrease the anxiety they have about starting therapy. During the first session, you can tell your child to expect to be asked questions, so the therapist gets to know you. There are no wrong or […]

It’s so easy to get lost in our own lives. This last month in quarantine has taught me so many valuable lessons, especially in the art of slowing down. Thus far, I have been blessed with a fast paced life, filled with love and joy. As I slowly approach 40, most of my life until […]

Birds are singing, the sun is shining and the days are slowly getting longer. You know what time it is? Spring time! And what goes hand and hand with spring time? You got it! Spring cleaning! While you may dread household chores, there are some great benefits to decluttering your physical spaces. According to one […]

It’s that time of year again. Chocolates line the shelves, flowers are on special, everything seems to be some shade of pink or red, and love is in the air. Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s day is just around the corner.  This year, we at Olive Branch Group Therapy challenge you to […]

New Years Reflections From Therapists Written by The Olive Branch Therapy Group Therapists As therapists, we reflect on life often. This New Year, we asked our team, “What did you learn in 2019, that you will be bringing into 2020?” In 2019 I continued my efforts of working on better understanding my relationships with family […]

At the beginning of every year, we are bombarded with “New Year New Me,” and big goals such as be healthier, run a 5K quit smoking make/ save more money / spend less read 50 books, learn to play an instrument find a new job, travel the world, find inner piece give up soda or […]

  Dating apps have increasingly become more and more popular. For many people, they are a convenient, quick, and casual way to date. But how can you tell that it’s time to take a break aka. delete the app(s) from your phone?   It’s no longer fun. If you are beggining to have feelings of […]

We are human beings. We are in a constant state of flux and change, and with that, we may experience a tremendous amount of loss. Death loss is the one that is most validated. However, death loss, is not the only loss one can experience in this lifetime. In fact, according to the Holmes-Rahe Inventory, […]

It goes without saying that college can be stressful. Test anxiety, full course loads, financial worries, relationships, and much more can overwhelm anyone. It’s no surprise that nearly 39% of college students report struggling with at least one mental illness. So what’s a college student to do to help mitigate all this stress and anxiety, […]

It’s actually hurting you instead of helping you succeed & what you can do. Perfectionism is the belief that if we do things perfectly we can avoid pain that comes from blame, judgment, and shame. It’s about approval, not self-improvement, and it seems that there is never an end point or a sense of relief […]

Often, when those of us outside of the therapy world think of play therapy, we think of children, toys, brightly colored rooms and observant therapists. It’s rare that we picture ourselves as adults using “play time” to work through our problems. It’s even harder to picture ourselves in front of a sand box, “playing” with […]