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Empty Nest: Ambivalent Emotions
This summer I watched a mommy bird build a nest in our back yard. Never before had I witnessed such a cycle of nature. This mommy bird was very nurturing and protective. Every day she sat on her little eggs with a watchful eye. When her babies hatched, she was faithful to care for them. She guarded them, she nourished them and she taught them. Then, as is God’s design, one day the nest was empty. Empty Nest and Mixed Emotions Like the mommy bird, as parents, we are nurturing and protective. We care for our babies, we guard them, we tend to their basic needs, and we do our…
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Navigating Sexual Hurdles: Medication and Sexual Health
We have discussed, in previous posts, the benefit of visiting with a sex therapist. Sex therapy is a specialized form of therapy that addresses sexual concerns, functioning, relationship, and expression in men and women. A certified sex therapist has had considerable training in the physiological process of human sexuality, as well as, extensive training in psychotropic medications and their effect on sexual functioning. As a rule, we work collaboratively with other health care providers, such as dieticians, pelvic pain specialists, and physicians, enabling us to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to sexual, emotional, and spiritual healing. Part of taking a holistic approach to sexual health, is understanding the relationship between…
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Death By A Thousand What If’s
by Kristy Cobillas, MEd, PLPC We have all heard someone claim that they have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) because of their proclivity toward keeping things neat and organized. Many a joke has been made regarding having “OCD” friends over so that they can clean the house. Those truly suffering with the disorder could only wish it were simply a matter of being particular or neat; unfortunately that is not the case. Exactly what is OCD? Characterized by a presence of obsessions, compulsions or both, OCD is a lifelong, debilitating, and painful neuropsychobiological (brain and psychological) disorder affecting 2% of the population. Coming from the latin word obsessio, which means to “take…
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Don’t Worry, Be Happy
When Bobby McFerrin’s cheery tune “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” topped music charts in 1988, it was hailed as a fresh new philosophy for living a positive life. Christians, however, know that Jesus says this many times in the Gospels, extorting us to trust in Him rather than wasting time and energy on senseless worrying. Worry, by definition, is allowing our minds to focus on problems. Worry is secondarily defined as the action of an animal gnawing on something, in the same way that a dog gnaws on a bone. People tormented by worry often find themselves ruminating over something, like a cow chewing its cud again and again. Why Do…
Marriage Family & Individual Counseling | St Louis MO
