Blog – Page 8 – Therapeutic Center For Hope

29Dec 2016 by alexiamcleod

Here’s To a New Beginning: Choosing Joy

The end of the year is an important period for many of us, giving us the change to reflect on what we have learned from the experiences and people we have encountered this year. As the year ends gets nearer, we try our best to make sure that we end it on a happy note, no matter what our year may have been. Hoping that the new year will be just how we close the current year. Happy. While we search for that happiness that often elude our grasp, my encouragement to you is to look beyond happiness, to choose something deeper. Something called JOY Joy is not that giddy feeling we have when we are with someone, or that butterfly-in-my-stomach feeling, or that ear-to-ear-smile kind of feeling either. Joy…

23Dec 2016 by alexiamcleod

The Art of Dealing with In-Laws

Blog, Tips

The holiday season is in full swing and with this time of year comes the company of friends and family, good food and tons of activities to join in on. This time of year is also accompanied by last minute deadlines, budgeting obstacles, and often being around some dreaded family members. To anyone who absolutely loves being around every single person in their extended family for several days without a break, you are headed for sainthood. Most people have a family member or two they could do without. Not surprisingly, in laws often fall into this category. Not so much that they are absolutely unbearable, unlovable people, but that in laws can be over critical, overwhelming, and a bit demanding. So here’s some tips and tricks on conquering the art…

07Dec 2016 by alexiamcleod

Navigating The End of Year Rush

Blog, Health, Therapy, Tips

Between work, school, kids, or whatever else takes up your time – you’re busy. Managing a crazy schedule can be overwhelming. You’ve probably had to remind yourself a few times that you can’t be in two places at once, and that’s okay. Along with a packed schedule and rushed deadlines comes stress, agitation, and all around just not feeling quite like yourself. While it usually seems that being busy and being stressed go hand in hand, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can find ways to manage your busy schedule in a way that works for you – and we have some tips on how to do that, all while caring for yourself. Keep a planner. Remembering a thing or two doesn’t sound like it is too bad,…

30Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

From the Eyes of a Birthmother Part I

Adoption

Life is breathtaking. It’s always exciting and often very unpredictable. Bringing you to the highest of highs and lowest of lows. One thing certain is that It is never guaranteed to be easy. It is possible to have a good life though. As a little girl you dream of all the amazing things you will experience growing up. My adult life has been pretty far opposite from all of those dreams. Little girls base their love life from Disney movies. It’s a fact. We all do it. We have our minivans full of beautiful babies. The perfectly manicured home with the best yard in the neighborhood with a golden retriever playing fetch in the back. However, we can’t forget about graduating college, having an amazing career, and trophy husband (of…

22Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

Supervision for Social Work Licensure

Blog, Supervision/Mentorship, Tips

Congratulations! You’ve earned your Master’s in Social Work (M.S.W)! It is time to explore the career path you desire. An MSW is one of the most widespread master’s degrees chosen and the career paths you’ve opened up for yourself are numerous. MSW’s have the opportunity to enter fields in human resources, adoption, child welfare, social work administration and work in a school setting. The opportunities seem endless, and the consideration for licensure is always there. What’s the difference you may ask? An L.C.S.W, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker is someone with a Master’s in Social Work, who chose to take their counseling degree one step further by becoming a licensed, specialized, social worker through more training in the field. If you choose this next step in your career path, it…

22Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

Your Complete Guide to the Adoption Process

Adoption, Parenting, Therapy, Tips

When you are adopting a child, уоu аѕѕumе all responsibilities fоr them whісh, Aside from gіvіng you lеgаl rіghtѕ, аlѕо makes уоu the lеgаl parent. Yоu are then fully accountable for the еmоtіоnаl аnd рhуѕісаl wеll-bеіng of thе child. Whether уоu аrе a couple оr аѕѕumе such rеѕроnѕіbіlіtу аѕ аn individual, іt is important for you to be confident that уоu are rеаdу for this process. Before you dесіdе, уоu nееd tо make sure thаt уоu'rе fіnаnсіаllу аnd mеntаllу capable оf brіngіng up a сhіld. I want to help you in that journey through this eBook. This book will be your trusted reference in answering questions that you might already have and the questions that you thought would not come up. [uxi_button link="https://dta0yqvfnusiq.cloudfront.net/alexi90572029/2017/09/Complete-Adoption-Process-E-book-59b197e9db5b8.pdf" new_window="0" tel="0" class="button-block button-block-mobile button-32" padding_x="15" padding_y="15"…

21Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption, Blog, Parenting, Tips

The Case for Adoption Equality [caption id="attachment_3359" align="alignright" width="368"] Source: Family Equality Council [/caption] An estimated of 400,000 children in the U.S. have been removed from their homes and are now in foster care, wards of the state. With this many children, the main goal of the foster care system is to find each and every child a home within a reasonable amount of time. If the children’s biological parents have lost their right, finding a home is usually mandated 12-24 months from the removal date, ideally. The main goal of adoption is to find a child a home that is loving and can provide a stable environment for a child to grow up in. What is the Focus? Stability, according to the Florida state government means meeting minimum…

18Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

Know Your Deal Makers and Deal Breakers

Blog, Relationship, Therapy, Tips

As You Enter Into... A new love relationship, navigating this new chapter of your love story can get very complicated especially if you and your partner are looking through the rose colored lenses many of us have at the beginning of any relationship. For those of us looking for something long term and serious, its important to know the traits you definitely want to see in a potential partner, and the possible deal breakers. Having standards that are too low, might leave you unhappy, but having super high standards can end up making you feeling lonely. How do you find this balance? Know exactly what you want and need and what you don’t in a relationship. Navigating the ups and downs of a new relationship often gets complicated especially at…

14Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod

8 Reason Divorce is Your New Beginning

divorce, Motivation, Therapy

With a divorce or break-up, it is important that you acknowledge it as an important experience that you can definitely gain from. Keep your thoughts in a positive stream so that you will not fall into negativity and say that it was a waste of time or it was meaningless. Always remember that an end of something is the beginning for something else. As you process through the divorce process, here are 8 things that can help you with moving on from the heartbreak and bitterness There is no need to rush into a new relationship before first working on yourself (Statistics show that while about 50% of first marriages end in divorce, second and third marriages are even more likely to end in divorce, 60% and 73% respectively). The…

25Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod

The Strength of Single Mothers

Blog, Parenting, Therapy, Tips

The single mothers I have come across in my lifetime are some of the strongest women I know. I ask myself, how is it that this woman has been through more than most, and came out on the other side empowered and able to conquer everyday obstacles with patience and grace? So I decided to ask them. For the sake of their privacy, their names have been changed, so we’ll call them Tamara and Kristina. Kristina's Story Kristina is a close family friend who married the love of her life, has three beautiful and resilient adult children, and continues to overcome residual struggles from the last 15 years of her life. In 2001, Kristina’s husband was laid off from his job, a huge blow to both his confidence and to…