Blog – Therapeutic Center For Hope

01Mar 2023 by alexiamcleod

5 Healthy Ways To Deal With Loss and Grief

Blog, Therapy, Tips

Dealing with grief is one of the most challenging experiences a person can face. Losing a loved one, a relationship, or even a job can bring up hard feelings of sadness, anger, and confusion. However, it's important to acknowledge and process these emotions in a healthy way to avoid long-term negative effects on our physical and mental health. Here are five healthy ways to deal with grief: Express Your Feelings The first step in dealing with grief is to allow yourself to feel your emotions. Bottling up your feelings can lead to depression and anxiety, among other health problems. It's essential to have a healthy outlet to express your emotions. This can be through journaling, talking to a trusted friend or therapist, or attending a support group. Don't be afraid…

05Oct 2022 by alexiamcleod

Getting Back On Track With Your Goals: How To End 2022 With A Bang!

Blog, Motivation, Tips

We are approaching the end of 2022 rather quickly; however, it is not too late to get back on track with your goals. If you are looking to end your 2022 with a bang, then do these 5 steps to get you closer to achieving your goals: Don’t dwell on what you could have accomplished It is easy to ruminate over what you could have accomplished during the year but did not. Understand that you will fall short at some point in your life and that is OK. However, the way you respond to the setback is the determinant on how successful you will be. Learn from your past mistakes and move forward with your goals. Adjust your previous goals to fit your current reality If a significant amount of…

31Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

Overcoming Obstacles

Blog, Health, Motivation, Therapy, Tips

Life can become difficult! One moment you are having a great life and thinking “Wow, life is going great!” Then the next thing you now it’s like a great big dark cloud overshadows all the positive things that have happened in your life. However, it’s important to not let those negative moments bring you down or lead you to believe that life will not get better. There are times in our lives where we must experience downfalls. Those dark moments can either break you or make you stronger. It’s important though that you don’t let them break you. Remember to stay positive through all the negative moments you may experience. I know, it can be hard to do, especially if things are really bad, but try not to let it…

29Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

Keeping Your Relationship Fresh as Busy Professionals

Blog, Health, Motivation, Relationship

Relationships can be difficult in managing as an adult with a thriving career. Finding someone is hard enough, but once you found your special someone keeping your relationship lively and making time for each can prove to also become challenging. Especially when the both of you have your own careers, personal goals, and sometimes even individual issues. As for any relationship, there has to be a solid foundation of excellent communication. Too often we all can sometimes underestimate the power of having mutual communication and verbalizing what we want in the relationship with our partner. When you feel as though your relationship is lacking it’s important that you get through your fear of confronting the issues. The fear will only prevent you from surpassing the issues at hand and not…

24Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

Struggling with an Eating Disorder

Blog, Health, Motivation, Therapy

Almost 30 million people of all ages and genders struggle with an eating disorder in the United States, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorder website. Although anyone can be affected and struggle with an eating disorder, women are the most associated with eating disorders. With advertisements, the media, and society implementing the idea that women and girls should be skinny and outrageously attractive at a very young age it’s no surprise that women are more vulnerable to struggling with an eating disorder. There are a lot of different kinds of eating disorders. The most common forms of eating disorders include Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating. Some eating disorders limit the amount of food intake from a person's diet and others increase the amount of…

22Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

Recognizing Bullying

Blog, Parenting, Therapy

With the start of a new school year, there can be worries that your child may be bullied. It’s not a thought that goes through every parent's mind, however, it’s important to be aware that there’s a possibility of bullying occurring at school. A child can be bullied at any moment no matter the circumstance. However, children who are visibly different, are part of a certain group (LGBTQ youth, a child with a disability, race, etc.) or may be socially isolated are common risk factors for a bully to begin picking on them. There is no exact reason or methodology a bully uses to choose their “victims.” Sometimes it can just be that the bully likes seeing whose buttons they can push and they will continue to push those buttons…

17Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

Signs of Codependency

Blog, Health, Relationship, Therapy

Codependency can be a serious issue, especially when the person is depending on the other person too much. Not giving the other person enough space to breathe or do their own things on their own time can have a negative impact on a relationship. It’s normal to want to be with someone all the time, but you should also understand that everyone has their own life to tend to. You shouldn’t actually have to be with that person all the time to feel happy or complete. Codependency can often be found in people who come from a dysfunctional family. Research shows that people who have parents who emotionally abused or neglected them in their teens or as a young child were more likely to be co-dependent. However, anyone can become…

16Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

There’s No Place for Hate

Blog, Events

Seeing all that happened in Charlottesville, VA this past weekend was truly disappointing and repulsive. The most viewed photo of the all the men and women holding torches in the night was crazy. I couldn't believe my eyes. Then to see men and women marching in broad daylight with their military guns so freely was also frightening. About a year ago from this date I was telling my daughter how lucky she was to grow up in a time where she didn't have to deal with such outward displays of prejudice, fears, and the anxiety of wondering if you had to fight back. However, seeing the chaos erupt right before my eyes on Saturday, made me feel uncomfortable for not only myself, but for my children, too. What was to…

10Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

LGBTQ Couples and Adoption

Adoption, Blog, Motivation, Parenting, Therapy, Tips

Children can bring couples many delightful memories. They can also help the couple feel like a true and complete family. However, we must acknowledge that couples are no longer only men and women, but there are plenty of openly same sex couples who would also like to have a complete family of their own. Many LGBTQ couples want the same opportunities to adopt and have a family just as heterosexual couples. However, the route to completing their families through adoption can be extremely difficult. It can be especially difficult if the state they live in has strict laws on LGBTQ couples adopting and what state or country they are deciding to adopt their child from. Since 2010, in the Sunshine State, the ban on gay and lesbian adoption was ruled…

08Aug 2017 by alexiamcleod

Surrogacy as an Option

Adoption, Blog, Motivation, Parenting, Therapy

The joys of starting a family can be challenging for some. However, there are several options that can help your dreams of having a family become reality. There are various options that you can choose from to start a family like adoption, traditional surrogacy, and gestational surrogacy. Although adoption is one of the most common routes for couples who would like to start a family, surrogacy is also a common option. The process of surrogacy depends on the type of surrogacy. As mentioned there are two primary types of surrogacy, traditional and gestational. Traditional surrogacy is when the surrogate carries the embryo and is the donor of the egg, making her the biological mother. In this case, the surrogate will be impregnated with sperm from the intended father, who will…