Immigrant families often carry histories shaped by poverty, war, displacement, political persecution, or natural disasters. These experiences leave a deep imprint—not just on those who directly endured them, but on future generations. Trauma shows up in parenting, family roles, and communication patterns. This can create emotional distance between generations.
Setting boundaries with a parent can feel confusing, painful, and even taboo, especially if you were raised to "honor thy father and mother." Maybe your parent dismisses your feelings, crosses emotional or physical boundaries, or makes you feel responsible for their moods. If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone.
American society is divided and polarized in our beliefs and perspectives, now more than ever. This can present unique challenges around connecting with others who we may not view as “like us” in our thought processes or belief systems, and this isolation can negatively impact our mental health. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to find community in a divided world, and why community is so important to our mental well-being.
A person's religious upbringing can have as much influence on them as their family of origin, shaping how they see and interact with the world around them. In this post, we'll cover the basics of religious trauma and how therapy can help survivors of religious trauma deconstruct their experiences, find new meaning, and rebuild their value system.
We all have our own stories for how our identity formed. Some of these stories are full of beauty and can serve us really well. Other stories can get in the way. Narrative Therapy encourages us to consider how we might “re-author” these stories to have more ownership over our lives.
Imagine the first time a client enters a therapist's office, revealing years of self-medicating trauma and anxiety by way of alcohol and drugs. Shame hangs heavy in these moments, with the focus fixed solely on breaking free from dependence and addiction. Yet, as therapists, we are attuned to a deeper truth - that these problematic behaviors were once functional survival mechanisms, borne out of pain. The troublesome coping skills you are faced with today at one time served a crucial purpose.
According to Dr. John Gottman’s research, 69% of problems that relationships face are actually perpetual or unsolvable problems. The good news is no you are not doomed for, and no you are absolutely not alone. What are examples of unsolvable problems might you ask? Many involve personality or character traits that are simply not changeable, but can also be the very parts of your partner that you fell in love with. They can also include core value topics like politics and religion.
Here are some tips for healing conflicts in your relationship.
Spring has arrived. The time of year when the simple sight of daffodils gives us hope!
We are reminded: If those delicate flowers can come to life after a bitterly cold winter, we too can bloom.
If you’re looking for ways to create meaningful change in your life in this new season, here are a few tips.
“Being transgender [or non-binary] is not just a medical transition; it’s discovering who you are, living your life authentically, loving yourself, and spreading that love towards other people and accepting one another no matter the difference.” — Jazz Jennings
One factor that improves mental health outcomes for transgender children is when the parents and caregivers in their lives accept and use their preferred name and pronouns.
©2025 Empowered Connections Counseling | All Rights Reserved
