7 Tips to Cultivate Calm this Holiday Season

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
7 Tips to Cultivate Calm this Holiday Season

The holiday season is often filled with joy, love, and celebrations. But it can also bring a lot of stress and chaos, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. It's important to take some time to cultivate calm amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Here are 7 tips to help you do just that…

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Navigating New Beginnings: 7 Tips for a Smooth Back-to-School Transition

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
Navigating New Beginnings: 7 Tips for a Smooth Back-to-School Transition

As we gear up for another exciting back-to-school season, it's only natural to want our children to have a smooth transition and start the year off on the right foot. In this blog we're diving deep into the world of new beginnings and sharing 7 tried-and-true tips to help your kids (and YOU!) navigate the back-to-school transition like a pro.

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5 REASONS WHY SUMMER IS THE BEST TIME TO START COUNSELING→

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
5 REASONS WHY SUMMER IS THE BEST TIME TO START COUNSELING

It’s hard to believe it’s mid-summer already! It seems like just yesterday we were navigating the hectic pace of the end of the school year. Time sure does fly. But here's some exciting news: this is the perfect time to start counseling for kids, teens, college students, and adults! Yep, you heard me right. Whether you're enjoying the lazy days of summer or prepping for the next chapter in your life, now is the perfect time to prioritize your mental well-being. 

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SUPPORTING YOUR STRUGGLING YOUNG ADULT: 5 Practical Tips for Parents

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
SUPPORTING YOUR STRUGGLING YOUNG ADULT: 5 Practical Tips for Parents

As a parent, you want to do everything you can to support your young adult through the challenges of adulthood. Whether they are struggling to find their place in the workforce, managing their finances, or navigating complex relationships, it can be hard to know how to help them succeed.

Fortunately, there are many strategies that parents can use to support their struggling young adults. From providing practical support to encouraging self-care, these strategies can help your young adult build resilience, gain confidence, and navigate the challenges of becoming a productive, independent adult.

In this blog, we will explore 5 practical tips parents can use to support their struggling young adults. Whether your young adult is just starting out on their journey into adulthood or is already facing significant challenges, these tips can help you provide the support and guidance they need to move into the next phase of their life successfully.

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7 SIMPLE WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY

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7 SIMPLE WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY

You’re probably imagining how your upcoming holiday celebrations will go this year. While family celebrations are often thought of as happy occasions filled with love and laughter, many people find these reunions stressful. Conflicts that seem to surface every year and relatives who are simply unpleasant can increase our anxiety and cause us to want to avoid the situation altogether. Instead of preparing for a fight this year, follow these tips to make family gatherings more enjoyable.

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Group Therapy: A Great Treatment Option for Kids and Adults

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
Group Therapy: A Great Treatment Option for Kids and Adults

Groups can be incredible for developing and practicing communication. In real time, a therapist is guiding the group members to interact and communicate with each other. This allows for growth and practice of these skills to happen in tandem. In individual sessions, we discuss communication skills and styles of communicating with others, but practicing these skills with peers is left up to homework and a client remembering to try them at home and at school. When you learn and use communication skills in groups, these things are happening automatically in the moment and there’s the benefit of having a supportive therapist guiding you and ensuring your success.

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Summer to School: 7 Tips to Help Your Child Successfully Transition Back to School After Summer Break→

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
Summer to School: 7 Tips to Help Your Child Successfully Transition Back to School After Summer Break

The unknown of starting a new school year can be quite difficult, particularly for kids who struggle with anxiety. They may be worrying about who will be in their classes, where they’ll sit at lunch, whether they’ll have trouble finding their way around the building, what to wear, how they’ll manage the school work, what type of teachers they’ll have, and countless other things. While parents can’t extend the summer vacation, they can do some things to make the return to school a little bit easier for their children.

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Summertime Blues: 5 Key Indicators of Teen Depression

/ Farmington Valley Counseling Center/
Summertime Blues: 5 Key Indicators of Teen Depression

For many teens summer is not that happy vacation time they had imagined. Instead of living it up, they find themselves feeling bored and miserable as the reality of summer does not live up to their expectations. It’s safe to say that teenage angst is something parents come to expect. We all recognize that feeling overwhelmed, stressed and scared about the future is normal. The question becomes when is this struggle more than “normal” teenage stuff and a sign of depression that requires a different level of support and attention.

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