Bringing Baby Home!
Bringing Baby Home is an uplifting educational program for pregnant couples & families with children up to three years of age. It's good for parents which makes it good for the baby! Win-win! Created by relationship experts, Drs. John & Julie...
What Exactly is Mindfulness?
What exactly is mindfulness? The term “mindfulness” increasingly is thrown around in the mainstream media. Because it can take on so many meanings, fully grasping it and integrating it is difficult. Essentially, mindfulness is the process of bringing our attention...
Eight Eating Disorder Myth Busters
I remember first learning about eating disorders in middle school. They were presented as disorders that tend to impact a particular type of person: affluent, white, adolescent, female. Looking back on eighth-grade health class, it was all very black and white: you...
We’re All Faking It: Tips to Manage Imposter Syndrome
We're all faking it. Really. When I got to grad school, I looked around and saw accomplished, eloquent, and well-established men and women. Instead of feeling excited about being able to learn from and get to know these people, I felt flooded with feelings of...
Social Etiquette Tips for Social Media
The way people socialize has evolved significantly throughout the years. The parents of the millennial generation did not have the same level of instantaneous communication that we have today. With email, texting, FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, dating...
Is It OK To Cuss In Therapy?
This has happened so many times. I'm working with a client. In the middle of a session, deep in conversation. They let out a "F&%k" or a "Sh*t!" after which, as if they had emitted a very loud, involuntary fart, they slap their hand over their mouth. Eyes wide...
Why Try Therapy?
Why try therapy? That's a great question. Let me tell you a story, and then I'll tackle some common objections to trying therapy. I got a free trial of Sirius radio a few years ago when I bought my car. I was changing channels and stumbled upon...
5 Steps To Stop Being The Family Scapegoat
Are you your family's scapegoat? How would you know? Do you find yourself on the defensive a lot? Do you hear stories, first or second hand, from various members of the family about your bad behavior? Stories that are very old, or not true or at best,...
Can Therapy Be Fun?
Can therapy be fun? Therapy is tough work! Some people say they feel exhausted after a counseling session. After all, it often involves talking about feelings and life events that are very difficult. At the same time, it can be fun and humorous! Humor is an important...
Could You Use a Therapist?
There are a lot of people out there who could use a good therapist only they don't know it. Do you wonder if you could use a therapist’s help but always seem to talk yourself out of it? You could think you are functioning just fine and still be in need of help. When...
Five Signs that Your Job is Toxic
In my college years, attaining independence became my primary goal. To me, independence meant being able to support myself. It seemed like I was working so hard toward one goal: getting a “good job.” For example, I thought a good job equaled full-time...
Best Blog Articles on Explore What’s Next 2018!
How long can we be wishing each other a Happy New Year? A very hip friend of mine who knows these things answered with confidence, “All the way through January!”Taking this bit of wisdom, I decided it wasn’t too late for a good old fashioned “Best of 2018”...
3 Myths about What it Means to be Strong
There are many myths about what it means to be strong. In a variety of contexts, I hear people say to each other, “you’re so strong.” Recently, I heard it when a stoic widow gave the eulogy at her husband’s funeral, when a young boy broke his ankle but...
Four Rules of Engagement
You got engaged over the holidays! Congratulations! That is so exciting! I am very happy for you both. What's next? Wedding planning! Yay! Or is it, Yay? Turning to a pop culture reference I'm reminded of a scene in the movie Bride Wars. The focus finally turns away...
Grieving Around the Holidays
Grieving around the holidays is the norm for many, but it's not just humans who grieve. Jodi Picoult’s “Leaving Time” is one of my favorite books. It’s about a mother-daughter relationship where the mother is an elephant researcher. Already being a huge fan of...
5 New Years Resolutions That Can Make Us Happy
New Year’s resolutions. Just the words make my heart a little sad. What we need is a New Years resolution makeover! A resolution revolution if you will! I propose throwing those negative, judgy, restricting resolutions into the Explore What’s Next...
When Is It The Right Time To Break Up?
Around this time of year, along with the presents and twinkle lights, there are people holding their breath. They are holding their breath because they are in a relationship that isn't working and they're waiting for the right time to break up. If you are one of those...
My 3 Holiday Wishes For All Of Us
All I want for Christmas is to get through this season with some peace of mind, heart, and body. Is that asking too much? Sometimes I wonder. Even with all the tips, I've written about, and the great ones from others that I've read, I still find myself caught up in...
6 Ways How to Manage the Holidays With an Eating Disorder
The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone, but it is especially challenging if you are working to manage the holidays with an eating disorder. When you have an eating disorder, holiday foods and holiday events with food can be huge triggers. There are a lot of...
6 Articles About Surviving The Holidays
The holidays are great in so many ways. It ranges from spending time with family and loved ones to just taking a break from the daily grind of routine. However sometimes this special time of the year starts to become burdensome and difficult on us and it becomes...
Embrace the Bumps For Parents Of Tweens and Teen Girls
Embrace the bumps! Some of the therapists at Explore What's Next read the same article in the New York Times. Each therapist tackled one of the points in the article. Read the original article, The Confidence Gap for Girls: 5 Tips for Parents of Tween and Teen Girls,...
How To Break Up With Someone: 10 Tips
You’re with someone who isn’t right for you. You need to break up, but just the thought of doing it makes your anxiety rise to a point where you question everything you ever thought about the relationship. Then you shake your head and tell yourself, no, I have to stop...
New Beginnings Are Not For Wimps – via insidewink
A few months ago, I was approached to produce a guest writer article for insidewink. I was SO excited! Insidewink is an awesome website with the tagline: Share the Good. Founded by Jean Trebeck, Alison Martin and Trish Geiger, their intention is always to be uplifting...
7 Ways Therapy Can Help Relationship Issues
When you choose to go to therapy, you have opened a door to a myriad of possibilities for growth. You get to have control in your therapist’s office; you can talk about whatever you want, and work through the issues that you decide are important. For a lot of people...
Interview With Tacianna Indovina
Tacianna Indovina, Ph.D., has been working at Explore What’s Next, located in the Buffalo region of New York, since October 2018. Her position at Explore What’s Next allows Tacianna to specialize in helping teens, young adults, and couples cope with interpersonal...
Explore Yoga + Meditation @Explore What’s Next
The Studio @Explore What's Next announces *free* yoga classes on Saturdays at 11:00AM-12:00PM starting this Saturday May 18th! Join us for a gentle Vinyasa flow with an introduction to mindful meditation, lead by HEALBflo’s Cheryl Erbacher! ❤️ HEAL...
6 Dark Sides of Mother’s Day
Let's not deny that there can be a dark, bittersweet side to Mothers' Day. As illustrated so simply and beautifully by the artist Mari Andrew, there are often complex stories behind any given person's experience of Mother's Day. Several of the therapists at Explore...
My Day As A Psychologist Lobbyist
The word 'lobbyist' does not stimulate Quixotic images of inspired professionals setting out to protect the citizenry for the greater good. 'Lobbyist' usually brings up quite the opposite reaction, like a bad smell suddenly entering the room. And yet, yesterday I...
Redefining Self-Care via Women’s Health Magazine
Late last January I got an email from a senior editor at Women’s Health magazine, Marissa Gainsburg. Hi, I hope this email finds you well! I'm the senior editor at Women's Health magazine, and I'm hoping to connect with you for a story. I'm working on a personal essay...
A Chat with Nicole Brown About Bringing Home Baby
Having joined Explore What’s Next relatively recently, I’m still getting to know my esteemed colleagues. I had the privilege of meeting Nicole Brown for coffee this past week to get to know her and her path to becoming a specialist in perinatal mental...