Staff, APPS, Author at Ashburn Psychological and. Psychiatric Services

Urge Surfing: A Mindful Approach To Managing Cravings And Impulses
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Urge Surfing: A Mindful Approach To Managing Cravings And Impulses

Staff, APPS2025-02-01T02:48:50+00:00

Urge Surfing: A Mindful Approach To Managing Cravings And Impulses Urge surfing is a mindfulness-based technique designed to help individuals navigate the discomfort of cravings or impulses without succumbing to them. This powerful tool, first introduced by Dr. Alan Marlatt, a pioneer in addiction research, provides a practical and effective way to manage urges associated with bad habits or negative behaviors that are difficult to control. Whether you're trying to quit smoking, or you’re struggling to manage your drinking or emotional eating or other impulsive actions, urge surfing offers a pathway to greater self-awareness, emotional balance and long-term positive behavioral [...]

Urge Surfing: A Mindful Approach To Managing Cravings And ImpulsesStaff, APPS2025-02-01T02:48:50+00:00

Mental Health Professionals and High Conflict Divorce: 7 Pitfalls for Attorneys to Avoid
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Mental Health Professionals and High Conflict Divorce: 7 Pitfalls for Attorneys to Avoid

Staff, APPS2025-02-01T02:52:10+00:00

Mental Health Professionals and High Conflict Divorce: 7 Pitfalls for Attorneys to Avoid In the ideal divorce situation, family law attorneys are able to mitigate or circumvent problems for the involved parties without the need for adversarial negotiations and/or aggressive litigation. But when it comes to high-conflict divorces, things like mediation, collaboration, and cooperative negotiations are often not an option, especially when the matter of custody is at hand. Mental-health professionals can be helpful to family law attorneys during high-conflict divorces, but unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some attorneys to attempt to blur a clinician’s boundaries in order to [...]

Mental Health Professionals and High Conflict Divorce: 7 Pitfalls for Attorneys to AvoidStaff, APPS2025-02-01T02:52:10+00:00

Let’s Make 2025 A Winning Year Through Humility and Kindness!
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Let’s Make 2025 A Winning Year Through Humility and Kindness!

Staff, APPS2025-01-07T05:17:56+00:00

Let’s Make 2025 A Winning Year Through Humility and Kindness! Humility comes from the Latin word humilis, which literally means low. But as a virtue, humility is often misperceived as being something that is undesirable or unattainable. How is appearing small or insignificant or worthless in relation to others an attractive quality? To the contrary, truly humble people are strong in that they possess the capacity to deflect self-importance in the service of others or a greater good. Jesus, Mother Theresa, Gandhi and Buddha are exemplars and ultimate definitions of humility. But for most of us, figuring out how, when and [...]

Let’s Make 2025 A Winning Year Through Humility and Kindness!Staff, APPS2025-01-07T05:17:56+00:00

Understanding Parental Alienation: Challenges and Guidance for Parents
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Understanding Parental Alienation: Challenges and Guidance for Parents

Staff, APPS2024-12-30T00:16:48+00:00

Understanding Parental Alienation: Challenges and Guidance for Parents Parental alienation is a deeply painful experience, both for the parent being alienated and for the child caught in the middle. At its core, parental alienation refers to behaviors by one parent that aim to damage or sever the bond between a child and the other parent. These behaviors often include manipulation, spreading false narratives, or portraying the other parent in a consistently negative light. The concept of parental alienation gained significant attention in the 1980s when psychiatrist, Richard Gardner, introduced the term “Parental Alienation Syndrome” (PAS). Gardner described it as a [...]

Understanding Parental Alienation: Challenges and Guidance for ParentsStaff, APPS2024-12-30T00:16:48+00:00

Family Gatherings During The Holiday Season Pros & Cons
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Family Gatherings During The Holiday Season Pros & Cons

Staff, APPS2024-11-27T17:06:01+00:00

Family Gatherings During The Holiday Season: The Pros, The Cons, Some Practical Tips And Some Things To Avoid The holiday season is often seen as a time to reconnect with family and to celebrate traditions. However, family gatherings can also bring challenges. For some, these moments are opportunities to create joyful memories; for others, they may feel like navigating a social minefield. Understanding the pros and cons of holiday get-togethers, along with actionable strategies for managing potential pitfalls, can help you make the most of your family time. The Pros Strengthening Bonds. The holidays provide a natural opportunity to deepen [...]

Family Gatherings During The Holiday Season Pros & ConsStaff, APPS2024-11-27T17:06:01+00:00

The Story of Two Goats And Your Vote: How to Manage Yourself After The Election
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The Story of Two Goats And Your Vote: How to Manage Yourself After The Election

Staff, APPS2024-10-31T20:07:39+00:00

The Story of Two Goats And Your Vote: How to Manage Yourself After The Election Once upon a time, in a certain forest, there lived a Black Goat and a White Goat. One day, as fate would have it, they both needed to cross a narrow bridge. Unfortunately, the bridge was so narrow that it only had enough space for one goat to cross at a time. The Black Goat arrived on one side of the bridge, while the White Goat approached from the other. Both goats were determined to cross first, and thus an argument ensued. Each goat was [...]

The Story of Two Goats And Your Vote: How to Manage Yourself After The ElectionStaff, APPS2024-10-31T20:07:39+00:00

Ask Dr. Mike – Children truly hate their stepmother
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Ask Dr. Mike – Children truly hate their stepmother

Staff, APPS2024-10-17T02:13:32+00:00

Dr. Mike, I know you do a lot of divorce work as a custody evaluator, and we’re struggling as a family and could use some guidance. For quick review, we went through a very contentious and nasty separation and divorce, and we’ve been divorced now for 5 years. I have full physical and legal custody of both of our children, and the children have a visitation schedule with their father. My ex-husband remarried 9 months ago, and my children truly hate their stepmother, and hate is an understatement. First, she’s 23 years younger than my ex-husband, which has been very [...]

Ask Dr. Mike – Children truly hate their stepmotherStaff, APPS2024-10-17T02:13:32+00:00

Ask Dr. Mike – Life360 for her Freshman year
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Ask Dr. Mike – Life360 for her Freshman year

Staff, APPS2024-10-24T06:20:19+00:00

Dr. Mike, Our 18-year-old daughter went off to JMU for Freshman year this Fall, and we’re so proud of her. She’s doing well academically and socially, but she’s upset with us for being “controlling” and for “micromanaging” her. My husband and I told her that we would be keeping Life360 on her phone to monitor her whereabouts on campus for her first year away. We told her that if she demonstrated maturity in making good choices, and if she gets good grades, we will then remove ourselves from Life360 for her Sophomore year and after. She’s always been a great [...]

Ask Dr. Mike – Life360 for her Freshman yearStaff, APPS2024-10-24T06:20:19+00:00

How Your Brain Is Telling You To Vote
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How Your Brain Is Telling You To Vote

Staff, APPS2024-09-04T00:57:02+00:00

How Your Brain Is Telling You To Vote As another presidential election approaches, political conversations seem to be everywhere --at family gatherings, on social media, and in the workplace. These discussions can quickly become heated, often leading to frustration, misunderstandings, and, in some cases, strained or even terminated relationships. But what if the way we vote is influenced more by the biology of our brains than by our rational, conscious thoughts? What if our political beliefs are, to some extent, preordained by our genetics and brain structure? Research in neuroscience and psychology suggests that this might be truer than we [...]

How Your Brain Is Telling You To VoteStaff, APPS2024-09-04T00:57:02+00:00

3 Reasons Why Social Media Shouldn’t Be Your Therapist
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3 Reasons Why Social Media Shouldn’t Be Your Therapist

Staff, APPS2024-08-22T04:02:50+00:00

3 Reasons Why Social Media Shouldn’t Be Your Therapist With technology being so present in our lives these days, it can be tempting to turn our friends into virtual therapists when we are in a bad place or need help. And while it’s perfectly fine to reach out to friends on-line for general support, it’s entirely another thing to seek guidance for larger mental health problems. If you personally struggle with depression, anxiety, or alcoholism/substance use, or if your marriage is in trouble, or if your child isn’t doing well, etc., your problems won’t be adequately addressed on social media [...]

3 Reasons Why Social Media Shouldn’t Be Your TherapistStaff, APPS2024-08-22T04:02:50+00:00

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