Blog - Mindful Connections Counseling

Strengthening the Bond: How Trauma Can Make Couples Stronger

Two yellow mugs tied together with red and brown string. Trauma bonding can happen in couples. Do you and your partner want in person trauma therapy in Metuchen, NJ? Call us today to learn more.

The decision to start therapy with your partner isn’t an easy one. You or your partner may decide to pursue therapy in New Jersey for relationship issues. These issues could include communication, trust, intimacy, family blending, divorce-related concerns, and more. Undoubtedly, these are valid motivations to seek therapeutic support. However, there may be underlying factors beyond your awareness that impact how well you trust, communicate, and work together. You might wonder, what could that be? The answer is trauma.

By Jaunai Staton, LAMFT

7 Parenting Tips To Use With Your New Jersey Teen

Hands and fingers pointing at a teenager who is looking down with headphones in her ears. Are you trying to get through to your teen? Consider parent coaching in New Jersey.

Let’s be real. Talking with your teenager can be a daunting task. Finding the right words to say or the right time to bring something up can stir up feelings of anxiety. It’s because you care that you feel this way. You want to get your point across without sounding like the “nagging parent” or without shutting out your teenager’s feelings on the issue. As a New Jersey teen therapist, I know this is hard work. But talking to your teen can be done in a healthy way. It’s possible for you and your teen to have meaningful talks for years to come.

By Lisa Marcelino, PhD, LMFT, CCTP

More Advice from a New Jersey Premarital Counselor: Don’t Hide Emotions From Your Partner

Girl with blonde hair turning away from the camera. Are you and your partner turning away from one another? Couples therapy in New Jersey can help. Contact us to learn more.

Vulnerability isn’t easy. When the relationship with your partner becomes tense, it’s natural to feel unsure about being vulnerable. You might worry that showing your vulnerable side could make you seem weak. You might also worry that it exposes you to potential judgment or criticism. However, open and transparent communication with your partner is essential for a healthy relationship.

By Jaunai Staton, LAMFT

Infidelity Survival Guide PART 2: Rebuilding Trust and Your Relationship

Person holding a felt heart in the palm of their hands. Healing after infidelity is possible. Contact us today to learn more.

After the initial shock of infidelity wears off, couples are often wondering what to do next. You want to find a way to move forward, but you don’t know how. Loved ones might be telling you to break up. Others might encourage you to find forgiveness in your heart.

By Jaunai Staton, LAMFT

Infidelity Survival Guide PART 1: What It Actually Feels Like

Person holding a paper heart that has been cut in half. Infidelity can cause heartbreak and pain. To get support, talk to a New Jersey infidelity counselor today.

Imagine yourself in the therapist’s chair. You’re wrestling with a deeply personal issue that’s been weighing heavily on your mind and emotions. The topic at hand is infidelity, a subject often shrouded in secrecy and tainted by societal stigma. It’s a challenging ordeal that can leave anyone feeling adrift, wounded, and unsure about the future of their relationship.

By Jaunai Staton, LAMFT

What Does Trauma Do To Your Brain?

Floating brain with a purple background. What happens to the brain with trauma? Read this blog to find out more from a New Jersey trauma therapist. Contact us to learn more about trauma therapy in New Jersey.

It is highly likely that at some point in your life, you will encounter trauma either first-hand or vicariously (Fisher, 2023). In fact, about 90% of all adults will experience trauma at least once in their lifespan (Kilpatrick et al, 2013). While you may know what trauma is, do you know what happens to your brain when you are traumatized?

By Dr. Lisa Marcelino, LMFT, CCTP

How Does Body Image Affect Mental Health? Tips from a New Jersey Eating Disorder Therapist

Shadow of an arm pointing at the stomach of a female body. Negative body image can impact your mental health. Call a body image therapist in New Jersey today to improve your mental health and self-esteem.

It’s hard to focus on the positive when you’re constantly looking at your appearance and pointing out your flaws. You feel disappointed as you look in the mirror and see something about you that you just don’t love. The criticisms that flood your thoughts as you look at your reflection make you feel like you’re not enough. Your body image is at an all-time low.

By Melody Smith, LAC

Reclaiming Your Life: Individual Trauma Therapy

By Jaunai Staton, BBA

What Exactly Is Trauma?

Silhouette of a person holding up their fist in victory. This is how it feels to overcome trauma. Working with a trauma therapist in New Jersey can help you heal from difficult experiences. Call today for a therapist near Edison, New Jersey in person.

Trauma typically encompasses deeply distressing or excruciating experiences. Traumatic experiences can evoke an instinctual inclination to avoid. Trauma causes us to shield ourselves from intense emotions. We then resort to suppressing or completely avoiding how we feel. Facing and accepting trauma is no easy task. Recovery from trauma can be a challenging journey filled with obstacles. When we finally acknowledge the presence of trauma through trauma therapy, healing can begin.

Trauma and Intimate Relationships

Trauma, in itself, is so complex. When one or both people in a relationship have experienced trauma, it can create rigidity, conflict, and misunderstandings. Here are some ways trauma can show up in your relationships.

Disordered Eating: What You Need To Know

What is disordered eating?

Disordered eating encompasses a range of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors surrounding food and body image. Although your eating patterns may not fit the standards for a specific eating disorder, disordered eating patterns include a variety of abnormal behaviors that aren’t typical of healthy eating habits.