June is convocation month, and all around the world students are celebrated as they make their way out of their post-secondary, and often, personal, nests as they fly toward the next phase of their lives. Most of us watch them cross the stage with joy at the possibilities that we imagine for them, as well…
From the moment we’re born until the day we die we are continually absorbing messages that tell us who we are, what we’re worth as human beings, what we should be doing at any given time, how we should look (and especially how we shouldn’t look), what we should eat, what we should buy, what…
As a psychotherapist, I often meet individuals, couples and families who at first describe the relationships that matter the most in their lives as ‘very close’, ‘tight’, and supportive. But later, after understanding the issues that brought them to my office, I view them more as insular systems that nurture – or even demand –…
Since it’s the season to bring “joy to the world,” I thought this might be an appropriate occasion to ask you to consider what brings joy to you. Somebody asked me this question recently, and I had to think for a few minutes. I’d somehow forgotten that joy is something that’s not only important in…
Let’s reflect on your past year: How many phone calls did you have from your son’s school? How many behavioral notes were written in your daughter’s agenda? How many parent-teacher meetings did not go your ideal way? For most parents, it is difficult to admit that their child may need therapy for their behavioral problems.…
Peaceful Warrior Wellness Services, LLC / Dr.Steven Ruiz Bettencourt, Psy.D.,LPC, Cht, EMDR
December 14, 2017
Many of my clients have already discovered through long frustrating hours of trying to find a court approved anger management program,that there aren’t many actual “Anger Management Specialists” to be found. In fact, it is a highly specialized field. I have provided Anger Management treatment for the Department of Corrections for nearly twenty years and…
At the start, we all sign a marriage contract that few even scan or take the time to read. Would you enter a business deal or any other important relationship that way? No worries, as we all have many opportunities to discuss and add to this important document that can be the floor in…
Just how the family influences a child’s development, the child also has an impact on his/her family. Now, a child with a disability has a special effect on his/her family, as the disability can become a source of stress for the parents, siblings, and the family in general. In such moments, consistent parenting and remaining…
Many of our initial beliefs about power & control are hatched on the elementary school playground and in our initial, unsupervised interactions with peers at a young age. These beliefs, whether inherited, learned or both, become solidified by experience, become internalized and color how we are in relationships for years to decades to come. And…
Falling in lust is easy. It’s automatic requiring no skills. Loving is entirely different requiring great skills. If all I did was correct people when they talk or write about “falling in love,” I’d be busy for the rest of my life. No one falls in love. One falls in lust. Lusting is automatic.…