Honored to Be Voted “Best Of” in the North Bay Bohemian in 2018
My deepest thanks to those who voted me “Best Marriage and Family Therapist” in the North Bay Bohemian this year. It is an honor and a privilege to do the work I do.
read moreThe Fire Is Over In Sonoma County. Why Don’t I Feel Like Myself Again?
Information on common reactions and challenges to crisis like the recent firestorm in Sonoma County. Includes initial stress reactions and how they may evolve. Discussed self care strategies and resources to allow healing and decrease normal stress reaction symptoms. Talks about when and why these normal reactions may become Acute Stress Reactions and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the importance of getting help.
read moreAddiction and Recovery: Failure to Thrive?
Failure to thrive in the recovery and addiction sense is not a failure at all. It is actually a stuck place or a condition that prevents a recovering person from moving away from merely surviving (envision fighting the urge to drink or use daily, staying sober but… it took up all your energy that day or week) to actually thriving (envision growing, increasing capabilities, setting goals and moving toward them, increasingly healthy relationships through repair and using tools, etc.) The most dangerous part about failure to thrive in recovery is that
read moreIs a “Good” Value Limiting Your Life?
Values, principles, morals, standards….What are yours and how do you incorporate them into your life? This is something I often encourage the clients who come to my private psychotherapy practice to identify.
read moreDecision Making; When Right Feels Wrong
Have you ever made a decision painstakingly, with heart and mind engaged, with best intentions, yet felt sad, unsettled or downright anxious about seeing it through?
read moreIs Help Genuinely Needed?
One of Three Questions to Help End Codependency and Empower Yourself I have noticed that this question comes in handy when you feel pressured or stressed by another person’s expectation or need for your help. The actual helping act will vary, what will be consistent is the belief that you are the only person who can do this favor or task. If you experience a sense of pressure or expectation from the person asking for help combined with your own belief that there is no other way this will be accomplished, it is time to pause and...
read moreHas Help Been Asked For?
Has Help Been Asked For? One of Three Questions to Help End Codependency and Empower Yourself As an Marriage and Family Therapist who often works with individuals with addictions and relationship issues, I frequently encourage my clients to use the Three Questions to Help End Codependency as a litmus test to help guide them to healthier relationships and boundaries. One small question can tell you volumes. “Have I been asked to help in this way?” If the answer is no, this is a yellow light, meaning that pausing to reflect upon...
read moreWhat is the Cost to Me?
What is the Cost to Me? One of the Three Questions to Help End Codependency and Empower Yourself In this article, I will be focusing on a method I use in my therapy practice to manage codependency called Three Questions to Help End Codependency. Giving help that has a big “cost” to ourselves is common and the following example illustrates how good people get into this difficult situation. Imagine you are going about your day relishing a rare day off where your calendar is not already filled. Then all of a sudden an unforeseen...
read moreAlice Petty-Hannum, MFT
Honored to be voted Best Marriage and Family Therapist:
