Transitions Marriage & Family Therapy and Individual Counseling, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Helpful Uses for White Noise Machines

Sean Slevin — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:00:51 +0000

This post is a little unusual in that I don’t typically do product reviews, but I have found myself repeatedly recommending these sound machines to clients for a variety of uses and so it seemed worth while to write about what a helpful addition these appliances can be to your home.

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In Search of the “Perfect” Counselor

Sean Slevin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:20:30 +0000

Having been a client myself at various points over the years (as well, of course, now being a provider of counseling services) I thought I would share some of my thoughts about selecting a counselor for oneself. The title of this post is a little misleading in that I don’t think there are any perfect counselors, nor do I think it would be good for us as people if there were. While I think we may at times long for someone who has no struggles of their own and would care for us perfectly, I think that such a person would feel so different from ourselves that it would make it hard to experience their help as being relevant. In my past experiences as a client, I have found it comforting to experience my counselor as being human, just like me in that they have imperfections and frailties, and yet having walked further down the path of growth than I yet had. In short, working with a counselor who is human like you and yet has grown in places that you have not yet grown instills hope that you too can grow in those places. A counselor who presents themselves as completely without struggles, limitations, weaknesses, etc. can in comparison feel hard to relate to since deep down we all know ourselves to be imperfect.

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A Common Marital Hang-up: Personality Differences

Kristin Slevin — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:30:12 +0000

There are many topics that bring couples in for counseling. The three areas that couples fight about the most are Intimacy, Finances and Parenting. However, in my work with couples I see another problem that I believe is a root problem under many difficulties that couples encounter. This problem is making assumptions about one’s spouse based on one’s self. While making assumptions this way seems reasonable enough, the rule of complementarities gives couples a high rate of being wrong when they make assumptions about the other based on themselves.

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Resources from Ken Myers Lecture on Technology and Children

Sean Slevin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:15:53 +0000

I recently came across my notes from the Ken Myers lecture from a while back on “Modern Technology in the Lives of our Children” and thought I’d share the various resources that he mentioned and as well as some of the themes he emphasized.

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Reducing Stress Using Muscle Relaxation (Contract/Release Method)

Kristin Slevin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:37:05 +0000

With the current advances of neuroscience we are coming to a greater understanding of the connection between the health of the mind and the body. Mental tension and physical tension go together. Most of us have some awareness of this connection when after a stressful day we find that we have a headache or our shoulders are tight or our stomach hurts. Mental and emotional stress affects our bodies, each of us in our own way. What we are often less aware of is that relaxing the body can help reduce mental and emotional stress. You have probably experienced this too. Have you ever noticed how much better you feel after eating a nice meal, soaking in the tub, exercising, or cuddling with your favorite animal or person? Such activities release chemicals in the brain which help relax the body as well as promote mental well-being.

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Modern Technology in the Lives of our Children: A Lecture by Ken Myers

Sean Slevin — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:46:17 +0000

Redeemer Classical School (located in Keezletown, Virginia) has arranged for Ken Myers to present a lecture this coming Friday (May 14, 2010) on Growing up in a Digital Nation: Modern Technology in the Lives of our Children.

Friday, May 14, 2010, at 7:30pm
Massanutten Presbyterian Church
50 Indian Trail, Penn Laird, VA
Admission is free and all are welcome.

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A Good Self-Help Book is Like a Map…

Sean Slevin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:23:45 +0000

One of our goals with the Transitions blog is to provide useful resources to our readers. These can be books, articles, psychological research, websites, etc., as well as, of course, our own thoughts about what can be helpful to those seeking to learn, grow and live well. We intend for all of these things to be useful and helpful (obviously, or why would we post them?), but part of utilizing any resource well is understanding what it can and cannot accomplish for you.

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Green Space and Your Mental Health

Sean Slevin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:28:54 +0000

As a rather severe winter fades and spring approaches it seems like a good time to write about an interesting study I came across a while back about the health benefits of living near green spaces. The perceived connection between closeness to nature and one’s health is not new, and is one which is not hard to accept on just an intuitive level. Particularly at this time of year after having had so much snow it can feel good to just see the green grass again!

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Knowing When It’s Wise to Get Marriage Counseling

Kristin Slevin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:58:53 +0000

As the old saying goes, time is a great healer. For the most part people are resilient and can find ways through difficult times. However, there are some circumstances in which it may not be worth the potential damage to wait to get counseling. This post examines one such situation: marital problems that have gone on for longer than four months without getting any better. In order to illustrate some of the damage that can be caused by waiting to get marital help, I will use a made-up example about a fictional couple, Sally and Bill. (In order to protect our client’s confidentiality we never use client’s stories as examples.)

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Icicles at the Transitions Office

Sean Slevin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:43:27 +0000

I have always been fascinated by icicles–they’re just so fantastical and otherworldly! While the snow has been pretty to watch, the frequency and quantity has meant for a lot of shoveling and rescheduling. One perk for me with all of the snow has been the increasingly enormous icicles at our office. So for a change of pace here on the Transitions blog I thought I’d write a fun post just to share a few pictures of them.

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