Articles by

Renew Y-O-U: A week to a better you

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 03:38:00 -0800

We are one day closer to spring, and here is one week of great ideas to jumpstart a new you. You can start today!

Healing after a pet's death

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:35:00 -0800

We picked Annie out when my daughter was about a year old. We knew she was the dog for us when we walked by her cage at our local animal shelter and Annie nuzzled her face against the gate, asking for love. We had never considered getting an older dog, but once we witnessed the loving exchange between my daughter and Annie, we knew we had to take her home. We had Annie for about three years, and then had to make the choice to let her go.

Broken heart? How to start healing today

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 03:49:00 -0800

Even though Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, broken hearts and broken relationships are actually a common theme this time of year. The major holidays are over, and many people take the opportunity to end a relationship and start the new year fresh and single. Is your heart broken right now? If so, there is hope. The following tips can help the healing start today.

How stress distorts your self-image and ways to break the vicious cycle

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 04:08:00 -0800

There are plenty of reasons why stress is not good for your physical health, but it's also not good for your mental health. When your body is suffering from chronic stress, it sends signals to your brain to move into panic mode and puts your body in a chronic fight-or-flight mode. This results in the shut-down of the thinking or reasoning parts of your brain. You start to see a distorted view of yourself, which only makes your stress escalate.

Sexy and bold: How feeling sexy can improve your life

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:53:00 -0800

You don’t have to have to have the perfect body to be considered sexy. Being and feeling sexy comes in many forms. Sometimes women are afraid to feel sexy because it might send the wrong message, but when you feel sexy, the confidence you exude is irresistible. It can even help jump-start new opportunities or relationships that you may have avoided because of low self-esteem. Here are three things you can do today to help you find your sexy and bold self.

Are successful women healthier?

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 03:30:00 -0800

Are alpha women, super-women, women who seem to have it all together really healthier? Is success really all it is cracked up to be? Looking at accomplished women in the world, we often think about success in terms of career. But what about the health of women who seem to have it all? Success often comes with stress, and with stress comes health issues.

Women's health: Find sexual liberation in your marriage

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:45:00 -0800

Believe it or not, women can sometimes be complicated creatures. OK, so I'm being sarcastic. But when it comes to sex, it can sometimes seem impossible to please yourself andyour partner. Where to begin? Here are three tips to help you find your sexual liberation!

My life is in shambles: How to restart and put things in order

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 03:34:00 -0800

So, something happened, and you realized that your life is a disaster. How do you pick up from here? Here are four things you can do today to help restart your life and bring order to any situation.

My family is abusive: How to deal with bullies in your family

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 13:08:00 -0700

One of the things that I hear often as a therapist is the struggle many clients have dealing with abusive parents or siblings. There is almost always this sense of guilt when it comes to dealing with family members who are bullies. If we would not put up with it in our personal lives, then why do we put up with it in our families? This is a difficult question to answer for many who have had to deal with abuse dynamics for years. Here are some tips to start putting a stop to the abuse.

I can't stop eating! How to handle emotional eating during the holidays

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 04:39:00 -0700

It’s that time of year where memories and food go hand in hand -- which means many of us, who would not identify ourselves as emotional eaters, all of a sudden find ourselves eating a lonely night away. Here are three tips to help curb that emotional eating and to stop it from becoming a yearlong habit.

How to safely leave an abusive relationship

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:29:00 -0700

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence states that "approximately 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year." With these statistics it is important to talk about how you can safely leave an abusive relationship without increasing the risk that you and your children might be hurt more. Here are three things you can start doing today.

Fibromyalgia: How to be intimate despite pain

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:55:00 -0700

If you have fibromyalgia, you may feel disconnected from your partner. Fibromyalgia can take a toll on relationships but it doesn't have to. Here are three things you can do to help your partner better understand what it is like to live with this life-altering condition.

Diet obsession: How to break free

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 08:42:00 -0700

Ahhh -- summer weather is here. Which means dieting time, right? No! Stop the madness and get back to living. Here are three steps you can take today to stop yourself from riding the dieting rollercoaster.

Seasonal mood changes: How to cope

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:44:00 -0700

It’s spring! Flowers blooming, birds tweeting, rain showers. You should be happy, right? Maybe you're surprised because everyone around you seems to be excited that we have shifted seasons, but for whatever reason you can’t seem to get out of your winter funk. We often hear in the media discussions about seasonal affective disorder, which tend to affect people during the fall and winter months, but believe it or not, seasonal changes and effects on your mood are actually quite normal year-round. Here are three things you can do to help cope with the seasonal change blues.

Mental health: 6 symptoms you shouldn’t ignore

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:32:00 -0700

You’ve been avoiding going to the doctor, hoping things will get better as time goes on. Stop waiting. There are mental health symptoms that you should not ignore, because if you wait too long, you may have a bigger issue to deal with down the road. Here are six mental health-related symptoms you should not ignore.

A broken heart: When it’s time to reach out for help

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:37:00 -0800

I walked in the front door after being gone from a long business trip, only to find the house a mess. My first instinct was that we had been robbed! I quickly assessed the house to see if any of our valuable things were missing, only to slowly realize it wasn’t my valuable things that were missing, it was just his. As I made my way to the kitchen, I saw a letter. I knew instantly what it was, it started with “Dear Caroline …” Immediately my heart began to pound, my knees felt as if they were about to give out and as I read my heart broke into a thousand pieces and I was pretty sure it was going to be broken forever.

Women’s intuition: How it can save your life

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:00 -0800

Ever have the feeling that you should do something because your life depended on it? That’s your intuition. Following your intuition, or “trusting your gut,” not only can help you live a more fulfilling life, but can also keep you safe. Think about stories of people you know who have narrowly escaped a very dangerous situation. Many of these stories involve the person listening to their intuition or gut. There are countless stories of people in our society who are living examples of how listening to your gut can make or break you . Following your intuition can be as simple as making a small change in your daily life, or making a major change. Here are some tips to helping you pay more attention to your intuition -- because, you never know: It could save your life!

Sybil Exposed: Taking a look at the real Sybil

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:43:00 -0800

Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan is an extraordinary book about the real Sybil, the subject of a non-fiction 1973 book in which she was said to have had 17 different personalities. The new book looks at how the diagnosis of multiple personality disorder , also known as DID , came to be. Here’s what you can learn from this intriguing book.

3 Tips to love yourself this holiday season

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:02:00 -0800

Halloween is done and Thanksgiving is around the corner. Those glossy catalogs have already started to arrive in your mailbox. What to do when that cashmere sweater calls your name and threatening your credit card? Here are three things you can do for yourself during the holiday season to avoid spending money and still find happiness.

Breast cancer: Coping with body changes after surgery

Colleen Crane, MSW, LCSW — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:42:00 -0700

Body changes after breast cancer surgery are normal and to be expected. But how do we cope with them on an emotional level? Here are three things you can focus on today to help you start feeling better about yourself and your body.