counselor teenager teen therapist justin stum

Back To School: Staying Connected To Your Teen

We live in a world that thrives on instant gratification. The prevalence of mobile devices and tablets provides a forum of content on demand. Unfortunately, although we have a plethora of facts at our fingertips with our trusty smart phones, the answers to our complex social questions and emotional quandaries are not always so instantaneous. As…

Emotional Codependency in Marriage and Parenting Relationships

Codependency has typically been associated or understood to be a dynamic that occurs with individuals that are addicted to substances and their partners or spouses. Today the phenomenon we call codependency can be associated with those that are in fact not using substances of any kind. Mothers and children, husbands and wives, friends and associates…

three women cooking holiday tradition

Strengthening Relationships Through Family Traditions and Rituals

With the holiday season approaching, countless events become abuzz with holiday parties, church and social events, and family dinners typical for the season. These events serve many purposes and when understood more clearly enhance, solidify, and safeguard your relationships and overall emotional health. Rituals are activities that couples and families create that occur on a predictable…