Tag: Healthy Relationships

Tips for the Transition Back To School

August 14

We hope you’ve had a great summer. It hasn’t been as hot as past Kansas summers (fingers crossed!), so hopefully you and your kids have been able to enjoy the outdoors and the swimming pool or whatever you like to do! Now it’s time for kids to go back to school. This is one of the biggest transitions in the year for families with kids of all ages, and it is important to keep in mind stress is higher around this time. To help with the back to school stress, our Real Life Counseling clinicians have compiled a list of … Read more

6 Ways to Establish A Sense of Self-Worth (Apart from Relying on Others’ Opinions)

July 16

By Joel Ybarra, LCMFT

One of the most common questions I run into working with people is, “How do I establish a sense of self-worth not based on what other people think?” Most of us understand we shouldn’t be defined by others – what they say or think about us – but we don’t readily know how to establish a sense of value in a more legitimate way. After working for 20 years to help people improve their sense of self, I have gathered that there are actually multiple dimensions that can give us a sense of worth and value.

… Read more

A Single Tree Podcast #10 – The Evolution/Development of The Self: Assimilating Feedback from Our Environment

December 20

Listen below to episode 10 of A Single Tree Podcast about the development and evolution of the self. Find all episodes and subscribe on Soundcloud or iTunes. Also, find the podcast on facebook here.

Description: We form ideas of ourselves through interaction with our environment. The relationships we have with people around us and the feedback we get from our environment reflect back to us important information. We form impressions of ourselves which are discarded as we grow and develop. It’s important to know ourselves and be exactly who we are, and be willing to surrender these … Read more

Practicing Empathy and Differentiation When Helping

December 11

By Joel Ybarra, LCMFT

Some would say the largest part of being able to help others is empathizing with them, but it’s important we’re able to do this in a helpful and constructive way. Empathy is often defined as being able to see through another’s eyes. It’s amazing – we’re able to “read” and recreate the internal experience of another within ourselves by observing their facial expressions and imagining what we might feel in their place. You can see how it may be easy to get too emotionally involved.

There are some different ways we get “too involved.” Sometimes we … Read more

Should I Try to Change My Partner? The Paradox in Couple Relationships

November 5

By Joel Ybarra, LCMFT

It is common for couples to wonder whether they should try to “change” one another. At times, partners are merely making simple requests of one another, such as asking for a hand with the groceries, but other times, it may seem like they’re asking their partner to change part of their personality. Couple relationships are a delicate balance between accepting our partners for who they are and seeking to get our own “needs” met. The best relationships are the ones in which there is unconditional acceptance, so where do our needs and desires (or even simple … Read more

Real Life Counseling Challenges Other Businesses to Maximize Health And Creativity, Not Just Profits

December 29

At Real Life Counseling, we are starting a campaign to challenge ourselves and others to build businesses that are healthy and creative, not just profitable. In a LinkedIn article “What If The Purpose of Business Is Creativity, Not Wealth Extraction,”[1] John Battelle questions the common understanding that businesses exist solely to deliver profits to shareholders. As we manage and work in business, we reach points where we must balance profit objectives with values that focus on the health of our organizations, the people within them and the community around us. Maximizing profits is not always opposed to creativity, but … Read more