The Blog
Our bi-monthly blogs are authored by a highly valued wellness experts of Southern Maryland or a member of our Hope and Healing staff!
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Being Told What to Think Doesn’t Factor in the Change Process: Why AI can’t Replace Your Human Therapist
Your brain learns through experience, not just information.
In my field, we use the word neuroplasticity to describe the brain's ability to change in response to experience, learning, and repeated patterns of activity. Learning involves repeated experience. When we repeatedly practice responding differently, we are giving the brain opportunities to learn something different and that is the reason the effort involved in therapy matters.
You might hear us say, “you’ll get out of therapy what you put into it.” When a therapist asks you to identify a cognitive distortion, challenge it, consider alternative explanations, connect it to an earlier experience, notice the emotional response, and then practice responding differently, you're not just getting the “right” answer. You're participating in the change which happened in the context of relationship.
When What You See Isn’t What You Get: Mental Health In The Media
The “world” we live in is filled, to the brim and often overflowing, with inaccurate, exaggerated and often sensationalized depictions of helpers - social workers, therapists, psychiatrists, even teachers, police officers and doctors. It is everywhere: TV, movies, news programming, social media, you name it. It is overflowing - boiling over!
Ready, Set, Regulate: An ADHD back to school guide
August has come upon us which means finishing the summer with family trips, vacations, time with friends and more. This also means that the return to school has arrived. This can be exciting yet for individuals or families who experience Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) this can be very stressful. Returning back to school is not only a change in the daily schedule but places more demand on the child for emotional regulation, impulse control, executive functioning, focus and more. Parents may notice this in behaviors from their children such as troubles falling asleep or staying asleep, behavior meltdowns, irritability, troubles with organization or resistance to routines. It is important to remember that ADHD brings challenges that often include:
Starting tasks
Remembering multiple steps of directions
Estimating time
Transitioning from one activity or task to another
Organizing belongings or thoughts
Regulating emotions
Maintaining attention on something that isn't interesting or immediately rewarding
Your Summer Sweat Sesh: What NOT to SKIP!
Summer 2026 is here! That means warmer temperatures, more humidity, and a lot of sun… so we may feel the need to consider tailoring our workouts to account for the weather, while still getting the most out of them.
When you go to train outside this summer, don’t forget to include your strength training, balance work and stretches!
The “great outdoors” is so wonderful, and as summer comes and spring dissipates, we see more ‘regular’ weather with fewer cold fronts and fewer rainy days. This can help us find ourselves outside more doing yard work, hiking, getting our walks and runs outside instead of on treadmills… there are so many different options when we can go outside!
The most important things to consider as you take your workouts outside include: temperature, hydration, sun exposure, and variation of exercise.
