Dr. Lena Agree logo featuring her name and title as a licensed psychologist, emphasizing professional psychological services.Dr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and Associates

The Agree Psychology Team

Choosing a Career Based on Your MBTI Type: A Practical, Evidence-Informed Guide for Professionals

Choosing a Career Based on Your MBTI Type: A Practical, Evidence-Informed Guide for Professionals

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How we prefer to think, relate, and make decisions shapes the work we do well and the settings where we thrive. This guide translates the Myers‑Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) into practical steps for career planning: it clarifies the four dichotomies, maps each of the 16 types to likely career clusters and workplace environments, and shows how assessment plus coaching turns insight into measurable career action. For high‑achieving professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders wrestling with role design, transitions, or legacy goals, MBTI can be one evidence‑informed lens to align strengths, values, and occupational realities. Within this article you’ll find clear explanations of the MBTI dimensions, quick career mappings, a review of assessment components and coaching processes, responses to common validity questions, and…

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Strengthen Family Bonds Through Intentional Family Meetings

Strengthen Family Bonds Through Intentional Family Meetings

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Family meetings are planned conversations where everyone in the household comes together to share news, solve problems, and decide things as a team. When done reliably and with emotional attunement, these meetings deepen connection by improving communication, trust, and shared responsibility. Attachment-informed research and mentalization theory show that predictable, emotionally safe gatherings help people name feelings, take each other’s perspective, and coordinate solutions — all of which support belonging and calmer interactions. This article explains how family meetings work, offers step-by-step guidance for planning agendas and roles, describes communication tools (active listening, I‑statements), and lays out collaborative problem‑solving and decision‑making methods. You’ll find practical templates, checklists, conflict‑resolution tools, and clinician‑informed tips for busy or high‑achieving families who need time‑efficient, results‑oriented…

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Child Tantrum Management: Practical, Evidence-Informed Strategies to Understand and Calm Outbursts

Child Tantrum Management: Practical, Evidence-Informed Strategies to Understand and Calm Outbursts

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Tantrums are abrupt emotional outbursts driven by frustration, unmet needs, or limits on a child’s autonomy. When caregivers understand what’s driving the behavior, they can choose responses that keep everyone safe and build regulation skills over time. This guide clarifies the difference between tantrums and meltdowns, gives step-by-step de-escalation tactics, outlines proactive parenting practices to reduce recurrence, and explains when clinical evaluation is appropriate. You’ll find short scripts, research-informed co-regulation techniques (including safe holding guidance), clear referral indicators, and how family patterns and parental emotion regulation shape child behavior. Read on for concrete how-to steps, side-by-side comparisons that clarify common scenarios, and brief guidance on tailored professional services for families seeking assessment or coaching. What Are Child Tantrums and How…

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Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children: Evidence-Informed Strategies for Regulation, Empathy, and Social Skills

Raising Emotionally Intelligent Children: Evidence-Informed Strategies for Regulation, Empathy, and Social Skills

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Emotional intelligence in childhood means a child can notice, understand, and manage emotions in themselves and others. These abilities support learning, friendships, and mental health across development. When caregivers intentionally teach emotional regulation, empathy, and social skills, children gain tools to handle stress, solve problems, and form secure relationships — lowering later risk for anxiety and behavioral concerns. This guide describes what EI looks like at different ages, offers evidence-informed, practical strategies you can use at home, and explains when targeted parenting support or professional care can speed progress. You’ll find clear definitions, step-by-step activities, observable cues to watch, and concise comparisons of therapeutic approaches so busy families can take straightforward action and know when to seek specialized help. What…

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Letting Go of Resentment: Practical Strategies for Emotional Freedom and Forgiveness

Letting Go of Resentment: Practical Strategies for Emotional Freedom and Forgiveness

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Resentment grows when perceived wrongs or unmet expectations harden into repeated thoughts and defensive patterns. This piece outlines why resentment persists, how it undermines mental and physical health, and what evidence-informed steps you can take to let it go. You’ll find clear definitions, symptom checklists, therapeutic tools (like cognitive reframing and mentalization), and conversational scripts for repairing relationship patterns. There are also time-efficient practices for busy professionals, a practical comparison of benefits from releasing resentment, and guidance on when to seek clinical or coaching support. Read on for step-by-step actions, brief self-assessments, and clear criteria for when individualized therapy or coaching can speed more durable change. What resentment looks like — and why it matters Resentment is a persistent mix…

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Strategies for Assertiveness and Self-Respect: How to Build Confidence and Set Healthy Boundaries

Strategies for Assertiveness and Self-Respect: How to Build Confidence and Set Healthy Boundaries

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Assertiveness means naming your needs, limits, and values clearly and respectfully. Self-respect is the inner sense of worth that makes those limits stick. This guide gives practical, evidence-informed strategies to strengthen assertive communication, protect your emotional energy with clear boundaries, and grow lasting self-esteem through everyday habits and targeted cognitive tools. If you find yourself people-pleasing, carrying chronic guilt, or struggling with fuzzy limits at work or in relationships, the steps below translate insight into behavior with scripts, step-by-step boundary work, and short practice drills. You’ll find definitions, core communication skills, examples for couples and professional settings, and clinical context linking attachment and mentalization to assertiveness. The guide also clarifies when coaching or therapy is most helpful and how focused,…

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Strategies to Improve Self-Perception: Building Self‑Esteem, Self‑Acceptance, and a Healthier Body Image

Strategies to Improve Self-Perception: Building Self‑Esteem, Self‑Acceptance, and a Healthier Body Image

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Self‑perception is the internal sense of who you are — the combined beliefs about your abilities, worth, and body that shape choices, resilience, and relationships. Research and clinical experience show that focused approaches — cognitive reframing, self‑compassion, and body‑neutral practices — shift automatic thoughts, create corrective experiences, and strengthen body awareness to produce lasting gains in confidence and well‑being. This article lays out a practical, evidence‑informed pathway: strategies to improve self‑image and self‑worth, practices to cultivate self‑acceptance and inner calm, concrete steps for healthier body image, how therapy and coaching support change, curated exercises and readings, and a five‑step action plan you can use today. High‑achieving professionals, business owners, caregivers, teens, and families will find quick micro‑practices alongside routes to…

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Practical Strategies for Social Situations: Overcoming Social Anxiety and Building Confidence

Practical Strategies for Social Situations: Overcoming Social Anxiety and Building Confidence

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Social anxiety—often called social phobia—shows up as an intense worry about being judged and a tendency to avoid situations where scrutiny feels possible. This guide explains common contributors to social anxiety, reviews evidence-based treatments that reduce symptoms, and offers practical tools for navigating networking, public speaking, dates, and workplace interactions with more ease. You’ll find immediate coping tools (breathing, grounding, quick cognitive checks), medium-term skill-building (social skills practice, role-play, assertiveness training), and longer-term clinical approaches (CBT, structured exposure, mindfulness, and medication when appropriate). The material lays out clear steps—from in-the-moment strategies to structured therapy and coaching—and explains how assessment and individualized plans speed progress, especially for high-achieving adults. Keywords like social anxiety, social phobia, CBT for social anxiety, exposure therapy…

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Managing the Winter Blues: Practical, Evidence-Based Support for Seasonal Depression

Managing the Winter Blues: Practical, Evidence-Based Support for Seasonal Depression

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Shorter days and reduced sunlight trigger mood shifts for many people. For some, that looks like temporary “winter blues” — mild low mood and low energy that often improves with self-care. For others, symptoms meet criteria for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a recurrent, winter-linked form of depression that can be disabling. This guide helps you tell the difference, explains how reduced light and circadian changes affect mood, and lays out evidence-based steps that reliably ease symptoms. You’ll find practical self-assessment cues, lifestyle and light-therapy strategies, how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and coaching support high-achievers, and clear indicators for when to seek professional care. The page covers symptoms, causes, home-based remedies, therapy options, safe use of SAD light boxes, and decision…

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How to Improve Self-Worth: Practical, Evidence-Informed Steps to Strengthen Confidence and Self‑Esteem

How to Improve Self-Worth: Practical, Evidence-Informed Steps to Strengthen Confidence and Self‑Esteem

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Self-worth is your sense of intrinsic value — the belief that you deserve respect and care regardless of success or external approval. Strengthening that sense of worth supports mental health, healthier relationships, and sustained performance at work and in life. This guide lays out practical, evidence-informed strategies to bolster self-worth, clarifies how it differs from related ideas like self‑esteem and self‑confidence, and points to when professional help is the right next step. Many adults, adolescents, and high-achieving professionals notice that persistent self-criticism, imposter feelings, or perfectionism undermine a steady sense of worth. Below you’ll find clear definitions, a numbered set of actionable strategies with exercises, comparison tables for quick decision-making, guidance on therapy versus coaching, approaches tailored for high‑achievers, parenting…

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