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Dr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and AssociatesDr. Lena Agree, JD, PsyD – Licensed Psychologist and Associates

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Become Your Future Self: The Transformative Power of Drama Therapy

Become Your Future Self: The Transformative Power of Drama Therapy

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When you envision your life five, 10, or even 25 years into the future – who’s standing there waiting for you? Most of us immediately picture others: a loving partner, playful children, colleagues and friends, and maybe even a loyal pet. You may imagine achievements such as winning an award, having a happy and healthy marriage, or building your dream house. But the most powerful aspect of that vision isn’t what’s around you – it’s who you’re becoming. Not just a richer or more successful you, but a wiser, more grounded, more fully embodied version of yourself. The you who’s walked through the chaos of today and emerged on the other side – radiant, resilient, and real. What if you…

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Drama Therapy & Your Emotional Navigation System: How to Navigate Inner Chaos with Embodied Intelligence

Drama Therapy & Your Emotional Navigation System: How to Navigate Inner Chaos with Embodied Intelligence

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Have you ever wished your emotions came with a user manual? Welcome to the world of Drama Therapy and the Emotional Navigation System (ENS) — a powerful, embodied approach to emotional regulation, intuitive decision-making, and inner guidance. We all possess an internal compass — an innate system of emotional signals embedded in the architecture of our nervous system. Some people, however, have become disconnected from this guidance. In emotionally difficult moments, instead of tuning in, we tune out, reaching for external sources of clarity: friends, family, experts, even Google. But what if the most trustworthy wisdom was already inside you? Understanding Your ENS: A Psychophysiological Perspective Your Emotional Navigation System is not metaphorical; it’s biological. Emotions are rooted in your…

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10 Signs You’re Carrying More Stress Than You Realize

10 Signs You’re Carrying More Stress Than You Realize

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As a therapist, one of the things I hear most often is some version of this sentence: “I didn’t realize how stressed I was until I finally slowed down.” Sometimes people don’t notice until they’re sitting in my office, describing their week, and suddenly connecting the dots between headaches, irritability, restless nights, and constant tension. Other times they come in convinced that their “problem” is laziness, relationship conflict, or a lack of motivation when, in reality, stress is quietly pulling the strings in the background. Stress is sneaky like that. We expect it to look like long nights at work, panic attacks, or obvious overwhelm. But often, it disguises itself in subtle everyday ways that don’t immediately register as “stress.”…

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Why Parenting Counseling Is Key to Helping Your Child Through Divorce?

Why Parenting Counseling Is Key to Helping Your Child Through Divorce?

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Even though a divorce is typically about disagreements between two partners, the impact of divorce can take a toll on everyone in the household… especially children. While you are navigating the ending of your relationship, there are many things that children need to feel stability and support through these life transitions. One option to consider is to invest in counseling for divorced parents, which can help you and your ex-partner work together to ensure your children feel secure. What Is Parenting (Co-Parenting) Counseling? Counseling for divorced parents focuses on helping former partners develop effective co-parenting skills to resolve their disagreements, allowing them to prioritize their children’s well-being. Traditional therapy is often structured for partners who are still in a romantic…

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How Can Couple Therapy Improve Communication and Trust?

How Can Couple Therapy Improve Communication and Trust?

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Do you feel hopeless because your relationship communication is breaking down, and you don’t know how to rebuild the trust that has been lost? Rest assured knowing that your relationship isn’t “too far gone.” There are many benefits of couples therapy that can help you rebuild foundations in your relationship and reconnect with each other in a stronger partnership. Whether you’re facing a major crisis in life or simply want to take a proactive approach in strengthening your connection, our team is here to help every step of the way. Why Communication and Trust Matter Most in Relationships It’s no surprise that communication and trust are the foundation of every healthy relationship. Without them, small disagreements can spiral into huge…

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What is attachment?

What is attachment?

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Attachment refers to an innate, unconscious system that tells you from infancy, that you must stay close to your primary caregiver(s) (usually your parents, particularly your mother) because you need them to protect you from physical danger, illness and overwhelming emotional distress (Bowlby 1988). This is what makes little kids cling to their mothers in public places. They just know, “Mom keeps me alive.” This isn’t learned behavior; it’s more like an instinct. It gets “turned on” in response to real or perceived threats to your survival and well-being, such as when you’re tired, hungry, or frightened, or separated from your parents. Mothers have their own biological system, called the care-giving system, that encourages mom to respond to the child’s…

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What’s Wrong with a Diagnosis?

What’s Wrong with a Diagnosis?

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What’s Wrong with a Diagnosis? If you’ve been struggling with symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns, you may have tried to diagnose yourself in an effort to understand what’s going on. This can be helpful, but it doesn’t help you understand why you feel this way. In the realm of mental health, a diagnosis fails to provide enough information and can even be misleading. Psychiatric diagnoses are labels determined by a list of symptoms that are mostly behavioral, meaning, they describe things you’re doing or not doing (like sleeping, or eating). Most diagnoses require a threshold number of symptoms, such as four out of nine. This means a single diagnosis can encompass many – even dozens –…

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Do You Have Toxic Parents?

Do You Have Toxic Parents?

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Most people describe their childhood as “normal.”  We tend to normalize our own childhood because it’s the only one we had, and we truly want to have a loving relationship with our parents. However, that wish can be so powerful that it clouds our memory and our vision, making it difficult to see our parents clearly and objectively. So, if you are an adult who is depressed or anxious, how do you know if your relationship with your parents has something to do with it? You may or may not have negative memories of your parents from childhood. But how can you tell if your current relationship with them is healthy or “normal”? How would you know if your desire…

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Seeking Greater Intimacy? Think About Sex.

Seeking Greater Intimacy? Think About Sex.

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Try this experiment: Place your full attention on something  sexual for several minutes and then think about it for a little while. Afterwards, take notice if you seem to be more talkative. New research cited in a recent article by Elizabeth Bernstein says you will be. And, notably, it suggests that you will also be more inclined to reveal aspects of yourself to those with whom you converse. Apparently, thinking about sex motivates us to seek connection with others by making us chattier about ourselves. The cycle of emotional intimacy According to Dr. Birnbaum, the studies’ lead researcher, “Thinking about sex starts a positive cycle of emotional intimacy: When you think about sex and then disclose personal information, the other person likes you more. If the attraction…

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How Therapy Saved Princess Diana’s Son

How Therapy Saved Princess Diana’s Son

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For 20 years Prince Harry, the late Princess Diana’s younger son, tried to ignore the overwhelming emotions he experienced as a result of his mother’s death. Neither heavy partying, nor active military service in Afghanistan could help him contain his feelings. As he describes, “After 20 years of not thinking about it and 2 years of total chaos,” he finally sought therapy. It helped him so much, that he and his family embarked on a campaign to promote therapy in England (#Headstogether). This  video clip briefly recounts his experience.

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