Ingram Earns Play Therapy Credential
Katie Ingram, MS, LMHC, of Royal Palm Beach, FL, earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™ (RPT-S) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT).
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Character Traits Every Woman Needs as She Ages
I learned how to grow old from a woman who never got the chance. My friend Susan Spencer-Wendel was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2011, when she was 44. She had three children, ages 14 to 8, and she would not live to see them graduate from high school.
Ingram & Associates Voted a Neighborhood Fave in Nextdoor’s 2023 Local Business Awards
Ingram & Associates Counseling & Consulting in Royal Palm Beach has been named to the winning list of Nextdoor’s 2023 Neighborhood Faves, the only annual awards where neighbors vote to celebrate their favorite local businesses.
Letter to Codependency
I am writing this to let you know that I will be working to recover from codependency over the next 6 months. Not only am I fully aware that I am a codependent; I also have an understanding of why I am a codependent which is equally valuable to my recovery.
PTSD – just the thought of it freaked me out
PTSD – just the thought of it freaked me out. I knew I had unresolved issues, but it was so long ago.
Challenges Facing Retirees
How do I make the most out of my retirement? I’m so used to having a purpose and now I awaken every day and have to think about what I can do.
How to Snap Out of Your Retirement Identity Crisis
How do I explain who I am without explaining who I was? LaVelle Olexa pondered this question when she left her job in 2009. She was used to being a Somebody, one of America’s most influential fashion executives.
Letter to Anxiety
Dear anxiety, I must admit, you are a formidable opponent. Your fight is strong, your will to steal unyielding and persistent.
3 Little Words That Will Rekindle Desire in a Long-Term Relationship
I used to address my husband with two toxic words: “you should.” “You should meet your deadlines.” “You should get that done by Friday.” “You should make a plan.”
Women and Post-Retirement Identity
Post-retirement identity crisis for women isn’t a new concept, it just has a new name. We used to call it “empty nest syndrome”.
Christmas and COVID-19
Christmas and COVID-19. So much has changed since the introduction of the Coronavirus.
Dear Self,
Dear Self, I see you, I feel you, I am sorry. I spent a lifetime ignoring, betraying, and draining you.
Empowerment in a Chaotic Environment
Empowerment in a Chaotic Environment: What does it mean to be empowered? What keeps you from feeling empowered? How do others seem to be so self-confident?
Has COVID-19 changed your brain?
You have the power to exercise, to eat well, to turn off the blue screens, to socialize as is permissible with friends and family, and to get back outside on your bikes and walks.
Navigating through Crises
In this current COVID-19 environment, we must have strong and powerful principles for navigating through the crisis.
An Apology That’s Meaningful
Why is it so hard to apologize? Why is it so hard to accept and acknowledge responsibility for our words or actions? It takes an emotionally mature and stable person to do just that. To admit wrong, stop blaming circumstances or others and just own our “stuff”. Professor emeritus, Roy Lewicki, of Ohio State University’s…
Dear Shame…
Dear Shame, I am writing this letter to tell you that it is time to pry your sharp claws out of my brain and sever this unhealthy relationship between you and I. In the past, when I have tried to move away from you, those claws only dug in and caused pain. It was less…
The Charles Schulz Philosophy
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point… Name the five wealthiest people in the world. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. Name the last five…
Do you want to be Right or do you want to be Happy?
Believe it or not, you can be both…right and happy. Ask yourself, what is my attachment to being right? What makes it so important that I would sacrifice my relationship for it? If you have “right” what do you really have? You may have white knuckles and sore fingers from digging in and a relationship…
The Best Gift Ever!
The very best gift ever is to “Create a life that tickles your soul”. In a book by the same name, Dr. Suzanne Zoglio reminds us that happiness is in our very own hands. Though we have often heard that retort, it seems that we fall into old patterns of blaming others or situations or…
Oprah for president? She’s already shared the power of validation
Oprah Winfrey for president? That possibility has caused a stir since last week’s Golden Globe awards, but as viewers of Winfrey’s show for spiritual seekers — “Super Soul Sunday” on her OWN network — know, Oprah will run only if she sets her intention to do so.
Is CHANGE challenging you?
Let’s say your boss fires you and your longtime boyfriend dumps you — in the same week. Your life has just left the comfort zone and careened at top speed into the Big Transition Zone.
TheraFit
I&A has just begun a pilot program we are calling TheraFit. (Therapy and Fitness) It was birthed by one of our therapists in her quest to aid in the support of those who suffer with depression and/or anxiety. The premise is that a healthy mind-body agreement is vital to overall mental health and the endorphins…
Did Hurricane Irma loosen your screws? Maybe it’s time for change
“You can’t run away from trouble. There ain’t no place that far.” — Uncle Remus, “Song of the South,” 1946. Trouble will always find us. Sometimes, trouble can even be good for us — because disasters, natural or man-made, strip us down to our basic needs and strip away our veneer of crap.
Hurricane Preparedness for Relationships
As Hurricane Irma approaches, I have made several observations as people prepare that seem to fit the paradigm for relationships. For example, when the weather person first begins reporting that a storm is coming, people don’t seem to take it to seriously and just listen for more. Then, a few days into it, when the…
How contagious is your mood?
The July 17, 2017 FIU Center for Leadership News asks; “Just how contagious is your good mood?” Basically it relates the results of an experiment by Facebook wherein temporary changes to the newsfeeds of 689,000 users omitted negative emotional words and replaced with more positive ones. The results were that the user’s posts mirrored the…
The Benefits of Therapy
Several years ago I had a couple come into my office for their first session on a Monday. During the course of the initial conversation, they related that they had an appointment with a divorce attorney on Friday. In essence, I had one chance to turn this relationship around! Why is it that people wait…
Thank you for teaching me valuable social skills…
This great note and gift is from a client whom I saw beginning at age 4. We have been through many phases of his life together and he has fought the good fight and shows his appreciation for it. I often say that as therapists, we are the client’s “GPS†system. We can map out…
A Letter to My Anxiety
This letter was a therapy activity given to a young woman who suffers with anxiety. The assignment was to write a letter to her anxiety. She did such an introspective and well-written job with it that I asked for her permission to share it with you so that you could look at your relationship with…
Couple Communication Techniques
Every day in my private practice I see couples who complain about their communication skills. They talk about listening, understanding, expressing feelings, too many words, not enough words, withdrawing, aggressive speech, and more. The truth is that most marriages could be improved upon without talking. Yes, I did say without talking. How is that possible?…
Gaslighting: Why it’s trending, and why it’s so destructive
“The manipulator holds his prey hostage with accusations of her irrational thinking, because he must always be right and have his own way.”— CONNIE INGRAM, therapist from Royal Palm Beach. If you’re a size 2, but your husband insists you’re too fat, do you believe him?
New Year’s Resolutions
Christmas has come and gone and the New Year is here. Many people use this as the jumping off point for resolutions for more exercise and less food. More relaxation and less work…more time for relationships and less time spent checking off the “to do list”. What is the promise you have made for self-improvement…
The Gift
by: Mary Ingram Stasko I strolled up to the counter and I began to browse at the items displayed on the table. The lobby of the convention center was large and crowded and the air was filled with the excited chatter of jubilant participants. It was intermission at a women’s conference. As I began leafing through pages of one…
Why should I give Thanks?
Why should you be thankful…just because it’s Thanksgiving? I know you hear people who make their list of things to be thankful for because it’s Thanksgiving Day; a sort of obligation, if you will. Did you know that the United States of America hosts the most whiners on the entire planet? Do you know that…
How do we, as parents, build respect into our children?
I once was leading a parenting seminar in which a mom reported that she could not leave the house because her child would not allow her to. She went on to explain how difficult this child made it for her to do anything except show him constant attention. She claimed she could not clean the…
Entitlement and Summertime
I have recently (since school has been out) had an influx of parents in despair over the fact that their adolescents are of the opinion that the purpose of summer break is for them to relax and catch up on their sleep. Doing chores or helping with other family and household things is an absolute…
More men are crying: Here’s why those tears are good for you
Burt Reynolds is a manly man, one of Hollywood’s most macho stars — but he chokes up when he talks about what he loves. At the Palm Beach Book Festival recently, Reynolds didn’t bother holding back the tears when he explained how much he cherishes the hometown friends who have stood by him.
Spring…the time for new beginnings.
As spring arrives it reminds us that the old has passed away and the new is beginning. In relationships, this is what must happen on a daily basis. Whatever happened yesterday, even God can’t change. Today must be a new day. People sit in my office every day pointing fingers at each other and standing…
How do I regain the trust I once had for my spouse?
This is a question I am often asked in my counseling office. Spouses, girl or boyfriends, friends and family members have committed some act that has caused the offended party to distrust them. Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Without it, the relationship is like a house built on the sand. Any wind can…
Now that Parenting is Over
They’ve graduated from high school and you’ve sent them off to college. They are educated beyond their years and have now entered into the real adult world. They find that like many others in their shoes, they are certifiably credentialed with a degree of some sort and they are now an expert in some field…
Top tips for a contented life
Connie Ingram makes her living helping people improve their lives, so you’d think her life just falls into place, right? Actually, the Royal Palm Beach psychotherapist applies as much thought to her own contentment as she does to that of her clients.
Parenting isn’t for Cowards!
One of the most pressing questions parents ask is how to get their child to obey without having to gear up for battle. I usually begin my answer with an analogy that asks the parent “what do you do when a police officer stops you and asks for your driver’s license and registration?” Do you…
Top 10 Communication Hurdles for Women
According to professional development research women across the country describe their most challenging communication situations and after more than 800 responses were analyzed the winners in the top ten categories are: Confronting or criticizing others Not being taken seriously Feeling self-conscious Dealing with other people’s anger Speaking in front of a group Controlling one’s emotions…
The Empty Nest
What are we going to do with our lives when our child leaves home? We have spent a large portion of our lives giving, caring, protecting, carpooling, scheduling and teaching. Now what? In the next nine months many young adults will be going off to college. Many parents will be asking; what now? Many parents,…
Green with Envy
Cinderella’s wicked stepmother never looked so green. As played by Cate Blanchett in the new “Cinderella” movie, the evil Lady Tremaine wears dresses in every shade of green — from avocado to olive to pistachio.
Today’s Decisions, Tomorrow’s Impact
My father has COPD. He will never be any better than he is today…and today, he is at home in a hospital bed with oxygen strapped to his face every moment of the day. This is prompting my thoughts for this writing. A man who worked his way up in his profession, commanded hundreds of…
Ashley Judd and the war on women’s self-worth
If beauty didn’t matter, no one would have noticed Ashley Judd’s puffy face. They certainly would not have sniped about it in such vicious ways that the actress felt compelled to defend both herself and all women in ”the assault on our body image.”
Got the Courteney Cox syndrome? Feel more like a mother than a wife?
Note to well-meaning wives everywhere: Don’t mother your man. If you’re married to a responsibility-shrugging goofball, state your needs and boundaries clearly and without nagging – then expect your spouse to act like a grownup.
Word to Elin Nordegren: If you don’t forgive, you’ll never heal
There are people in your life who’ve come and gone, They let you down, You know they hurt your pride. You’d better put it all behind you, babe, ’cause life goes on. You keep carryin’ that anger, It’ll eat you up inside, baby. — Don Henley; The Heart of the Matter; released June 27, 1989
After divorce: Valuing ‘what is’ without missing ‘what used to be’
When they announced their divorce, Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren asked for privacy for their children because “the weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation.”
More people are turning to therapy for help coping in troubled times
It isn’t just people who have lost their jobs who are stressed out these days. It seems like everyone, from the human resource manager who knows layoffs are coming to the single mom who lost half her portfolio, is coming in droves to see area psychiatrists.