Family Counseling Center

06/18/2025

The Family Counseling Center's ditch cleanup endeavor is poised to begin. Acknowledgment is given to Bullseye Property Management & Realty - MN for their generous time contribution to keep our community clean.

03/10/2025

As warmer weather and longer days emerge, favorable walking conditions have begun. Walking yields multiple benefits.

03/12/2024

Found on Google from members.believeperform.com

11/04/2023

The research suggests online faces, with present technology, don’t engage our social neural circuits as effectively.

The research suggests online faces, with present technology, don't engage our social neural circuits as effectively.

09/14/2023

Down at the Buffalo Strong Street Party of Hope. Come on down grab a stress ball and sign up for the giveaway.

06/25/2023

02/25/2023

Gaslighting is a form of manipulation in abusive relationships. It's when your emotions, words, or experiences are twisted and used against you. Victims feel like they can’t trust their own instincts, judgment and sense of reality; they start to feel unsure of their perceptions of the world and start to believe they are going crazy. Gaslighting makes a person more dependent on their abusive partner because they feel like they can’t trust themselves. Lying and distortion are the cornerstone for gaslighting behavior. Some examples are refusing to listen to you, telling you that you are overreacting, telling you that you aren’t remembering things correctly or that you made things up, making you feel bad about being upset, constantly changing the subject and not letting you talk, acting like the victim, telling you that you are the reason they are abusive, etc. Some ways to combat gaslighting are saving proof, safety planning, and practicing self-care.
Love Bombing is when someone "bombs" you with extreme attention, flattery, and affection. They might say things such as, “You complete me!” “You’re perfect!” “I’ve never met anyone like you!” It can have positive aspects at the beginning, but then lead to gaslighting. Some examples are wanting to know everything about you right away, sharing too many personal details about themselves right away, intense declarations of love, trying to progress the relationship too quickly, saying all the right things, being excessively clingy, giving over-the-top gifts, etc. Some ways to combat love-bombing is to create some space, take an inventory of the relationship, and talk to an objective person outside the relationship.
If you or someone you know is experiencing gaslighting, love-bombing, or another type of psychological violence in a dating relationship, you can call us at 763-295-3433, or email us at youthteam@riversofhope.org.
For more information, visit our website at riversofhope.org.
Another great resource is loveisrespect.org. You can connect with one of their advocates via text or chat or look at the resources they offer on healthy relationships.

02/20/2023

For children suffering from trauma or hardship, a pet may also offer a lot of security, resilience and unconditional love.

Clients suffering from trauma or PTSD “may develop connections to animals that provide emotional support, a sense of protection, and/or attachment and grounding” during periods when their nervous system is on high alert, accoreding to Ricky Greenwald, PsyD, of the Trauma Institute and Child Trauma Institute in Northampton, Massachusetts.

For children suffering the aftermath of trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), dogs may help lower their stress: Studies have linked pets to reduced blood pressure in both children and adults. In one experiment, children were found to have lower blood pressure “in the mere presence of a dog, even though they didn’t interact with the animal,” wrote a researcher in an often-cited article from the Western Journal of Medicine.

“Stroking or petting an animal appears to lower both blood pressure and pulse rate in both the human who is petting and the animal being petted,” the authors reported.

One way pets may relieve stress and anxiety in children (and adults) is by triggering the activation of the so-called “love” hormone oxytocin, according to the study published by the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. Its effects include lowered anxiety levels and reduced stress, blood pressure, and symptoms of depression, along with increased social interaction, self-confidence, and learning, the researchers noted. According to the journal, “Oxytocin concentrations in dog owners increase significantly when their pets gaze at them.”

Source: MindSite
https://mindsitenews.org/2023/02/01/pets-rx-how-furry-companions-can-help-protect-kids-against-stress/

12/12/2022

Life can be stressful, especially during the holidays. If you are struggling to cope, or the symptoms of your stress or anxiety won’t go away, it could affect your health. Learn more at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet

09/15/2022

Come down and join us for the Street Party of Hope. Lots of vendors and food trucks. Grab a stress ball and register for the grand drawing.