Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC

Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC I am a mental health counselor, marriage & family therapist, adjunct professor and writer. I've been Welcome!

I am Dolores (Lori) Puterbaugh, Ph.D., LMHC, LMFT, NCC. This page can link you to my business website, balancedlifestylecoaching.com, where you can learn more about my counseling practice. Check back for updates and information on mental health, couple and family counseling, parenting and more.

Most of us have some changes to make. And most changes are not so easy. That’s why people postpone them, or poke at the ...
06/13/2025

Most of us have some changes to make. And most changes are not so easy. That’s why people postpone them, or poke at the edges, or just pretend the problem will go away by itself. Sometimes people convince themselves there isn’t even a problem, really; that it just depends how you look at it. Maybe so. But maybe there’s something that needs changing....

Most of us have some changes to make. And most changes are not so easy. That’s why people postpone them, or poke at the edges, or just pretend the problem will go away by itself. Sometimes people c…

You know how it is. You want to make a change. Something needs to change. Maybe the kitchen needs organizing, or you nee...
05/11/2025

You know how it is. You want to make a change. Something needs to change. Maybe the kitchen needs organizing, or you need to sleep better, or be less stressed…whatever it may be. You want to get it “right.” And that’s where the freeze happens. “Right. It has to be right.” But what if there’s no way to know what is right for you without experimenting?...

You know how it is. You want to make a change. Something needs to change. Maybe the kitchen needs organizing, or you need to sleep better, or be less stressed…whatever it may be. You want to get it…

A different day, another awful situation. A child, or teen, or young adult has been struggling with emotional turmoil an...
04/11/2025

A different day, another awful situation. A child, or teen, or young adult has been struggling with emotional turmoil and is tumbling into danger. They confide in a friend, or maybe a few friends. They may have “met” someone in an online chat and now this person is their “boyfriend” or “girlfriend,” and they are planning to run way to meet this person....

A different day, another awful situation.  A child, or teen, or young adult has been struggling with emotional turmoil and is tumbling into danger. They confide in a friend, or maybe a few fri…

My cousin George died a few years ago, still with Soviet bullet fragments in one leg from his part in helping people esc...
03/31/2025

My cousin George died a few years ago, still with Soviet bullet fragments in one leg from his part in helping people escape from East Germany to the west. He had been a young man seemingly allergic to caution and willing to risk death to help others through what was intended to be an implacable barrier, the old Berlin Wall....

My cousin George died a few years ago, still with Soviet bullet fragments in one leg from his part in helping people escape from East Germany to the west. He had been a young man seemingly allergic…

The Mystery of the Missing Phone Call If you leave voicemail and I do not call you back, odds are it is because the voic...
03/29/2025

The Mystery of the Missing Phone Call If you leave voicemail and I do not call you back, odds are it is because the voicemail did not come through, or, as sometimes happens due to cell phones, it was impossible to understand. During 2024, there was a week in the autumn in which my cell phone record clearly shows no phone calls and yet later, several people complained about having called and receiving no call back....

The Mystery of the Missing Phone Call If you leave voicemail and I do not call you back, odds are it is because the voicemail did not come through, or, as sometimes happens due to cell phones, it w…

This is the third of three posts. This one focuses on the art of conversation: being better at conversation will help yo...
02/28/2025

This is the third of three posts. This one focuses on the art of conversation: being better at conversation will help you overcome loneliness. As noted in part 2 of this series, a lot of people struggle with reflection and/or asking questions that elicit a deeper conversation. So, here are two strategies to help with these. Reflection: reflection has to do with being able to identify how someone else feels, and mirror that back to them with your expression and your words....

This is the third of three posts. This one focuses on the art of conversation:  being better at conversation will help you overcome loneliness.  As noted in part 2 of this series, a lot o…

Connecting with others is vital to overcome loneliness. Just being around people, including your spouse, children, paren...
02/01/2025

Connecting with others is vital to overcome loneliness. Just being around people, including your spouse, children, parents, other family members and friends, is no guarantee you will feel connected. In one of the marriage prep/marriage enrichment workshops I facilitate for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, I teach (in part) listening skills that help enrich conversations and allow deeper understanding and connection....

Connecting with others is vital to overcome loneliness.  Just being around people, including your spouse, children, parents, other family members and friends, is no guarantee you will feel con…

According to new research from the journal Nature, Human Behavior published on January 3, 2025, loneliness and social is...
01/27/2025

According to new research from the journal Nature, Human Behavior published on January 3, 2025, loneliness and social isolation lead to molecular changes that, in my simple terms, seem to set the body up for serious problems – increased risk for dementia, depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and early death. The researchers’ recommendations include routinely asking about loneliness and isolation, the way a health professional asks about sleep habits, alcohol use, and drug use....

According to new research from the journal Nature, Human Behavior published on January 3, 2025, loneliness and social isolation lead to molecular changes that, in my simple terms, seem to set the b…

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) helps people with insomnia via examining and, where appropriate, helpin...
01/02/2025

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) helps people with insomnia via examining and, where appropriate, helping them change their behaviors and thoughts surrounding the issue of sleep. One important factor we explore are called “Sleep Safety Behaviors.” These are habits which people believe are helpful for sleep. Some sleep safety behaviors are in fact very helpful, such as avoiding screens for a couple of hours before bedtime, using soft, warm light sources in the evening, and avoiding upsetting discussions before bedtime....

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) helps people with insomnia via examining and, where appropriate, helping them change their behaviors and thoughts surrounding the issue of sleep.&nb…

Sometimes, life just goes horribly sidewise. This week, like most weeks, I spent time with people who have lost their ho...
11/16/2024

Sometimes, life just goes horribly sidewise. This week, like most weeks, I spent time with people who have lost their homes to natural disasters, lost their job, had loved ones die, and sometimes are grappling with multiple serious problems. The world seems crazy, you can feel like you’re going mad, and it is oh-so-easy to slide into attempts to numb the pain that are ultimately harmful....

Sometimes, life just goes horribly sidewise.  This week, like most weeks, I spent time with people who have lost their homes to natural disasters, lost their job, had loved ones die, and somet…

Alcohol can be a touchy subject. Addictions, generally, are frequently considered to be only something other addicts, in...
10/23/2024

Alcohol can be a touchy subject. Addictions, generally, are frequently considered to be only something other addicts, including those in recovery, can help with. Someone like me, who never drank regularly and now, since surgery a few years ago that included a bad anesthesia reaction, can’t drink any alcohol except, oddly, 3 or 4 ounces of Guinness on a couple of holidays each year, is automatically considered ineligible to be helpful....

Alcohol can be a touchy subject. Addictions, generally, are frequently considered to be only something other addicts, including those in recovery, can help with.  Someone like me, who never dr…

Here, on a beautiful autumn day, are a few life lessons I’ve picked up on the way…perhaps one will be useful to you. Wal...
10/22/2024

Here, on a beautiful autumn day, are a few life lessons I’ve picked up on the way…perhaps one will be useful to you. Walking in the morning, before sunrise, can lead to being stopped by law enforcement, who, upon getting a look at me from the front (wrinkles and rosary beads) say things like, “Oh. I thought you were a kid out breaking into cars.” Wearing a reflective vest and a skort, instead of baggy gym shorts, has solved that problem....

Here, on a beautiful autumn day, are a few life lessons I’ve picked up on the way…perhaps one will be useful to you. Walking in the morning, before sunrise, can lead to being stopped by law enforce…

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