http://www.drloriputerbaugh.com/

Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC, 801 W Bay Drive, Ste 436, Largo, FL (2025)

10/06/2025

Every author hears that question. Probably more so, it’s what people wonder when a therapist starts writing fiction. Friends, family and, possibly, clients and colleagues, wonder whose secrets I have mined to create the characters in my books. Well, with the first novel in the series out there (Falling Feathers) and a second expected out before year’s end (...

Every author hears that question. Probably more so, it’s what people wonder when a therapist starts writing fiction. Friends, family and, possibly, clients and colleagues, wonder whose secrets I ha…

09/18/2025

It is a sad and common theme. A person is struggling: with an addiction, or obsessions and compulsions, or moral injury, or the impact of trauma, and has come to a place where the sense of self has been entirely subsumed by the problem and its pain. The definition of self becomes “the addiction,” or “the monster who did (whatever has led to moral injury)” or “the mental disorder diagnosis.”...

It is a sad and common theme. A person is struggling: with an addiction, or obsessions and compulsions, or moral injury, or the impact of trauma, and has come to a place where the sense of self has…

09/08/2025

On October 1, the next offering of GriefShare will begin at St. Matthew Catholic Church. This marks my 15th round of GriefShare at St. Matthew’s, on top of a long history of grief support volunteerism prior to starting at St. Matthew in 2018. GriefShare at St. Matthew’s is free, although we do ask for a donation to cover the cost of the workbook provided to each participant....

On October 1, the next offering of GriefShare will begin at St. Matthew Catholic Church. This marks my 15th round of GriefShare at St. Matthew’s, on top of a long history of grief support volunteer…

08/08/2025

We recently spent a few days hiking up mountains, camping and white-water rafting in Wyoming and Montana, because isn’t that what people who are afraid of heights (me) and can’t swim (yeah, me, again) do for fun? And it was fun. It’s good to push out of the comfort zone. Most parents and the other adults who care for and work with children are quite serious about helping them get out of their supposed comfort zones and into a healthier lifestyle....

We recently spent a few days hiking up mountains, camping and white-water rafting in Wyoming and Montana, because isn’t that what people who are afraid of heights (me) and can’t swim (yeah, me, aga…

08/04/2025

It can be hard for parents to make the changes they see would be best for their families. Every good idea seems like a Sisyphean struggle. Sometimes it’s useful to start very small. Let’s begin with a short, very simplified review of behavior modification from Psych 101. We’ve got positive reinforcement (YAY), negative reinforcement (also YAY) and punishment by application – life does something to you (OUCH), or withdrawal, when life takes something away (HEY!)....

It can be hard for parents to make the changes they see would be best for their families. Every good idea seems like a Sisyphean struggle. Sometimes it’s useful to start very small. Let’s begin wit…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC

10/06/2025

09/18/2025

09/08/2025

08/08/2025

08/04/2025

06/13/2025

05/11/2025

04/11/2025

03/31/2025

03/29/2025

02/28/2025

02/01/2025

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