Amie Lowery-Luyties, MFT

10/15/2025

When you can’t sleep, all of your focus is on trying to sleep which actually can make sleeping even more difficult. What makes it worse is when you have something that you can’t get off of your mind, like political worry. Most of what you can do needs to happen before you are even trying to go to sleep.

Limit News

It is important to stay up to date on everything happening in the world, especially if you are feeling like you are on the political chopping block. So how do you counter your need for information and your need to sleep?

Limit your news intake so that you stop watching news at a certain time at least 1 hour prior to sleeping. If this doesn’t help, stop watching/reading the news (or doom scrolling) 2 hours prior to sleeping.

Protect Your Nervous System

Your nervous system needs to rest. If you are getting news alerts all day, your system never gets a chance to fully relax because at any moment, you can get a ping/alert telling you that something awful is happening.

When you can’t sleep, all of your focus is on trying to sleep which actually can make sleeping even more difficult. What makes it worse is when you have

08/14/2025

Thank you Jackie Rae for spreading the word!!

04/19/2025

Please watch the video below to learn tips on how to:

1. Set SMALL Boundaries & Teach Independence

2. Schedule "Mom Office Hours"

3. Stop Feeling Guilty for Prioritizing Yourself

4. Outsource & Simplify Where Possible

5. Communicate Your Needs Clearly (I’m feeling stretched thin)

Here is the video: https://youtu.be/ZcrewrJpmDU

Tips for overwhelmed moms from a licensed therapist in Long Beach, California. Ways to stay sane while being a stay at home mom.

04/11/2025

Just FYI: Couples counseling, couples therapy, marriage therapy, and marriage counseling are all considered the same thing according to insurance.

Some insurance plans do cover couples therapy, but typically only if one partner has a mental health diagnosis such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, or another qualifying condition. In these cases, the therapy is billed under that individual's diagnosis, and the partner must be included in all sessions and the diagnosis must be part of the treatment plan. It’s important to check with your insurance provider to understand their specific requirements and coverage details, as not all plans include couples counseling and criteria for reimbursement can vary.

To find out about our couples counseling prices, please click here.

Just FYI: Couples counseling, couples therapy, marriage therapy, and marriage counseling are all considered the same thing according to insurance.

04/02/2025

Bringing up that you want to start relationship therapy with a spouse who isn’t motivated can be tricky, but here are five effective tips to approach the conversation:

Please watch this video to learn about the tips listed below: https://youtu.be/OSGICxwP1qo

👉 Frame It as a Way to Strengthen, Not Fix

👉 Share Your Personal Perspective

👉 Acknowledge Their Concerns

👉 Offer a Low-Pressure Approach

👉 Use Real-Life Examples of Benefits

Bringing up that you want to start relationship therapy with a spouse who isn’t motivated can be tricky. A licensed therapist gives tips.

03/20/2025

I am a licensed therapist in Long Beach giving relationship help about how to have a healthier relationship (and how to have a happier relationship).

Everyone is juggling a lot these days, I will review these tips in the video below to teach you how to prioritize what is necessary so you can increase your connection with your spouse.

Please watch the video below to learn tips on how to:

Create Rituals of Connection

Practice Active Listening

Limit Multitasking and Digital Distractions

Express Gratitude Regularly

https://youtu.be/dDBoohM5MDM

Communication tips for a better relationship from a licensed therapist.

03/11/2025

As a couples therapist, I get this question a lot: "How to have more s*x in my relationship?" There are many reasons that people stop having s*x in their intimate relationships. It may have to do with getting out of the habit (too tired all the time), miscommunication, or being busy. Here are the top 5 ways to improve the frequency of s*x in your relationship:

1. Prioritize Emotional Connection

Sexual intimacy thrives when emotional closeness is strong. So spending quality time together, engaging in deep conversations, and practicing active listening can strengthen your emotional bond. You may need to schedule time to do this, but it is important. Schedule a date night once per week (or once per month) because building a connection can help improve your intimacy and ultimately improve your s*x life.

How to have more s*x in my relationship. Relationship help from a licensed therapist.

03/01/2025

Miscommunication is one of the biggest issues that cause couples to argue in their relationships. Couples unknowingly feed into issues that make the arguing worse. Here are 5 common habits that contribute to misunderstandings and tips to correct them so you can stop arguing in your relationship:

1. Making Assumptions

I cannot tell you how many times I see couples in therapy and there is arguing in their relationship over a simple misunderstanding. As an outside viewer, a therapist can usually point these out pretty quickly to help the couple.

TIP: Tell your partner in a calm voice what you heard them say and what you think it meant and ask “did I get that right”. Be aware of TONE and BODY LANGUAGE because if you are asking nicely, but your tone or body language is closed/harsh, then you most likely won’t get a good response.

2.

Miscommunication is one of the biggest issues that cause couples to argue in their relationships. Couples unknowingly feed into issues that make the arguing

02/22/2025

In every single relationship that you’re in, whether it’s a friendship or intimate relationship, the people that you care about are going to have amazing qualities and qualities that frustrate you. It's important to remember the benefits of marrying someone with ADHD, especially when you are frustrated.

Oftentimes when you start a relationship, you focus on the positives. You know the negatives are there, but you focus on the positives Then, as time goes on, it gets harder and harder to be focused on the positives.

It’s always important to remember the balance and to remember the good things about them when they’re annoying you. It’s also good to remember the things about yourself that they put up with because we all have annoying qualities that our loved ones have to put up with.

1. Creativity and Innovation:

As you may already realize, people with ADHD often have a rich imagination and can think outside the box.

7 benefits of marrying someone with ADHD

02/15/2025

Avoid divorce by improving communication

Many times, people come to couples therapy to avoid divorce. They tend to argue about things they actually both agree on. Miscommunications happen all the time and most couples don't know how to move forward. People often will go forward with a divorce based on small miscommunications that add up over time. I am a licensed couples therapist giving some tips on how to have a better communication pattern with your partner so you can (hopefully) avoid a divorce and improve communication in your relationship.

Please watch this video to learn tips about understanding each other's communication style and building a shared language:

https://youtu.be/ySURUNX1Ohc

Tips from licensed couples therapist on how to avoid divorce.

02/07/2025

Healthy Connections: Nurturing Relationships That Nurture You

When you have low self-esteem and you start to behave like you deserve better (e.g. setting boundaries) and then you start feeling like you deserve better and then eventually you start attracting people who think you deserve better.

Visit people who visit you

Call who calls you

Support who supports you

Ignore who ignores you

I am a licensed therapist in Long Beach giving tips on how to have a healthier mental health.

Please watch this video to learn tips on how to nurture relationships that nurture you:

https://youtu.be/T7fKfeWXG0I

Healthy Connections: Nurturing Relationships That Nurture You

02/01/2025

Please watch the video below to learn self-care tips for coping with fear and anxiety in a shifting political environment:✔️Acknowledge Your Emotions ✔️Set Healthy News & Social Media Boundaries -Stay informed with self-care BALANCE✔️Take Empowering Action (Even Small Steps Matter)✔️Lean on Community & Safe Spaces✔️Prioritize Self-Care & Mental Rest✔️Try to avoid telling people that it will be okay because it might not be okay. People have heard what is in store for them and they are preparing themselves for that reality. Let's not use gaslighting as a way to try to support people

https://youtu.be/AwJKCMDN2y4

Please watch the video below to learn self-care tips for coping with fear and anxiety in a shifting political environment:✔️Acknowledge Your Emotions ✔️Set