CBS Counseling

I specialize in aiding individuals navigating life transitions and relationship challenges in the Philadelphia area.

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07/15/2025

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Dr. Karyl McBride offers a clear and compassionate roadmap for ending a high-conflict relationship. She focuses on individuals leaving partners with toxic or unhealthy traits, particularly those associated with narcissistic and borderline personality disorders. McBride walks readers through the decision-making process of whether to stay or leave, how to navigate the legal complexities of contentious divorces, strategies for co-parenting, and more.

This book is incredibly practical. Divorcing someone with a personality disorder—or even strong traits—can leave you feeling overwhelmed and disoriented. McBride offers a grounded, thorough path forward. She answers so many of the questions I’ve heard people ask in these situations, and she does so with deep clinical insight and empathy. Her understanding of personality disorders, what it’s like to be in a relationship with someone who has one, and how to break free is both validating and empowering. Highly recommend.

⚠️ As always, be mindful of your safety—don’t read this book in a setting where the person in question may see you’re engaging with this material.

06/25/2025

Taking a brief break from nonfiction to catch up on some fiction. I’ll be back with more reviews after the Fourth.

After countless recommendations, I’m finally reading ‘The Women’. It’s already a powerful reminder: to those who’ve served our country in any capacity—thank you. I’m sorry for what you’ve seen, and for what so many of us will never fully understand. Regardless of political views, we should never take for granted the people who’ve put their lives on the line. Losing someone to war is devastating—and so is living with the memories afterward.

06/18/2025

Weddings can bring up more than joy. For sensitive, anxious minds, they often stir grief, pressure, identity shifts, and overwhelm—right alongside love and celebration.

This post captures some of what therapy helped me prepare for in the lead-up to our wedding.

AND happy (day late) anniversary to my steady, hilarious, deeply good husband. Every year with you keeps getting better.

06/16/2025

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Peter Levine offers an insightful exploration of how trauma lives in the body. He explains how unresolved trauma can become trapped in the nervous system and emphasizes the need for somatic healing in order to fully recover. The book provides an overview of trauma, introduces tools for healing, and dives into the foundations of somatic experiencing.

While I appreciated the book’s message, I found it difficult to stay engaged. I picked it up and put it down several times before finally finishing it. Levine’s insights are valuable, but the delivery felt dry to me, and the content remained fairly surface-level. I had hoped for a deeper dive into the complexities of trauma. It’s not a problematic book by any means—it just didn’t feel informative or stimulating enough given its slower pace. That said, this critique is more about personal preference than substance. For readers who are newer to the topic of trauma, Waking the Tiger could serve as an introduction to somatic work and body-based healing.

06/05/2025

I love a short and sweet quote that has a profound message. Next time you have an anxious or intrusive thought, remember this.

06/03/2025

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‘More Than a Body’ by twins Lexie and Lindsay Kite is a research-driven exploration of how we relate to our bodies in a culture that constantly objectifies them. The authors break down the societal messages that teach us to view our bodies as objects and offer a framework for reclaiming our self-worth beyond appearance. Rather than promoting surface-level body positivity, the book focuses on helping readers move away from appearance obsession and toward a deeper connection with their bodies for what they do, not how they look.

I started reading this book after it was recommended by an eating disorder therapist, and I found it incredibly refreshing—honestly, much better than other similar books on the market. It doesn’t ask you to love every inch of yourself, but instead invites you to step outside of the appearance-based value system entirely. As someone who often sees the emotional toll of body shame show up in therapy, I appreciated the authors’ focus on self-awareness and systemic critique over self-blame. The call to view our bodies as instruments, not ornaments, is powerful—and one I’ve returned to in both personal reflection and clinical work.

05/23/2025

EFT helps couples stop the blame cycle and start reaching for each other. It’s about safety, not just communication.

05/19/2025

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Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and mother, approaches parenting from the foundational belief that children are inherently good. Drawing from both her professional expertise and personal experience, she offers practical tools, mindset shifts, and strategies to help parents engage from this compassionate perspective.

I’d been hearing about this book for years and finally got around to reading it. It did not disappoint. Dr. Becky’s tone is warm, patient, and deeply validating. She weaves in an Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens, which I especially appreciate, and challenges many traditional parenting norms with thoughtfulness and clarity. Her use of real-life examples brings her ideas to life in an accessible way. One challenge I encountered, however, was the lack of clarity around child development stages. Many examples didn’t specify the child’s age, which made it harder at times to apply the suggestions appropriately. While I understand the goal was to offer a flexible framework, some guidance around age-appropriateness would have strengthened the book. That said, Good Inside is still a fantastic and affirming read, one I’d recommend to every parent.

05/13/2025

Narcissistic love bombing can be incredibly damaging and disorienting. Stay aware of this manipulative pattern. I’ll be sharing a post soon about the most common traits to watch for.

05/08/2025

Grateful to Body + Beauty Lab for an incredible evening! So honored to be part of an event that promotes every aspect of women’s health and wellness.

05/05/2025

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Esther Perel explores the complexities of relationships, particularly the tension between maintaining excitement and settling into predictability. She takes a global perspective, examining relationship dynamics across various cultures and drawing on relatable case studies from diverse backgrounds. Perel doesn’t shy away from discussing topics like desire, intimacy, and the ways cultural norms shape our expectations.

I found this book to be deeply thought-provoking. While it’s less practical than some other relationship books, it offers a more abstract and philosophical approach. Perel’s brilliance is evident throughout—there were many moments where I had to pause and reread a sentence to fully absorb its depth. That said, the book can feel a bit dense at times, and I occasionally found it challenging to stay focused.

05/03/2025

What an incredible day at the MS Walk! Grateful for the energy, love, and support from everyone who showed up, donated, and walked beside us. Together, we’re making strides toward a world free of MS!

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