GIA Institute of Psychotherapy

05/26/2026

05/25/2026

At GIA Institute, animal assisted therapy is offered as an optional complement to traditional clinical approaches for both children and adults.

Animal assisted therapy is an evidence based approach that integrates trained animals into the therapeutic process to support emotional, behavioral, and relational healing.

While many people associate therapy animals with children, research shows that individuals of all ages can benefit from the presence of a calm, attuned animal during counseling.

05/19/2026

Co-parenting takes practice, patience, and a willingness to put your child first even when it’s uncomfortable. The following strategies will help you build a functional co-parenting relationship that serves your child’s best interests. Remember that small consistent efforts create lasting positive changes.

- Keep Communication Child-Focused
- Create Consistent Rules Between Households
- Never Badmouth Your Ex in Front of Your Child
- Be Flexible and Willing to Compromise
- Respect the Other Parent’s Time
- Prioritize Family Therapy for Your Child

05/16/2026

Children thrive when they maintain strong relationships with both parents after a divorce. Research consistently shows that kids who experience effective co-parenting adjust better emotionally and academically.

Here’s how your commitment to co-parenting directly helps your child.

- Provides Emotional Stability and Security
- Models Healthy Conflict Resolution
- Reduces Loyalty Conflicts
- Maintains Important Relationships

05/13/2026

What is Co-Parenting?

Co-parenting is a shared parenting arrangement where both parents remain actively involved in their child’s life after separation or divorce. Unlike parallel parenting where contact is minimal, co-parenting requires direct communication, cooperation, and collaboration between both parents. The focus shifts from the failed romantic relationship to a functional parenting partnership.

This approach means making joint decisions about your child’s education, healthcare, and daily routines regardless of personal feelings toward your ex-partner. It requires setting aside anger, resentment, and hurt to create consistency and stability in your child’s life. Co-parenting recognizes that your child deserves access to both parents and benefits from their continued involvement.

05/10/2026

In our practice, we see many couples who are either contemplating divorce or have just made the decision to separate. They come in overwhelmed, not just by the end of the relationship, but by everything that comes next.

Your child didn’t choose this divorce, but you can choose how it affects their future. The way you and your ex-partner navigate co-parenting will shape your child’s emotional wellbeing, relationships, and sense of security for years to come.

While divorce marks the end of your marriage, it’s the beginning of a new parenting partnership that puts your child’s needs first.

05/02/2026

Healthy Ways to Move On After a Breakup

If you are asking how to survive a breakup healthily, here is what clinically supports healing:

* Stabilize your nervous system through consistent sleep, movement, and daily routine
* Limit exposure to your ex (texts, calls, social media, etc.)
* Lean on secure, supportive friendships and family
* Reconnect with interests, hobbies, and goals that are entirely your own
* Work through attachment patterns and grief with a therapist or counselor
* Allow yourself to feel the grief without self-judgment or shame

Post-traumatic growth research shows that adversity can increase clarity of values, boundaries, and self-trust over time (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004).

Breakups suck. But over time, they can make you wiser and a whole lot more resilient

04/29/2026

If you’ve been searching “why do breakups hurt so bad” or “how to stop thinking about my ex,” you’re not alone. There’s actually a neurological reason for everything you’re experiencing.

You are probably experiencing at least one of these feelings:
* Obsessive thoughts
* Urges to text
* Checking social media
* Replaying conversations
* Anxiety spikes
* Trouble sleeping

These reactions are not a sign of weakness. Research shows that romantic attachment activates the brain’s reward system. When a relationship ends, the brain can respond in a way that resembles withdrawal from an addictive substance (Fisher et al., 2010).

So, you’re not “crazy.” Your brain and body are just reacting the way they’re wired to.

Understanding this can actually help take away some of the shame, and be the first and biggest steps toward healing after a breakup.

04/26/2026

If you’re in the middle of a breakup right now, I want you to hear this first: The intensity you’re feeling doesn’t mean you’re weak. It just means you cared, and you got attached… because you’re human.

I see people every week who are smart, capable, and emotionally aware who suddenly feel lost, anxious, obsessive, or just plain miserable in the wake of a breakup. It doesn’t matter how together you usually are; heartbreak will knock you sideways.

A breakup doesn’t just hurt your heart. It shakes up your whole system, your attachment wiring, your nervous system, even your sense of who you are.

If you are wondering why breakups hurt so much or how to heal after one, this is for you.

Stay tuned for part 2 💙

04/26/2026

If you’re in the middle of a breakup right now, I want you to hear this first: The intensity you’re feeling doesn’t mean you’re weak. It just means you cared, and you got attached… because you’re human.

We see people every week who are smart, capable, and emotionally aware who suddenly feel lost, anxious, obsessive, or just plain miserable in the wake of a breakup. It doesn’t matter how together you usually are; heartbreak will knock you sideways.

A breakup doesn’t just hurt your heart. It shakes up your whole system, your attachment wiring, your nervous system, even your sense of who you are.

If you are wondering why breakups hurt so much or how to heal after one, this is for you.

Stay tuned for part 2 💙