Urbana Marriage and Family Therapy Center

10/31/2022

https://www.mdtherapycenters.com/infidelity-it-is-okay-to-stay/

Working through infidelity with a partner who strayed does not mean you are weak, it means you are a human who can love, grow and forgive.

Infidelity: It is Okay to Stay Sep 10, 2019 | Couples Therapy, Infidelity Recovery | 0 comments People strongly believe (and warn) that if their significant other were to cheat that they would immediately terminate that relationship. Boom, it’s over. In reality, many people who face infidelity fin...

08/05/2022

So many great changes recently but, my favorite addition, is our new office in Marriottsville, along with a play therapy room put together by our dedicated play therapist Michael Vires!

05/05/2021

"100% of my clients who have been betrayed tell me they never thought they would want to work on a relationship if their partner cheated, so they are flabbergasted that they would consider exploring the possibility. Ending a significant, romantic relationship is not that simple, I assure them, and it is okay to stay."

https://www.urbanatherapycenter.com/infidelity-it-is-okay-to-stay/

Infidelity: It is Okay to Stay Sep 10, 2019 | Couples Therapy, Infidelity | 0 comments People strongly believe (and warn) that if their significant other were to cheat that they would immediately terminate that relationship. Boom, it’s over. In reality, many people who face infidelity find themsel...

12/09/2020

This quote encapsulates so much of what we work towards with the couples we support. Believing your partner helps them feel loved and less alone in the world ❤

11/17/2020

I am exhausted folks. Thats right - I said it. Your favorite therapist is feeling the fatigue from covid isolation and anxiety - especially as I face the holidays without being able to see those I hold dear. None of us are invincible and, certainly, I know no one who is not suffering right now in some way.

I was talking to myself today (as I often do) and wondered why we are all trying to sustain "business as usual" when nothing is "usual" right now. At the beginning of this pandemic people seemed to slow down, reach out to friends and try to find some joy in the small things. But as the world seemed to return to normal we all fell back into our routines.

BUT the world IS NOT normal right now. We are homeschooling kids, not having commutes to wind down, having Covid scares, isolating from family - and now we are doing it without those little things that got us through in the beginning. Add in that we are now facing holidays without loved ones and it is just too much.

So, as we embark on what seems like a long and lonely holiday season, I want to ask you to get the puzzles back out, plan more zoom calls with family and friends, take long walks in the waning fall weather, and - most importantly of all - reach out and ask for help if you need it. You are NOT alone - we all need each other right now.

09/20/2020

Being nominated alone was an honor for us! I would love for any of you with a positive experience of our practice to give us a lil vote to get us to round 2. Thank you!

https://fnp.secondstreetapp.com/Best-of-the-Best-2020-First-Voting-Round/gallery/248239085

It's time to vote to select the Top 5 in more than 200 categories in The Frederick News-Post's readers' choice awards contest! You can vote for your favorites once a day through Tuesday, Sept. 22.

09/06/2020

08/08/2020

I am delayed in welcoming our amazing intern Deidre Pilcher! She is finishing up her master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Urbana Marriage and Family Therapy Center. Under my supervision, she is available to see couples and individuals at a reduced rate. She loves seeing couples - send them her way!

Here is a little excerpt from her bio: Through formal education, ongoing training opportunities, and lived experience, I have a firm understanding of a truly diverse range of clients’ lives and experiences, including life transitions, parenting, entrepreneurship, religious transitions, sexuality, and LGBTQ and consensually non-monogamous relationships.

Please feel free to read more about her and how we can support you at www.urbanatherapycenter.com

06/05/2020

As a therapist, a business owner, an ally and a human, I feel I would be remiss not to address the difficult conversations happening around race and the history of oppression and racism in this country. As a marriage therapist, I guide difficult conversations every day - working with couples to hear each other, find compassion, and express themselves in healthy, effective ways. The conversation about race and oppression, however, is different - one where we need to hear the voice of the disenfranchised. The abusers voice has no validity in this context.

Domestic violence is all too often a concern during couple's therapy. One person in the couple wields power through violence. Unless this person admits their wrong, seeks out significant help to right this wrong, and listens as well as seeks amends, no progress can be made. I can not validate the abusers needs or voice if the way they are addressing them is through control and violence. In fact, we will not even engage in couples therapy if there is ongoing domestic violence because it is not safe for the victim. The victim must be safe first.

Just like with domestic violence, the oppressor in issues of race relations has to listen, seek assistance to change and learn as well as make amends before healing can even begin. An oppressor does not get to have a voice in healing if they truly want relationships to heal. White people in our country need to start listening - listening with compassion to the hurt of people of color and honesty with ourselves at the ugly truth.

For years and years, white people in this country have sugar-coated the ugly racist roots of how this country was founded and built - minimizing or denying that racism exists while continuing to wield power through financial, legal, and violent means. We are the abusers. We are the oppressors. I would love to deny that I am part of the problem, but I am. I will continue to learn, speak out and learn some more. I will listen and learn from my friends, family and clients of color. As a business owner, I will learn and model what I can to support equality and discontinue oppressive practices. We need to listen, be better and do better. Thank you - Kara

04/29/2020

I would like to introduce Dr. Kimberly DiGiorgio - a valuable addition to the Urbana Marriage and Family Therapy Center team. Dr. DiGiorgio uses a combination of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapy in treatment. She is trained and utilizes DBT and EMDR. She specializes in PTSD, adolescents who have developmental delays/intellectual disabilities/academic difficulties, and mind/body connection techniques. In addition, she offeres psychological testing to aid in diagnosis and treatment planning as needed. We are so excited to have her! Read more about her at: https://www.urbanatherapycenter.com/about/

04/09/2020

As we settle into this new way of living, self care is of utmost importance. I love this checklist to help keep your body mind and soul strong.

03/22/2020

I have found myself on social media more and more over the last week. Sharing about my days, sharing info, sharing funny memes, and really just seeing what the rest of the world is up to in this crazy time. Two weeks ago if I was on this much I would be beating myself up about the amount of time I am spending on social media. While that same guilt creeps up occasionally, I remind myself that this is such an amazing way to connect and feel less alone in a very trying time.

I guess this is my way of giving myself and you all permission to post on here as much as you want. Please post pictures of yourselves, your kids, your creative ideas to stay sane. I can show them to my kids or just smile to myself - remembering that the world is still turning, our friends are more than surviving, but - most importantly - that we are NOT ALONE in this. Can you imagine going through this 20 years ago without this avenue for connection?

Here is the trick though - don't look at too much. I have found my anxiety going up as I read stories of the severity of some cases - the suffering, the death, the dying. We could sit and read about this virus for hours on end looking for answers, solutions or hope. However, too much of that is never a good thing without the balance of reality - that most people are surviving and have "mild" cases, that staying isolated is protecting myself and our most vulnerable, that right now I am doing everything I can. We have to focus on what we can control - which is our home, our family, our self-care.

With all of that, I hope that when life returns to a new normal, we can all detach/unhook from our gadgets, breathe in the fresh air, laugh in person with our friends, support our local struggling businesses, and just hug one another in person. For now, like I said, I want to see more of your pictures and your hopes and your fears and your ups and your downs. We are all in this together. Love and peace to all of you.

03/19/2020

Therapists across the country continue to offer therapy using great, private video platforms. We are aware of the fear, stress, and challenges that are occurring in homes across the world. Let me know what you need and, if I can't provide it, I can direct you to a provider that will. I take BCBS and self-pay - please message me to talk about rates. We are here to help!

03/19/2020

Three days in....thinking this is good advice.

Research shows that quarantine is stressful for couples.

12/10/2019

Some stupid humor for your rainy Tuesday! Humor is a great way to cope but also to connect with others.

11/28/2019

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my clients and friends. Just a reminder for a day on which family traditions tend to collide.

09/10/2019

The stigma of infidelity can be a huge factor in one's decision to stay with an unfaithful partner, but as a couple's therapist, I want to reassure you that it is okay to stay if you and your partner heal together.

People strongly believe (and warn) that if their significant other were to cheat that they would immediately terminate that relationship. Boom, it’s over. But then they find themselves sitting across from me, wanting to figure out if they can heal. 100% of my clients who have been betrayed tell me...