All Posts

Dr. Mariah Lester Sway Human beings are wired for connection. We thrive when we feel seen, valued, and understood, and one of the most powerful places this can happen is within a supportive community. Whether that community is built through friendship, shared identity, life experiences, or simply being present for one another, closeness is deeply therapeutic. Why Community Matters Being in community with others isn’t just emotionally comforting—it’s biologically grounding. Wh

Kristina Romero, MA., LMHC Cultivating mindfulness means developing a skill that enables you to be aware and fully present. The U.S. Army introduced the term "soft skills" in 1972 to describe abilities that aren't tied to tools or technology, but instead relate to how we lead, respond to pressure, handle chaos, and cope with trauma. These skills are interpersonal, emotional, and adaptive, unlike "hard skills," which we can teach and measure. Although you can research personal

Dr. Gina Crean, LCSW, CFRC A few months ago, I had the opportunity catch up with a former colleague who just happens to also be a retired First Responder. We got to a point in our conversation where they shared that one of the toughest points in their career was when they responded to a chaotic scene and they found themselves feeling apathetic, tired, and numb to those that were effected on scene. My colleague pointed out to me that they still very much enjoyed their job, so

Medical research has documented the dramatic effects of friendship on health, well-being and longevity. Loneliness turns out to be the modern killer disease, outranking and/or exacerbating the usual candidates. Inadequate or poor integration into your social network comes in behind only heart attacks and strokes in lethality. A strong social network increases survivability by 50%, equal to giving up smoking. Besides the usual help, encouragement and enjoyment that friendships