Happy New Year! 2016 is here! During this time, people rack their brains trying to figure out what New Year’s resolutions they’ll commit to. While achieving fitness goals or saving money are always great go-to’s, one that the Center of Connected Living strongly supports is the achievement of mental health and happiness. If you’ve personally been battling with mental health, anxiety or depression, we believe that you should commit to visiting our office this new year.

At the Center of Connected Living, we work with individuals who are suffering with anxiety, depression, anger management and more. If the idea of making this your new year’s resolution is a bit nerve wrecking, and maybe a bit intimidating, you aren’t alone. For this reason, we offer group sessions targeted at the area that you hope to tackle. In this type of setting you can find the comfort that you seek while still facing whatever battle it is that you’re hoping to beat.

If there is a tension in your home that needs to be fixed, this is another opportunity where working towards a new year’s resolution of mental health and happiness as a family, could be beneficial. Starting your year with this type of goal in mind leads to more than just your mental health and happiness, it leads to life changes that you’ll see in your workplace, your relationships and your personal life.

If you’re looking to make a new year’s resolution that will make a serious impact on your life, consider therapy as the choice. We can guarantee that the results that you’ll see here will make more of a difference than any gym membership or piggy bank will. You will notice a drastic change in your lifestyle when you finally decide to improve your mental state.

The holiday season is full of family dinners and time spent catching up. It’s intended to be a time of celebration, but it’s hard to enjoy this time when family quarrels or bad feelings run deep. The Center of Connected Living fully believes that any family issue can be tackled within the comfort of our facility through family counseling sessions, and we are happy to help you get to the place you want to be. In order to help you keep the peace this season, we’ve provided you with a few tips that are touched on during our family counseling sessions that will help you make it through these family events.

Plan

Whether the gathering is happening at your home, or someone else’s, it’s important to plan ahead and know who to expect at the family gathering. Are there people that are sure to cause a scene? When you note these types of issues, consider making different plans for the holidays. This could change the course of events altogether. While a change of plans might be the best case scenario, don’t surprise your family with your absence. Let them know you won’t be making it to the holiday get together.

Positive Thoughts

While there may be history, focusing on the present is the best way to handle any situation that doesn’t need to be brought up or that doesn’t have any prominence. If you can acknowledge that you’d rather have a good holiday than kick up the past, make an effort to keep the energy of the gathering positive and focus on the current event at hand. Allow for the event to be light.

Family gatherings certainly aren’t the time or place to bring up and rummage through the past. If you and a family member have had difficulties with coming to terms or agreement on a particular issue, schedule an appointment at The Center of Connected Living. Allow a third party individual provide insight and mediation between you and your family member during a session of family counseling at our office in Fort Lauderdale.

Being a teenager is tough, but being the parent of a teenager can be even more difficult, especially if your teen is suffering from depression. With all of the pressures they face at school and at home, as well as any other personal issues they might be facing, it can be difficult for adolescents to cope with the different stresses they have in their lives. So, how do you know, as a parent, whether or not these pressures are becoming too much for your teen?

Symptoms of Teen Depression

If your teen lashes out at you or has a bad attitude, it can be tempting to simply attribute that to the characteristic “moodiness” of teens. However, these and other signs may indicate that your teen is reaching out for help. Here are a few signs that may indicate that your teen is depressed and needs to seek help:

• Your teen regularly has an irritable, empty or sad mood and feels that life is meaningless
• Loss of interest in his favorite activities, whether it’s sports, music or art
• Your teen has withdrawn from his friends and family. He struggles with relationships in general
• Sudden, uncharacteristic drop in grades at school, as well as a lack of motivation
• Changes in appetite or significant weight loss or gain
• Your teen is overly critical of himself
• Persistent behavioral problems at school or at home

These are just some of the signs and symptoms of depression. If you notice that your teen has been exhibiting any of these changes, it is important to seek the help of a professional before the condition worsens. At The Center of Connected Living, our therapist offers individual therapy for teens in Fort Lauderdale. Dr. Scholtz understands the dynamic pressures many teens are confronted with and she has insight on how to work best with even the most resistant of clients.

Please contact us today if you believe your teen is struggling with depression.

Getting married is a big step and many couples go into their marriage without having prepared for the problems and issues they are bound to face. It is important to enter a marriage with the skills necessary to sustain it for years to come. The Center for Connected Living now offers premarital counseling for couples who are about to embark on the greatest journey of their lives.

Premarital counseling offers couples the opportunity to learn and develop the skills they need to make it through the tough problems and situations they will experience, not only leading up to their marriage, but throughout their lives. Issues relating to religion, finances, and communication are all common issues couples have, however, if you cannot navigate your way through them, these issues have the ability to drive a wedge between you and your partner. Dr. Corinne Scholtz will structure every counseling session around your unique needs as a couple. She will cover important topics related to handling arguments, miscommunications, financial responsibilities, and more potentially complicated topics. No life or relationship is perfect. There will always be complications and obstacles to overcome however, with the right skills and mindset, you and your partner can have confidence that you can make it through anything life throws your way.

Every couple wants to go into their marriage feeling confident their relationship can outlast anything that is thrown their way. Premarital and marriage counseling in Fort Lauderdale can help develop and strengthen that confidence. Let Dr. Corinne help you and your partner establish an even stronger foundation for your marriage so you can enjoy a satisfying and lasting relationship.

When you and your spouse make the decision to participate in marriage counseling in Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301, it can be intimidating. Dr. Corinne Scholtz understands that taking part in any kind of counseling can be well outside of your comfort zone and leave you feeling anxious and uncomfortable. We know that it is a big decision to make and we want to help you and your spouse feel as comfortable as possible so you can get straight to healing and building your relationship. We like to help prepare our clients by keeping them well informed about what they should expect out of their first counseling session.

Dr. Scholtz highly recommends and prefers that both partners attend their first couples session. This will help eliminate any feelings of exclusion by either partner and help both partners feel that they are starting off on an even playing field. However, if the situation demands that each partner meet with Dr. Scholtz separately for the first time, this can be arranged. The first meeting with your counselor is all about getting a feel for them as well as the office. If your counseling sessions are to be successful and helpful, it is essential to feel comfortable opening up to and spending time with your counselor. Establishing this relationship and becoming comfortable with your counselor is the main focus of your first session. If after your first session, you do not feel the environment is conducive to progress and healing, then you may want to consider a different therapist and clinic.

At the Center of Connected Living, we are dedicated to helping each and every client learn to heal, communicate, and make discoveries. Dr. Scholtz is committed to helping couples heal and build strong relationships so they can work with each other to make it through the ups and downs of marriage. If you are interested in couples or marriage counseling, please contact us today!

Hundreds of couples enjoy the benefit premarital counseling and enter marriage with clarity and peace of mind. It’s so common for couples to grapple with issues relating to intimacy, finances, family, religion and communication as the wedding date approaches. Premarital counseling is a investment of time and money that will show returns for years to come. Your premarital counseling will be structured to meet the unique needs of your relationship and is available on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Homework will be given in-between sessions and tends to prompt valuable material for our conversations. Enjoy confidence in the strengths of your relationship and create tools for handling stressful times. Many couples take advantage of combining our online premarital course with in-person counseling!

Topics We Cover:

Expectations For Marriage

Fighting a ‘Good’ Fight

Managing Lapses in Communication

Sex and Intimacy

Financial Responsibilities and Expectations

Step-Parenting & Step-Families (when applicable)

Family-Of-Origin Influences and more…!

Contact me today for more information about how premarital counseling can work for you!

Hi Everyone,

I’m beginning to really enjoy our fall weather! I bundled up yesterday – a tank top and jacket with yoga pants – and headed for our community jogging path not far from my home. The path is nestled within a park with tennis courts, basketball courts, child play areas, and various fitness stations. There are always men, women and children of various ethnicity and background enjoying some time outside.

I like to people-watch and observe others on the path. Yesterday there was a mom pushing a toddler in a scroller, one couple spending time together, solo joggers and walkers, and…two separate groups of men. There were two older men walking together, and a group of three also strolling. Trying to keep up a good pace, I passed each group more than once. And each time I could overhear snippets of conversation about people in their lives, work politics, and daily issues. I thought, ‘How Cool! Men meeting up at the park, walking together and talking!’ It’s a cultural assumption that men ‘don’t talk about their feelings’; ‘aren’t as good as women at relationship’; and ‘don’t bond with other men as adults’. However, my observation questioned each of these assumptions and I LOVED it! A few miles later I saw the men approach the parking lot, overheard them say ‘thanks’ to one another for the time, and go on their separate ways. I look forward to sightings on the path tomorrow and the connections I observe of people of all ages and backgrounds. Perhaps my path is symbolic of stages of the life cycle and all the relationships life can hold.