East Dallas Therapy

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas and I hope your life is full of meaning and you move through anxiety with grace and self compassion!

If you want nothing, you’ll feel nothing. But the moment you decide to care deeply, anxiety is going to knock on your door. That’s not failure—that’s the cost of being alive to what matters. Anxiety means you’re in the arena.

12/25/2025

The holiday season can sometimes lead to increased conflict, especially if you've got a lot of people with opposing views all crammed in the same room for a couple hours. Differing values and perspectives collide, and things can get heated.

You may feel tempted at times to avoid holiday festivities altogether after these encounters, but before you give up on them entirely, consider testing out some new ways of handling the conflict. While it's never necessary to force yourself to remain in dangerous situations, there may be some arguments worth having and some relationships worth sticking around for.

To navigate conflict in a healthy way, it helps to consider how to balance giving yourself a voice in the situation, while also maintaining the relationship itself. Read the blog for tips on how to handle conflict well over the holidays.

12/22/2025

Mental Health Check-In

Did you know? Nearly 1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health condition each year. That means someone in almost every room you enter is carrying an emotional load you can’t see.

Tip for Today: Take 60 seconds to do a micro check-in with yourself.
Ask:
What am I feeling?
Where do I feel it in my body?
What’s one small thing I need right now?

A moment of awareness can interrupt overwhelm, regulate your nervous system, and help you respond with compassion—to yourself and others.

Small steps. Big impact. You’re allowed to slow down.

12/19/2025

Regarding Holiday Conflict…

The holiday season brings lights, traditions, and connection—but it also brings old dynamics, unspoken expectations, and the pressure to “keep the peace.” If this time of year feels complicated, you’re not alone.

Here are a few grounding reminders:
• You’re allowed to set boundaries, even with family.
• You don’t have to attend every gathering or stay longer than you can emotionally manage.
• You’re not responsible for fixing long-standing family patterns.
• You get to choose connection that feels safe, reciprocal, and respectful.

Holiday conflict doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re human. This year, give yourself permission to prioritize your wellbeing, honor your limits, and show up in ways that feel true to you.

Your peace matters just as much as anyone else’s.

12/16/2025

The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to meet new people and catch up with friends and family. It can provide a lot of fun and meaningful connection. Unfortunately, sometimes it can also lead to conflict, especially if you've got a lot of people with opposing views all crammed in the same room for a couple hours. Or maybe you've got that one family member who loves to debate (a little too much) during the annual reunion. Differing values and perspectives collide, voices get louder; throw in a few holiday drinks and tempers start flaring. Things can get heated.

You may feel tempted at times to avoid holiday festivities altogether after these encounters, but before you give up on them entirely, consider testing out some new ways of handling the conflict. While it's never necessary to force yourself to remain in dangerous situations, there may be some arguments worth having and some relationships worth sticking around for.

Read Summer's blog for helpful tips on navigating conflicting times this holiday season here: https://eastdallastherapy.com/navigating-conflict-over-the-holidays/

12/12/2025

Therapist Margaret Barrett recently recommended this book and it’s one we're thrilled to pass along.

As a therapist, we love books that deepen our understanding of how we feel and make meaning—and Iain McGilchrist’s work is one of the most powerful we've found.

In this landmark book, McGilchrist moves beyond the old “left brain/right brain” cliché. He shows how the left hemisphere zeroes in on details while the right offers intuition, flexibility, creativity, and connection—the very qualities that shape our felt sense.

He also explores how this imbalance plays out across Western culture, helping explain why so many of us stay stuck in our heads instead of tuning into our bodies and inner experience.

It’s the perfect companion to this month’s blog, The Felt Sense and a reminder that healing often begins in the quiet, intuitive spaces we’re taught to overlook.

12/10/2025

We’re thrilled to celebrate Kate Hilton, LMFT-Associate, who just completed her Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship last week!

This certification means Kate is now EFT-trained in couples therapy! Equipped with one of the most research-backed, connection-centered approaches for helping partners strengthen their bond, navigate conflict, and build secure, lasting relationships.

We’re so proud of the dedication, heart, and skill Kate brings to her work every day. This is a huge milestone, and we’re excited to see the impact she’ll continue to make with the couples she supports.

Join us in congratulating Kate on this accomplishment!

12/08/2025

Daily Affirmation: I deserve fulfilling relationships.

This is a simple sentence, but it carries so much truth—and so much healing. Many of us grew up learning to settle for less, to make ourselves small, or to believe that deep, supportive connection was something other people got to have.

But you deserve relationships where you feel seen, valued, and safe. You deserve conversations that energize you, not drain you. You deserve people who meet you with reciprocity, not conditions.

Let this affirmation be a gentle reminder: You don’t earn fulfilling relationships by being perfect— you deserve them simply because you’re human.
Say it slowly. Let it land in your body. I deserve fulfilling relationships.

And today, try living a little closer to that truth.

12/05/2025

We’re excited to share that Kate Hilton, LMFT-Associate at East Dallas Therapy, now accepts Open Path to help make quality mental health care more accessible.

What is Open Path? Open Path is a nationwide network of mental health professionals committed to offering affordable in-office and online therapy for clients who need reduced-cost sessions. It’s designed for individuals and families who:

*Cannot afford standard therapy rates
*Don’t have adequate mental health insurance coverage
*Have an annual household income below $100,000

Through Open Path, you can search their nationwide directory—or simply search Kate by name—to find a therapist who fits your needs.

Kate is passionate about providing thoughtful, research-backed therapy to individuals and couples, and accepting Open Path is one more way she’s helping make support accessible to those who need it most.

If you or someone you know has been waiting for a more affordable way to begin therapy, this might be the perfect place to start. 💛

12/04/2025

Does money keep you from getting mental health care? We want therapy to be affordable for our clients. We have low cost sessions available! Just request a sliding scale rate. Sessions starting at $50. (Ask for Kate!)

12/02/2025

Each one of us has varying levels of awareness at any given moment. Most of the time, we are all operating with cognitive awareness of what’s going on – you’re thinking thoughts in your head, you’re wondering about what’s for lunch, you’re replaying a scene in your mind, you’re having a conversation and using words to communicate it.

Being aware of the decisions we’re making, the narrative of a situation, the linear progression of what’s happening are all considered parts of cognitive awareness.

To read more of Margaret's recent blog, click here: