Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC

Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC I am a mental health counselor, marriage & family therapist, writer and painter. Welcome! I am Dolores (Lori) Puterbaugh, Ph.D., LMHC, LMFT, NCC.

This page can link you to my business website, balancedlifestylecoaching.com, where you can learn more about my counseling practice. Check back for updates and information on mental health, couple and family counseling, parenting and more.

Quitter’s Day Part 3: Know ThyselfMicro? Macro? Or just bored? Toe in the water, a cannonball dive, or just hanging out ...
01/26/2026

Quitter’s Day Part 3: Know Thyself

Micro? Macro? Or just bored? Toe in the water, a cannonball dive, or just hanging out poolside? Do you go for a haircut and, if it’s a new-to-you-stylist, ask for a half-inch trim so you can find out whether they actually listen and measure – or just grin and say, “Do whatever you want”? That’s your small vs big change preference in a nutshell....

Micro? Macro? Or just bored? Toe in the water, a cannonball dive, or just hanging out poolside? Do you go for a haircut and, if it’s a new-to-you-stylist, ask for a half-inch trim so you can find o…

Quitter’s Day Part 2So … a week since the second Friday of January, what is sometimes called “Quitter’s Day,” for the fr...
01/17/2026

Quitter’s Day Part 2

So … a week since the second Friday of January, what is sometimes called “Quitter’s Day,” for the frequent demise of New Year’s Resolutions. If you’ve given up, or fallen off track, every moment is potentially a new start. Perhaps you need something a little more manageable: a small step instead of a massive change. Here’s a second suggestion, building on last week’s short post, for a small but potentially life-changing experiment....

So … a week since the second Friday of January, what is sometimes called “Quitter’s Day,” for the frequent demise of New Year’s Resolutions. If you’ve given up, or fallen off track, every moment is…

Quitter’s Day – part 1On New Year’s Day morning, Fr. Mike noted in his homily to those of us at early Mass that the seco...
01/12/2026

Quitter’s Day – part 1

On New Year’s Day morning, Fr. Mike noted in his homily to those of us at early Mass that the second Friday in January is known as “Quitter’s Day,” because by then 80% of people would have quit their New Year’s Resolutions. Perhaps you find yourself in the 80%. If so, may I suggest considering one or more short experiments – trying on a change, for a week or two – and assessing its usefulness for you....

On New Year’s Day morning, Fr. Mike noted in his homily to those of us at early Mass that the second Friday in January is known as “Quitter’s Day,” because by then 80% of people would have quit the…

In autumn, the truth comes out. And by autumn, I mean any autumn. Autumn the meteorological season before winter; Autumn...
10/31/2025

In autumn, the truth comes out. And by autumn, I mean any autumn. Autumn the meteorological season before winter; Autumn on the calendar; Autumn in our life span; and Autumn in the liturgical year. In every case, if you step back far enough, you can see the patterns. The photo op brilliant foliage reveals what was there all along, shaped by experience....

In autumn, the truth comes out. And by autumn, I mean any autumn. Autumn the meteorological season before winter; Autumn on the calendar; Autumn in our life span; and Autumn in the liturgical year.…

Every author hears that question. Probably more so, it’s what people wonder when a therapist starts writing fiction. Fri...
10/06/2025

Every author hears that question. Probably more so, it’s what people wonder when a therapist starts writing fiction. Friends, family and, possibly, clients and colleagues, wonder whose secrets I have mined to create the characters in my books. Well, with the first novel in the series out there (Falling Feathers) and a second expected out before year’s end (...

Every author hears that question. Probably more so, it’s what people wonder when a therapist starts writing fiction. Friends, family and, possibly, clients and colleagues, wonder whose secrets I ha…

It is a sad and common theme. A person is struggling: with an addiction, or obsessions and compulsions, or moral injury,...
09/18/2025

It is a sad and common theme. A person is struggling: with an addiction, or obsessions and compulsions, or moral injury, or the impact of trauma, and has come to a place where the sense of self has been entirely subsumed by the problem and its pain. The definition of self becomes “the addiction,” or “the monster who did (whatever has led to moral injury)” or “the mental disorder diagnosis.”...

It is a sad and common theme. A person is struggling: with an addiction, or obsessions and compulsions, or moral injury, or the impact of trauma, and has come to a place where the sense of self has…

On October 1, the next offering of GriefShare will begin at St. Matthew Catholic Church. This marks my 15th round of Gri...
09/08/2025

On October 1, the next offering of GriefShare will begin at St. Matthew Catholic Church. This marks my 15th round of GriefShare at St. Matthew’s, on top of a long history of grief support volunteerism prior to starting at St. Matthew in 2018. GriefShare at St. Matthew’s is free, although we do ask for a donation to cover the cost of the workbook provided to each participant....

On October 1, the next offering of GriefShare will begin at St. Matthew Catholic Church. This marks my 15th round of GriefShare at St. Matthew’s, on top of a long history of grief support volunteer…

We recently spent a few days hiking up mountains, camping and white-water rafting in Wyoming and Montana, because isn’t ...
08/08/2025

We recently spent a few days hiking up mountains, camping and white-water rafting in Wyoming and Montana, because isn’t that what people who are afraid of heights (me) and can’t swim (yeah, me, again) do for fun? And it was fun. It’s good to push out of the comfort zone. Most parents and the other adults who care for and work with children are quite serious about helping them get out of their supposed comfort zones and into a healthier lifestyle....

We recently spent a few days hiking up mountains, camping and white-water rafting in Wyoming and Montana, because isn’t that what people who are afraid of heights (me) and can’t swim (yeah, me, aga…

It can be hard for parents to make the changes they see would be best for their families. Every good idea seems like a S...
08/04/2025

It can be hard for parents to make the changes they see would be best for their families. Every good idea seems like a Sisyphean struggle. Sometimes it’s useful to start very small. Let’s begin with a short, very simplified review of behavior modification from Psych 101. We’ve got positive reinforcement (YAY), negative reinforcement (also YAY) and punishment by application – life does something to you (OUCH), or withdrawal, when life takes something away (HEY!)....

It can be hard for parents to make the changes they see would be best for their families. Every good idea seems like a Sisyphean struggle. Sometimes it’s useful to start very small. Let’s begin wit…

Most of us have some changes to make. And most changes are not so easy. That’s why people postpone them, or poke at the ...
06/13/2025

Most of us have some changes to make. And most changes are not so easy. That’s why people postpone them, or poke at the edges, or just pretend the problem will go away by itself. Sometimes people convince themselves there isn’t even a problem, really; that it just depends how you look at it. Maybe so. But maybe there’s something that needs changing....

Most of us have some changes to make. And most changes are not so easy. That’s why people postpone them, or poke at the edges, or just pretend the problem will go away by itself. Sometimes people c…

You know how it is. You want to make a change. Something needs to change. Maybe the kitchen needs organizing, or you nee...
05/11/2025

You know how it is. You want to make a change. Something needs to change. Maybe the kitchen needs organizing, or you need to sleep better, or be less stressed…whatever it may be. You want to get it “right.” And that’s where the freeze happens. “Right. It has to be right.” But what if there’s no way to know what is right for you without experimenting?...

You know how it is. You want to make a change. Something needs to change. Maybe the kitchen needs organizing, or you need to sleep better, or be less stressed…whatever it may be. You want to get it…

A different day, another awful situation. A child, or teen, or young adult has been struggling with emotional turmoil an...
04/11/2025

A different day, another awful situation. A child, or teen, or young adult has been struggling with emotional turmoil and is tumbling into danger. They confide in a friend, or maybe a few friends. They may have “met” someone in an online chat and now this person is their “boyfriend” or “girlfriend,” and they are planning to run way to meet this person....

A different day, another awful situation.  A child, or teen, or young adult has been struggling with emotional turmoil and is tumbling into danger. They confide in a friend, or maybe a few fri…

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PO Box 8550
Largo, FL
33775

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+17275590863

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