Centered Practice

03/31/2025

We support our transgender community! ❤️

07/19/2024

Check out our website at www.centeredpractice.com. We've got two new therapists who are currently taking both in-person and telehealth appointments. Rachel Morrison, LICSW at our Northfield location and Elizabeth Morris, LICSW in St. Paul!

03/28/2023

There is still time! We had to move our class forward another week and that means there is still time to register! Please forward on the information to clients or other therapists who are looking for a low cost way to learn the IFS model, explore their own parts and learn skills. Classes are held Monday evenings for 7 weeks, starting April 3rd. Register now

The Self-Led Journey I: Starting on the IFS Path - Concepts and Tools A 7-Week In-Person Course, Led by Roberta Cullen, LMFT April 3 – May 15, 2023 (Note new start/end dates!) Mondays from

03/14/2023

The first IFS class offering was such a success Roberta is offering another section, starting soon! Learn more about parts and tools to recognize and befriend them! Registration is open, class starts on Monday March 27th

The Self-Led Journey I: Starting on the IFS Path - Concepts and Tools A 7-Week In-Person Course, Led by Roberta Cullen, LMFT March 27 – May 8, 2023 Mondays from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

01/18/2023

https://centeredpractice.com/classes/

We've got a few spots left! Learn about the Internal Family Systems model, get to know your own parts and take away some good skills to use in self-knowing and self-compassion! Starts this Saturday at our St. Paul location.

The Self-Led Journey I: Starting on the IFS Path - Concepts and Tools A 7-Week In-Person Course, Led by Roberta Cullen, LMFT Jan. 21 – March 4, 2023 Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

01/05/2023

Starting Soon!! New low-cost class to develop greater self-awareness and tools for self-knowing. The class is a series of seven sessions, offered Saturdays at our St. Paul location. Register now!

05/12/2022

Great paradigm shift for lots of behaviors and patterns

Only looking at observable behavior (surface behaviors), doesn't tell you anything about what's actually causing the behavior.

You start solving problems when you start diggin'!

Image Description: Title: The “Why of A Behavior”. Two holes with a man digging in each hole: First hole is shallow with subtitle “The old way of thinking”. Underneath are the words “defiant”, “escape”, “avoiding” and “attention seeking”. Second hole is very deep with the subtitle “A necessary paradigm shift” (supported by brain science). Underneath are the words: sensory processing”, “emotional regulation”, “motor challenges”, “learning disabilities”, “trauma”. The function of any behavior is much deep than phrases like attention seeking. This shallow analysis will lead to using rewards and punishments to get compliance. Want to improve behavior? Solve the problem. How do you solve the problem? Dig Deeper. Greg Santucci, Occupational Therapist.

06/09/2021

A new study shows the best social supports for those in grief.

When it comes to good grief support, be ... a dog? Really??

Along with colleagues, we've just published a study in the journal PLOS (Public Library of Science) One about the best sources of social support in grief.

One of the reasons we undertook this study is because, while its widely known that support is essential for anyone who is struggling with any kind of psychological pain, we knew much less about the "actors and actions" specific to the question: what is good social support and who is providing it best?

Our key findings:

1. Good social support in grief means:

"It means having a community of people who are safe to share your journey of grief with; who don’t try to fix you or hurry you…people who let me say her name and tell stories about her.”

“It means people checking on me, inviting me to places, listening and remembering.”

“Having a community of people around us that are willing to listen and be there for each other.”

2. Emotional support and acts of emotional caring were - by far - the most important type of support necessary for grievers in this study. Many wished for more emotional support from others in their social circle:

“Consistent communication, acceptance of my feelings, allowing me space as needed, listening without trying to fix or belittle my grief.”

“Just being present. Not trying to fix anything. Listening. Letting me talk about Thomas. Remembering Thomas. Honoring him.”

“Telling me that my grief is valid, that my feelings are real. Basically just allowing me to be.”

“ANYONE doing ANYTHING that lets me know they are thinking of him.”

“Just letting me mention his name without awkward silence or changing the subject.”

3. Grievers encountered plenty of "unsupportive" experiences: "Specifically, respondents talked about the use of platitudes; judging or rushing grief; failure to approach or acknowledge loss; feeling abandoned by family, friends, and community members; avoidance of grief and griever; not listening; the perception that others were pretending the person who died had never existed; others’ propensity to center their own needs and feelings above the primary griever; and offering unsolicited advice, especially about how to heal grief."

4. Quite surprisingly, in both acute and long term supportive care, animals and pets actually ranked significantly higher than every other human group for grievers at 89% positive satisfaction.

You can read the article, open access, below.

***
Infographics by Baylee Johnson, with much gratitude

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0252324
(c) 2021

06/09/2021

Grief is a complicated thing. Here are the results of a recent study on the best sources of social supports in grief.

06/01/2021

As we reflect on Memorial Day and the mental health implications for those who serve and their families, we want to offer Minnesota based resources for anyone who may need it.

Helpline for Veterans

04/20/2021

Holding hope for justice this week for George Floyd. We at Centered Practice will continue our work in healing trauma, diminishing fear, cultivating empathy and creating connection. Sending peace out to the world tonight and in the days to come.