Center for Growth and Connection

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Pasadena, CA
Center for Growth and Connection

Center for Growth & Connection offers virtual and in-person therapy in California and Virginia.

Specializing in individual, couples, and family therapy, we help clients navigate anxiety, burnout, codependency, relationship issues, and life transitions. At the Center for Growth & Connection, our experienced therapists provide personalized, evidence-based therapy to individuals, couples, and families in Los Angeles and within California. We offer individual therapy, couples therapy, marriage counseling, family therapy, and group therapy in a safe, supportive environment. Our mission is to help clients improve communication, manage anxiety and depression, strengthen relationships, and foster personal growth. Schedule a consultation today to start your journey toward wellness.

12/27/2025

Holiday stress has a way of pulling couples into familiar patterns.

When pressure is high and capacity is low, we tend to default to whatever helps us cope fastest. One partner may reach for more closeness. The other may pull back to manage overwhelm. Both are often responding to vulnerability rather than intention.

When these strategies collide, it can feel personal very quickly. But often, what is happening is a cycle taking over the interaction.

Pausing to name the pattern can create space. Not to fix everything in the moment, but to slow things down enough to reconnect. Awareness alone can soften reactivity and shift how you move through conflict together.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

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12/22/2025

The holidays place a unique kind of strain on relationships.

There is more pressure, more logistics, more family history in the room, and often very little rest. When stress is high, our nervous systems move faster than our best intentions, and couples can slip into familiar patterns of pushing, pulling, or misreading each other.

Those moments are usually less about the relationship falling apart and more about two people feeling overwhelmed and trying to cope in different ways.

Slowing things down, even briefly, can interrupt that pattern. Naming the cycle. Getting curious about what is underneath the reactivity. Looking for one small way to move closer rather than farther apart.

Conflict during this season is often a signal that something tender needs attention, not proof that something is fundamentally wrong.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

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12/19/2025

The holidays feeling especially hard after a breakup has less to do with willpower and more to do with your nervous system:

• Routines change. • Attachment cues disappear. • Familiar touch, shared rituals, and predictable rhythms are suddenly gone.

At the same time, the season is full of sensory reminders:

• Songs. • Smells. • Photos. 
Your body reads all of this before your mind has a chance to make sense of it. The result can look like heightened anxiety, fatigue, tearfulness, or a strong urge to withdraw.

Support during this time often works best when it is concrete:
 • Eating regularly, even when appetite is off. • Keeping sleep and movement simple and consistent. • Reducing exposure to situations that feel overwhelming rather than forcing yourself through them.

Care does not have to be inspirational to be effective. Sometimes it is quiet, practical, and intentionally boring. That kind of care still counts.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

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12/18/2025

One of the quieter losses after a breakup is not just the relationship, but the future you were carrying in your mind.

The holidays tend to surface this kind of grief because they are built around expectation. Traditions. Milestones. A sense of continuity that assumes certain people will still be there.

When that story breaks, the grief can feel confusing. You might miss something that never fully existed yet. You might feel sadness without a clear object to point to. You might feel unsettled even if you know the relationship needed to end.

This kind of grief often goes unrecognized, which can make it feel harder to hold. It does not always come with tears. Sometimes it shows up as numbness, irritability, or a sense of disconnection from the season itself.

If this resonates, it may help to name what was lost without rushing to reframe it. Acknowledging the version of life you thought you were moving toward can be a meaningful step in making space for what comes next, even if that space feels tender right now.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

—

12/17/2025

The holidays have a way of carrying memory.

Sounds, lights, routines, and traditions can bring comfort, and they can also stir grief when someone who once shared those moments is no longer part of your life.

If this season feels heavier than you expected, it does not mean you are moving backward. It often means your nervous system is responding to real loss, change, and the disruption of what once felt familiar.

You are allowed to slow down.
You are allowed to notice the parts of you that feel tender, lonely, or unsure.
And you are allowed to do things differently this year.

Changing traditions, skipping what feels painful, or leaning on different sources of connection can be an act of care. Offer yourself grace as you move through unfamiliar territory, and reach out for support when you need it.

12/11/2025

(Part 2/2) These grounding questions are here to help you come back to yourself before you decide how close to move with someone this season.

When you pause long enough to hear your own hopes, fears, and needs, the next step often becomes clearer.

There is nothing wrong with wanting connection. There is also real strength in honoring your own pace.

Healthy pacing is possible in every season. You get to choose from a grounded place rather than from fear or pressure.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

—

12/10/2025

(Part 1/2) Cuffing season can bring up a mix of longing, pressure, and old attachment patterns that make dating feel more intense than it needs to be.

I see this every year in my work with clients:
The pace picks up.
Red flags feel easier to minimize.
Loneliness starts to shape decisions that deserve a steadier foundation.

If you are dating right now, take a moment to slow your body and your thoughts. You deserve clarity as you move toward connection.

☝️Part two will walk you through a few grounding questions that can help you stay centered in yourself before you move closer to someone new.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

—

12/08/2025

Cuffing season can stir up a lot of longing.

Some of that longing is for companionship. Some of it is for steadiness, warmth, or a sense of belonging. You can care for those feelings without rushing into a relationship that does not actually support you.

These practices offer real comfort. They help you feel connected, regulated, and grounded, even when you are moving through the season on your own terms.

You get to meet your needs with intention. You get to choose connections that feel nourishing rather than urgent.

12/05/2025

There are real reasons your capacity can shrink during the holidays, especially when you are already carrying stress, grief, or heartbreak. Our nervous systems respond to emotional pain much like they respond to other forms of overload. When we are overwhelmed, the brain shifts resources toward basic regulation and away from tasks that require focus, planning, or emotional flexibility.

This means you might feel tired more easily. Your attention might wander. Social interactions may take more energy than usual. Even small decisions can feel heavier. None of this is a character flaw. It is a predictable response to emotional strain.

Research on stress and attachment shows that when we lose a relationship or feel disconnected, our bodies often move into a heightened state of alert. Cortisol rises. Sleep can be disrupted. Our capacity for patience and problem solving naturally decreases. Add holiday demands on top of that and it makes sense that everything feels harder.

If you notice these shifts in yourself, try approaching them with some intention.�Pay attention to what helps your body settle.�Give yourself permission to take breaks.�Choose the gatherings or traditions that feel grounding rather than obligatory.

Your capacity is responsive to what you are living through. Treating those changes with care can create more steadiness as you move through the season.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

—

12/03/2025

Many people feel pressure to focus only on gratitude during the holidays. If you are grieving, lonely, or moving through a season of change, that pressure can feel heavy. Gratitude becomes harder to access when we silence the parts of us that are hurting.

You can hold gratitude without ignoring your pain. Both experiences can sit side by side. When you allow room for the full emotional picture, the gratitude you feel becomes more honest and steady. It is less about forcing yourself into a mindset and more about noticing what is meaningful even in the middle of something hard.

If this season brings mixed emotions, you are not doing anything wrong. Mixed emotions are a very human response to complex experiences. Let them coexist. Let them breathe. That is where deeper connection begins.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

—

12/01/2025

Heartbreak can feel more intense during the holidays. The season often brings expectations of joy and closeness, and that contrast can make your pain feel even sharper. If you notice your emotions rising as the world speeds up, that reaction makes sense.

Heartbreak affects our bodies and our minds. Our nervous systems work harder to manage stress. Sleep can change. Concentration can dip. Even small tasks might feel heavy. These are natural responses to loss and transition, not evidence that you should be coping differently.

If you are moving through this right now, try to slow your pace and make room for your internal experience. Create some distance from the pressure to feel a certain way. Choose moments that feel grounding. Set limits where you need them. Let yourself feel what is here without rushing toward a solution.

Healing is often a series of small decisions to care for yourself in the midst of pain. You deserve that care.

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Looking for support? Feel free to reach out!

📞Phone: (626) 702 - 3485
💌Email: admin@centerforgrowthandconnection.com

—

11/29/2025

The day after a full holiday can bring a kind of emotional shift.

Sometimes it feels like relief. Sometimes it feels like loneliness. Often it is a mix that shows up only when the noise fades.

I try to treat this stillness as information rather than a problem to solve. I gently check in with myself. I take a moment to notice what my body and heart are carrying after familiar rhythms change.

If this day feels tender for you, move at a pace that feels steady. Let the quiet tell you what it needs to.

Address

301 E. Colorado Boulevard , Suite 860
Pasadena, CA
91101

Website

https://www.centerforgrowthandconnection.com/

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About Michelle

Michelle Cantrell is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia. Michelle's areas of speciality are eating disorders, trauma, and unhealthy relationship patterns. In addition to her experience in treating eating disorders, Michelle is trained in Post-Induction Therapy for the treatment of developmental and relational trauma, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). When working with couples, Michelle utilizes an Emotionally Focused Couples (EFT) approach. To contact Michelle, you can email her at mdc@michellecantrell.com or call 571-969-4393.

Disclaimer: This page is intended to be for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for mental health services. If you wish to contact Michelle, please do so by emailing or calling. Messages posted through Facebook are not confidential and may not be responded to in a timely manner.