CORE Guidance

The Power of Forgiveness By Amy L. Spaw M.S., LPC, CRC It is important to believe that forgiveness is healing. That forgiveness is redemption. That forgiveness lifts and settles your spirit, whether you’re the one giving or receiving. I think there’s something wonderful about letting go of pain in this way knowing that someone has given you a second chance, or deciding after you’ve been broken you can accept someone’s apology and set both of your hearts free....Continue reading

Why Family Estrangement Is Roughest at the Holidays Severed ties and communication between parents and adult children is common, your not alone! By Shayla Thiel Stern...Continue reading

Personality Disordered Love vs Unconditional Love Getting off the Hamster Wheel By Amy Lynn Spaw M.S., LPC, CRC...Continue reading

These are major red flags!

Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and bitterness By Mayo Clinic Staff When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge or embrace forgiveness and move forward....Continue reading

What’s one thing I wish I would have known at the start of my fitness journey? This answer might surprise you.. but I believe it’s something every beginner need...s to hear. Here it is... Looking fit and being healthy are not the same thing You can look incredible on the outside and still not be healthy on the inside. Now, I don’t want to be preachy here but... I feel like many of you can relate to this. I struggle with the balance between doing fitness for my health and doing it just to look a certain way. If we are constantly forcing exercise out of a place of hate, that’s not healthy. This is why the mental component of fitness is so incredibly important. I firmly believe in the value of strength training, but sometimes we get so fixated on our outward physical appearance that we forget to look within for a more powerful reason why. Fitness should be about challenging ourselves, personal growth, and getting stronger. Fitness looks different for everyone. Until we change our mindset, nothing we do will ever be enough. Even the most incredible physique will never be enough. When you get your mind in a healthier place, your physique will follow. The joy in the growth will resurface and you will begin doing it for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

Activists rally for changes to Pa. child custody laws ByKatie Meyer, WITFApril 26, 2018 The capitol building in Harrisburg... Pennsylvania's Capitol building in Harrisburg (WikiMedia Commons) A coalition of advocates is trying to get Pennsylvania lawmakers to act on what they’re calling a horrific parental alienation crisis. The term parental alienation generally refers to a situation in which a custody agreement largely separates a parent and child, straining their relationship. Specifically, proponents of the term say, it involves one parent using access to a child to turn the child’s allegiance away from the other parent. The efforts of the group, known as the National Parents Organization, have inspired fierce opposition from domestic violence organizations. There is also a general lack of consensus on whether parental alienation is a legitimate syndrome in children. It is not recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Pennsylvania’s chapter of the National Parents Organization which until a few years ago was known as Families and Fathers is pushing for two bills. One would update the Commonwealth’s custody law to let a court order make up time if one parent violates the custody agreement. The other would make 50/50 custody agreements the default in contested cases. Under the proposal, in order to fight that default, a couple would essentially go through a criminal trial. The defendant in the case would be presumed innocent, said Stephen Meehan, state chairman of the National Parents Organization. The burden lies on the prosecutor. The bill would make it much more difficult to have a full custody order, said Meehan, adding that arrangement is, in most cases, much better for the child. The executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence Executive said she is concerned about the impact of that measure in particular, especially when it comes to instances of spousal abuse. It’s trying to level a playing field that may not be level, and so it’s sort of artificial, said Susan Higginbotham. Our concern, in general, about these kinds of things is it would set a new precedent around how to look at custody cases in a way that would probably be disadvantageous for a parent who is the victim of domestic violence. There’s little consensus that the effort is based on sound evidence, she said. The concept of parental alienation, Higginbotham said, has met with opposition from psychological and social workers, family and juvenile court, bar associations, child advocacy. The two measures in question haven’t gotten much political traction though they saw renewed attention late last year following a committee hearing on parental alienation.

I’m a creature of habit. I get stuck in routine and feel discomfort if I stumble out of it. I’ve been learning this about myself and I’m recognizing that I ne...ed to find ways to live life as more than a habit. There’s a time for habit and routine.. it often gets us the best results when we are pursuing a fitness journey, a career advancement, or even relationships.. but there is beauty in letting go of it, as well. This trip has been challenging that part of me that desires control. Along with older parts of me that tend to act up when I don’t have control, I’ve been trying to come to peace within these sights in front of me. There are beautiful places and people in this world. We get so caught up in our everyday lives as is that we forget to appreciate the simple aspect of experiencing new things. This is mostly just a reminder to myself because it’s on my mind but I’m hoping it helps you too. Maybe this is your chance to challenge yourself today. Send this to a friend if you want to try something new with them or comment below and tell me something you want to do to change up your routine I’d love to hear it! See more

Nature vs Nurture How Dysfunctional Families destroy Sibling Relationships By Amy Lynn Spaw M.S., LPC, CRC...Continue reading