When you see a medical doctor for a throat infection, you know the antibiotic you were prescribed is working when your fever goes away and your throat feels better. When you see a therapist in order to improve your mental health, determining whether or not you’re making progress can be a little more tricky. Along with your therapist, however, you can and should set goals that will help guide your therapy and will allow you to measure the progress you’re making along the way. This blog post will discuss why goal-setting is crucial, how it can benefit you, and how to set effective goals for your therapy sessions.

 When we think of betrayal, we usually associate it with cheating or infidelity in romantic relationships. Betrayal, however, can happen in any type of relationship, including friends, family members, and even within professional settings. Betrayal trauma is a type of psychological trauma that occurs when someone we trust or rely on breaches our trust. The effects of betrayal can be overwhelming and long-lasting, leading to a host of emotional and physical symptoms.

June is Pride Month, a commemoration of the Stonewall riots in 1969, which led to the gay rights movement and activism. Pride Month celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community's right to love and be loved openly, without fear of discrimination or persecution. While society has come a long way in terms of recognizing and accepting this community's rights, there is still a long way to go. In our last blog, we explored anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation being proposed in Texas and throughout the United States. This blog will examine LGBTQIA+ rights in international law, mental health issues that affect this community, and how we can help reduce the criminalization of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Disturbingly, 2023 has the distinction of being a record-setting year for the number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills introduced in state legislatures across the United States. The hatred that fuels legislative action threatens both the physical and emotional safety of the LGBTQIA+ community. Pride month should be a time for celebration, but the war on LGBTQIA+ means that we must also recognize the harm that legislative action causes and take action to protect the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ individuals. In this blog post, we’ll explore how Texas’ governing body is legalizing discrimination against LGBTQIA+ individuals, the damaging effects of anti-LGBTQIA+ laws on mental health, the role of extremism in promoting anti-LGBTQIA+ laws, and what can be done to support LGBTQIA+ individuals in these challenging times.

At Ray Family Therapy, we believe strongly in the value of the Gottman Relationship Checkup as a tool for couples’ therapy. All clients will complete the Gottman Relationship Checkup at their first session, and our therapists are trained to interpret the results of the checkup and incorporate the information learned through the checkup to create a plan of action for couples’ therapy.

At Ray Family Therapy, we believe strongly in the value of the Gottman Relationship Checkup as a tool for couples’ therapy. All clients will complete the Gottman Relationship Checkup at their first session, and our therapists are trained to interpret the results of the checkup and incorporate the information learned through the checkup to create a plan of action for couples’ therapy.