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My Best Self

Coping with change and uncertainty through mindfulness

February 27, 2017
Uncertainty is a feeling many of us have experienced in recent months.  It’s been a fixture in news headlines, driven by the political upheaval that has followed last November’s election. This kind of macro-level uncertainty can absolutely affect how we feel in our everyday lives.  And of course there are numerous personal examples - a job loss, a break-up, a move - where a sense of uncertainty about the future can create real anxiety that impacts our mental and physical health in a tangible way. 
 
You’ve probably heard the Read more...

My Best Self

A Healthy New You in the New Year

January 5, 2017

Last January we spoke with therapist Lisa Richman*of Mazzoni's Open Door counseling program to get her advice on making – and sticking to – healthy New Year’s resolutions.  As an experienced therapist and facilitator of recovery support groups, Lisa had some great insights into the challenges involved when it comes to changing our behavior, and how to overcome those challenges. 

Her main advice was to take a thoughtful look at your life and try to identify any patterns that may be causing Read more...

My Best Self

2016 Holiday Survival Guide

November 22, 2016
Back by popular demand, it’s our 2016 Holiday Survival Guide!
 
Despite the joyful reputation – and no matter your age or station in life – we all know that the holiday season can be an anxious time.  
 
Every year the team at Mazzoni Center’s Open Door Counseling program puts together a thoughtful and comprehensive booklet we call our “Holiday Survival Guide,” filled with Read more...
Christina photo

My Best Self

My Best Self: Christina

September 7, 2016
Most people would balk at a two and a half hour drive to visit their doctor. Christina Cleveland has a different story to tell.
 
For a little over two years Christina has made the trip from her home in rural Pennsylvania, outside of Allentown, to receive care at Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine.  Her story reflects the reality for many transgender individuals who live outside major cities.  
 
“Mazzoni has made a huge difference in my life,” Read more...
Lisa Richman therapist Mazzoni Center LGBT Philadelphia

My Best Self

Keeping healthy resolutions

January 29, 2016
New Year’s resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep, but that doesn’t stop many of us from making them year after year.  Something about the calendar transition forces us to reflect on what aspects of our lives are going well - and which ones could use retooling.  
 
In my work I see people every day who are trying to effect a positive change in their lives.  In addition to one-on-one and couples therapy, I facilitate a weekly drop-in support group for LGBTQ people who are in recovery, or Read more...
Mazzoni Center MSW Intern Bob Pileggi

My Best Self

Creating Connection with Mazzoni's Holiday Survival Guide

December 17, 2015

The holidays can be a time of great joy and excitement – and also great disappointment and disconnection. Maybe you remember years past of hiding your full self in order to be acceptable to family. Or maybe your family still doesn’t want your partner to come to a holiday celebration. Or maybe you want to wear a fabulous red dress instead of a button-down and khakis, but that’s not going to happen because your family still can’t get over the fact that as a kid you liked to cook and knit more than play football. There are lots of reasons that LGBT folks can end up Read more...