The SC Blog: New Essays every Month
All essays found here were written by Starobin Counseling staff.
Intelligence? Lots, and none of it’s artificial!
Staying Grounded in Divided Spaces: Navigating Polarization in Professional Settings
This month’s blog - a continuation of November’s Curiosity as the Bridge - explores what moral injury looks like in professional settings, why neurodivergent individuals often feel it more intensely, and how to stay grounded and aligned with yourself in environments that feel divided.
Curiosity As the Bridge: Navigating Relationships in a Polarized World
If you’re struggling to maintain communication across political or moral divides - and feeling disconnected from someone you care about - these tools can help you stay present, compassionate, and grounded. Eva Crawford, LCSW-C, explains how to hold both values and relationships at the same time.
Infertility and Perinatal Loss: How It Affects Your Marriage and Why We Need to Break the Silence
One in four pregnancies end in loss. One in eight couples face fertility struggles. Infertility and loss don’t just break hearts. They quietly reshape marriages. Grief shows up differently for each partner, creating silence and distance. Healing begins when people face the pain together, not alone.
Three Counterintuitive Steps to Heal Resentment and Reconnect
Is resentment ruining your marriage without you even knowing it? Discover the hidden signs of emotional disconnection, why communication tips don’t work when resentment builds, and three powerful steps to rebuild intimacy, trust, and lasting connection in your relationship.
Things I Learned as a (Neurotypical) School Counselor for Neurodivergent Students
Melissa Hinton, LCSW-C, worked with neurodivergent students as a school counselor for 14 years. Now transitioning into private practice at Starobin Counseling, she’s drawing on many lessons learned about what does - and doesn’t - work when it comes to supporting kids with autism & ADHD.
Stop Diagnosing Yourself via TikTok. Please.
TikTok’s mental health content can be helpful, empowering and wildly confusing. From symptom checklists to therapy buzzwords, it’s easy to start seeing diagnoses in every emotion. There’s a difference between real insight and algorithm-driven chaos…your pain deserves more than a 15-second clip.
“Get a Job Already!” Why Pushing Your Young Adult Child Toward Adulthood Doesn’t Work—and What to Try Instead
Parents of struggling young adults can often find themselves pushing their children to plan for their futures—only to be met with resistance. Try this approach to help your child take steps toward adulthood with more confidence and success.
Transform the Reluctant Client’s Therapeutic Experience with PLISSIT: From Pointless to Meaningful
When reluctant clients dismiss therapy as pointless, therapists may instinctively push back. Ely Peralta, LCSW-C, suggests gentle engagement using the PLISSIT model instead. Ely describes PLISSIT and how it fosters trust, encourages empowerment and aligns therapy with each client’s values.
"Help, I've Lost My Skills!" How to Navigate Autistic Skill Loss and Live More Sustainably
After learning they are autistic or experiencing burnout, adults sometimes seem to lose skills. They may wonder why routine tasks have become so much harder and if life will always be this way. Find out why skill loss happens and how to rethink the way you complete tasks to live more sustainably.
How Clinicians can Embrace The Neurodiversity Paradigm in Practice: A Conversation with The Dorm
Caron Starobin, LCSW-C, shares a recent conversation with Sam Jaffe, LMSW, of The Dorm. They talked about the Neurodiversity Paradigm as a foundation for neurodiversity-affirming care, why clinicians need to address their own ableism and why supporting a client’s family also supports the client.