Saying no when you realize it is the best choice for your health and wellness is, in the world of therapy, also a way of establishing personal boundaries. And learning how to set boundaries is one of the best things…
Jenn Kennedy is a marriage and family counselor based in California, and she says that she’s seen clients run the gamut between tons of contact and none. “I think initially people hesitated to even consider dating,” Kennedy says. “It’s all…
“Toxic is a relational term of how someone affects another. Toxic people will leave you feeling bad: edgy, guilty, confused, frustrated, overextended. They lack boundaries and ask too much from you, so you leave exchanges feeling violated and exhausted. They…
“Setting a boundary is about having your own agency,” Kennedy says. “Healthy boundaries should be assertive, but not aggressive. They are clear and concise, and it’s an expression of the idea that there is a desire to have things a…
A boundary sets up the rules of the road for you and others to follow in order to coexist. Boundaries can be hard and fast, or they can be flexible and change with the environment and over time. Boundaries are…
Jenn entertains her readers with her dynamic career and how it has ultimately led her to her “third incarnation” as a psychotherapist. Within her clinical capacity, she also shines as a savvy business owner as well as a supervisor. She…
“My “unhealthy” alarm goes off when someone reports negative self-talk after interacting with family members. They may return to past beliefs that they are somehow flawed, unloveable or even “broken.” That crosses the line to unhealthy, whereas difficult looks like…
“Boundaries give a sense of agency over one’s physical space, body, and feelings,” says Jenn Kennedy, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “We all have limits, and boundaries communicate that line.”
“You know a relationship is in trouble when contempt shows up in the couple’s communication, marriage and family therapist, Jenn Kennedy, tells Bustle. That’s when you make little digs or passive aggresive comments to each other. You may not personally…
“People in relationships are constantly asking themselves, in one way or another, if they can trust the other person. Can they show their flaws, or risk being embarrassed? The way to move past this fear is to take measured risks,”…