Coping Ahead is a phrase I learned many years ago in my own therapy. It helped me through tough visits back home with family while I was undergoing my own healing. But coping ahead can be used for far more than just visits with family. At it's core, coping ahead is really about preparing yourself for any situation so that you may go into it with enough efficacy, resources, and capabilities to handle whatever happens.

We all have goals, yet few of us actually succeed at achieving them. Why is it so easy to have a goal, but so difficult to accomplish one? Perhaps the issue lies not in the goal itself, or even our own willpower. Perhaps the issue is in how we approach the goal. Many of us tend to be harsher on ourselves than we realize. We give ourselves tight deadlines and expect transformation fast. Yet, this outlook and approach could be the very thing inciting perceived failure and then total abandonment of a goal.

Have you ever wished you had more control over your emotions? Many folks have this desire to feel "on top" of their emotions. Whether this means feeling immune to panic attacks or depressive episodes, or simply not experiencing anger and sadness, it is a prevalent wish experienced by so many. However, it is also common for many people to attempt to master their emotions through suppressing them. This can have long-withstanding effects on the individual that can impact many areas of their life. The real way to master emotions may surprise you.

Finding the right therapist can seem tedious at best and frustratingly discouraging at worst. The process isn't exactly taught or common knowledge. From navigating insurance woes, and availability matches, looking for a therapist with a specific niche or specialty or simply one that is right in your neighborhood, finding a good therapist can be hard. From a therapist who has experienced this process a time or two myself, here are my top tips to making the process as seamless as possible.