Sean Monger, LPC

10/05/2023

Put down your screen and look at the person next to you!

The next time you are sitting next to your partner and are tempted to look at your phone, turn towards your partner instead and initiate a conversation. Even if it is just a check in about how your day was, it can have a positive impact on your relationship.

Nicole Schiener (Peace and Possibility) is a Registered Psychotherapist, Certified Gottman Bringing Baby Home Educator and Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional in Ontario Canada. In this latest article, she shares 6 reasons why people turn to tech and how to turn to each other instead. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/467ruJY

09/28/2023

It's okay to be angry. It's not okay to hurt yourself or others. Help your kids process their anger so they can talk about what's hurting.

Why is my child so angry? Learn to recognize the reasons that kids get mad, and whether anger is an appropriate response or not.

09/25/2023

This fundraiser helps support my work and the work of all therapists at Samaritan.

Reserve your spot at Samaritan's Gala while there's still time!

09/25/2023

As Fall sets in, takes some time to relax!

Guided Imagery offers a great way to relax and calm your nerves. Join Samaritan therapist, Sean Monger, as he leads us through this amazing technique.

09/15/2023

The family is a school of relationship. You learn about conflict from your family-of-origin, and teach it to your children. What lessons did you learn? What lessons do you pass on?

It’s not a matter of “should you argue” but “how you argue.” Modeling healthy conflict means approaching conflict as an opportunity to understand, brainstorm, and agree together. The result may not be the exact outcome you wanted, but it's about regulating conflict instead of resolving it.

Melissa Benaroya, MSW, LICSW (Childproof Parenting - Melissa Benaroya)shares tips about arguing with your partner & if you have kids, the influence this could have on them. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3Ll7E5z

Please note: This post, and most of our posts, are NOT intended to address situations of abuse. If you, or someone you know, is in danger, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233

09/07/2023

"If we approach our failings with gentleness, we can shine a light into the darkness of our shame and start to see a path forward."

Shame locks us into our problems and often keeps us from seeking help. Catholic Therapist Sean Monger shares thoughts on a better approach.

08/23/2023

Bending-over backwards for someone may actually reflect a failure to respect yourself. Are you sacrificing out of love and out of your values, or are you desperately trying to find your value somewhere it is not?

Let's talk about a hidden relationship pitfall – over-accommodation. It's that tendency to bend over backwards, to ignore our own needs in an attempt to maintain peace or make our partner happy.

And while it might seem like a helpful strategy, here's a hard truth: maintaining a real connection and over-accommodating cannot coexist. It creates a power imbalance in the relationship: where the accommodated partner resides in the "one-up" superior position and the over-accommodator in the "one-down" inferior position.

So, how do we balance our desire to be accommodating with the need to stay true to ourselves? The answer lies in cultivating healthy self-esteem and boundaries, learning to assert our needs with love. You can learn more about where your boundaries and self-esteem lie in my free Relationship Grid Assessment. [Link in bio]

08/23/2023

Are you taking steps to flourish?

08/17/2023

♥️

08/10/2023

There is much in our lives we cannot control, but we can control the attitude we take to our circumstances. Viktor Frankl's life and work is a testament to that.

07/28/2023

How do you esteem yourself?

A recent college graduate desires to start a family, but experiences rejection after rejection in relationships. She sees her friends getting married and having children, while she seems so far behind. Is something wrong with her?

05/10/2023

Are you driven by unhealthy sources of self-esteem, or do you proceed confident in your own value?

Think for a minute about what you are striving for in life. What is it that drives you to work really hard? What’s the narrative that runs through your mind when feeling this drive to accomplish things?

Many of us are trapped in a false narrative, trying desperately to earn what we can’t, despite the reality that we don’t actually have to. Why? Because - unbeknownst to us - we already have it.

The “it” is our self-worth, and the narrative we’re stuck in is perfectionistic self-reliance.

When our sense of worth is dependent on what we do, our drive to earn our value propels us to exasperation and despair. Relying on our own abilities or achievements, we think, “If I can just show how good I am, I’ll prove my adequacy. And then I might have a chance at being loved. Then I can see myself as good.”

If God sees ALL of you, including your brokenness, and pours out His blood and mercy for you, who are you to not be merciful with yourself?

We are not perfect. And that’s okay! Extend compassion to yourself. God does.

All of your mistakes or failures are not evidence of your worthlessness, but rather are opportunities to learn, grow, trust, and abandon yourself to God’s great love for you. He delights in you just being yourself, simply because you are His child.