Video games are a unique form of digital media that combine storytelling, challenges, and interactivity. Unlike movies or books, where the audience is passive, games let players actively participate, make choices, and shape the outcome. Teens can explore vast worlds, solve puzzles, compete, or cooperate to achieve goals, all while receiving instant feedback and rewards.

If you’ve ever found yourself in a misunderstanding with a partner, friend, or loved one, chances are you’ve heard—or said—one of these phrases. They usually pop up when we feel misunderstood or hurt by someone’s words, or when someone takes offense to something we thought was completely harmless. Communication is often cited as the cornerstone of a strong relationship and even couples who love each other deeply can struggle with miscommunication. Why? Because there's often a gap between intent and impact.

“Mom loves you more than she loves me.”
“You’ve always been Dad’s favorite.”
“It’s not fair!  You always take her side!”

These painful declarations echo in many families. Beneath them lies anger, sadness, and the deep sense of being unseen or less valued.

While most parents may insist that they do not have a “favorite child,” research suggests that parental favoritism is more common than many may want to admit.

You’ve seen the TikToks, the Instagram reels, and the countless online posts labeling people as “narcissists.” These videos and posts often frame narcissism as a toxic personality trait, a sign of selfishness, or an explanation for every disappointing relationship. While some of these observations have truth, the reality is more nuanced. Narcissism is not simply about selfishness or arrogance. It is both a natural part of human development and, in its extreme forms, a clinical condition.

Abigail was a bright and shy little girl who always paid attention to what others expected of her. She listened and watched others intently and this guided her behavior most of the time. As she began to realize that her performance in school was being monitored, she focused and worked hard to do well. The more she did, the more she was praised and this began the cycle of her hard work, need to perform and anxiety.

Eating disorders are one of the more well-known and yet highly misunderstood mental health conditions in public perception. Too often, there is a mischaracterization of eating disorders as propelled wholly by a desire be thin. And while this may be the conscious motivation and resulting physical manifestation of the disorder, there is much more to be understood about the psychological processes driving the relationship to food and the body.

In recent years, many independent schools have been deeply affected by the unexpected and tragic deaths of one or more of their students. These heartbreaking events leave a lasting mark on the school community, altering the emotional landscape in ways that are both immediate and long-term. As many of you may have experienced or witnessed, such a sudden loss can profoundly impact the student body, shaking their collective sense of safety, stability, and normalcy.

What happens when you find yourself wanting to mold or reshape your partner to fit your personal expectations or ideals? You may imagine that if you are able to change aspects of your partner, you will finally be in the perfect relationship or have all your desires affirmed through this person.

It is a long-held saying in recovery communities: “Addicts don’t have relationships; they take hostages.” When you are in a relationship with someone who is suffering from addiction, you will inevitably find yourself trying to come to their rescue.

Is my partner good enough? Relationships can be complex, intertwining love, admiration, and sometimes uncertainty. A common question we may grapple with when feeling frustrated with our partner is, “Is my partner good enough?”

The myth of Narcissus and Echo is more than just an ancient tale—it serves as a powerful metaphor for toxic relationship dynamics. Narcissus, a hunter admired for his extraordinary beauty, was emotionally detached, rejecting all who loved him. Echo, a mountain nymph, suffered a cruel fate that left her voiceless—able only to repeat the words of others. Together, they embody the painful cycle of one-sided relationships, where one person seeks admiration while the other loses themselves in reflection.

The firestorm that tore through Los Angeles in the second week of January 2025 left a scar not only on the Los Angeles landscape but also on the collective psyche of its residents. This was no ordinary fire—it was a natural catastrophe fueled by a perfect storm of severe winds, parched earth, and a climate increasingly shaped by global warming. Winds reaching 100 mph rendered firefighting efforts nearly impossible, and as the flames engulfed homes, schools, and businesses, they erased entire communities in their wake. What remains is a haunting, apocalyptic scene of loss and devastation.

Monsters is a Netflix biographical crime drama anthology that recently focused on the Menendez murders (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story). This series provided a lens into the psychological impact of familial abuse and provoked conversations about how these traumatic experiences can lead to extreme actions such as parricide.

Boundaries is a topic that is frequently discussed in therapy. I think most people have an idea about what they are and that they’re important, but how to implement and maintain them is often a challenge. There are whole books written on this topic. This piece of writing is just intended to get the conversation started.

There’s a running joke in the Peanuts comic strip of Lucy offering psychological advice to other members of the gang for a mere 5 cents a session. And if you are familiar with Lucy, you won’t be surprised to learn that her advice is futile at best, and at its worst, blunt and devoid of empathy; the equivalent to “get over it”.

Uncertainty is largely an inherent experience in the process of self-discovery, and so it is unsurprising that it is a theme woven throughout parts of the therapeutic process. Whether starting therapy for the first time or starting again with a different therapist, themes of uncertainty can be present from the very beginning.

Dating shows have become a cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences worldwide with their blend of romance, drama, and unexpected twists. From the thrill of vicarious experiences and the comfort of escapism to the insights gained through social comparison and the appeal of intimacy, these shows offer significant emotional and cognitive engagement.

In an ideal world, we would all have conversations about consensual non-monogamy with ourselves even before we went into relationships, and have contracts and questionnaires before engaging in them, but life is often not so regimented. So why is consensual non-monogamy so fascinating for people? For many, it may be the fantasy of having deep emotional and sexual intimacy with more than one person. It may be the prospect of discovering new aspects of your identity and exploring the multitudes within the self. It may be the enjoyment one may receive at witnessing one’s partner experience pleasure, known in the poly world as compersion, or the opposite of jealousy. Or it may be a desire for the “new relationship energy” (the flood of dopamine and oxytocin to the brain also known as limerence) that happens when you first start dating and becoming intimate with a new partner.

‘Baby Reindeer’ is a Netflix drama which has recently captivated a global audience, earning wild praise from both critics and viewers alike. What makes this series so compelling is not just the frightening stalking relationship dynamic portrayed in it, but the fact that it has managed to capture and portray the most primitive parts of all of our conflicts and yearnings in relationships that we are both repelled and fascinated by. All of us, on some deep level, can at times identify with and understand the powerful desires that drive the behaviors of Donny and Martha because all of their behaviors are driven by a deep longing for connection. We are all driven towards connection, even sometimes when it is unhealthy or pathological. Yet, it is impossible to understand the relationship between Donny and all of these characters without understanding how trauma shapes attachment and how the most undesirable of our feelings and urges can get transferred and contained within a relationship.

Tom and Jerry. Sylvester and Tweety. Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. These famous unlikely couples exemplify the tortured relationship prototype of pursuit and flight. Relationships like these may often reflect an underlying ambivalent attachment of childhood. Children who are ambivalently attached tend to be extremely suspicious of strangers. These children display considerable distress when separated from a parent or caregiver, but do not seem reassured or comforted by the return of the parent. In some cases, the child might passively reject the parent by refusing comfort, or may openly display direct aggression toward the parent.