ccotten@www.thewillowcenter.com

Let’s be honest with ourselves: unrealized expectations temper nearly every activity, relationship, and area of our lives. We carry expectations inside that can either lead to positive motivations and optimism, or to perpetual heartbreaks and pessimism. [...]

What do you expect the year to be like? What do you expect your boss to say to you during your annual review meeting? What chores do you expect your partner or kids to complete [...]

A couple weeks ago, we learned a little bit about the history of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This week, I want to introduce you to a more modern kind of therapy called DBT, or Dialectical [...]

The most common modality of mental health and substance use treatment in the US is “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” or CBT. Its development has roots as far back as the mid 1800s; however, the treatment as [...]

Whenever I think about the concept of increasing my feelings of contentment in my life, my mind runs to the first two (of four) truths of Buddhism: 1) “Everyone is suffering in some way.” 2) “The [...]

We had our first snow flurries of the season last week. My first thought when I saw it outside my window was, “Aw man, come on! Too early for this – it’s still October!” Complaint. [...]

Most of us have a tendency to oversimplify the myriad of emotions we feel throughout the day into four categories: happy, sad, “meh”, and mad. When asked by a colleague how we’re doing, we often reply, [...]

“Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky, It had the one long horn, and one big eye, I commenced to shakin' and I said ‘Ooh-eee’ It looks like a purple people eater [...]

We continue to celebrate National Recovery Month throughout September. However, not all of us are in recovery ourselves. Some of us may only know someone who is, or have been touched by addiction in some [...]

Meet my friend, Jeff. Jeff works for a local power utility company in Central Indiana as a lineman, and he’s great at his job. Outside of work, Jeff is a loving husband and dad, a [...]

Do you ever feel like you just don’t measure up? You “try your best,” as your parents encourage you to do. You strive for those As and A+’s in school. You obsess about that shot you missed at [...]

Many of us have a difficult time living in the present moment. We spend a lot of time preoccupied with thoughts about the past or with thoughts about the future. Oftentimes, these thoughts are accompanied [...]

Most of us – if not all of us – can relate to feeling stressed out and overwhelmed at times. Specifically, in today’s fast-paced, often confusing, ever-changing world, we often struggle to focus and process our [...]

During the holiday seasons of my childhood, I can still remember every extended family member and family-friend gasping the words, “Oh you’re just growing up so fast, young man! Where’s the time gone? I remember when you [...]

When thinking about divorce, we often imagine everything two people are going through when separating – dividing up assets, custody battles, and continual conflict. Divorce is hard on adults, no question. But how does it affect [...]