ccotten@www.thewillowcenter.com

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 [...]

When I am feeling particularly bummed out, for whatever reason, I sometimes have a tendency to gravitate towards surroundings that don’t make me feel better. For example, I find myself scrolling my phone for an [...]

Have you ever wondered WHY certain things have happened in your life? Why you may have certain feelings, use certain strategies to cope, or think certain things? Well, turns out your environment may have a lot to [...]

Most us think of nature or of the home we live in when we consider what our “environment” is. However, our true environments are made up of so much more than this. Furthermore, our environments [...]

There is not a soul on this earth that chose the family they were born into. Some of us have warm feelings about our blood relatives, while others of us feel like we simply cannot [...]

“I’m just so stupid.” “No matter how much I practice I’m still terrible.” “I’m so ugly.” Parents and caregivers, sound familiar? If these are phrases you often hear uttered from your teenager, chances are you’re not [...]

I probably lost some of you with the title already, didn’t I? There are few things as uncomfortable as setting boundaries with the people that we know best or that know us best. Boundary conversations [...]

Written by Ben, Willow Center Alum "Why I buy a new pair of shoes for my sobriety anniversary... So the short answer - is because when April 9th rolled around last year (my 1 year [...]

May is Mental Health Month “Mental Health” is the common umbrella term to describe the spectrum of lived internal experiences from wellness to illness that all human beings find themselves on throughout their lives. It [...]

Those who know me are aware that I have always been (and always will be) an eccentric dresser, influenced by a personal fascination with vintage men’s fashion. It’s a hobby and an artform. Throughout my [...]

In 1943, well within the midst of the global atrocities and uncertainties of World War II, American psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced the world to an idea that has come to be known as the “Hierarchy [...]

Growing up, back when commercials interrupting live-aired television shows was still a thing, I remember a commercial for the office supplies company, Staples, that featured a big red “Easy Button”. A weary dad trying to [...]

Every morning shortly after my 2-year-old daughter wakes my partner and I up (at 6:15am sharp – oof), I take my daughter to the kitchen to begin the day. One of her favorite morning activities [...]

What kind of partner are you? A better way to ask this question is, “what is it like to be on the receiving end of you in a relationship?” We are often unaware of how [...]