Mary Jo Rapini, LPC - Articles

Articles by Mary Jo

Relationships, Parenting, and Emotional Wellness

As COVID-19 Restrictions Lift, Post Traumatic Stress Effects Appear

As COVID-19 Restrictions Lift, Post Traumatic Stress Effects Appear

Mental health surveys on the effects of COVID-19 are revealing an increase in PTSD symptoms among all individuals. That includes those working on the front lines, parents sheltering in place with children, employees working remotely from home from the first time, and those simply experiencing social isolation. Although social distancing is the best chance for controlling the virus, if you’ve watched loved ones become unemployed, sick, or even pass away, it can have devastatin

Protecting Your Relationship During Job Loss

Protecting Your Relationship During Job Loss

With the pandemic, we have been asked to shelter-in-place, meaning thousands have lost their jobs. The income they depended on to pay their rent and living essentials disappeared overnight. The loss of your job, income, and livelihood can leave you in a state of shock. However, when the shock of our new reality begins to wear off, a large percentage of American families will experience depression, anger, and frustration. When you lose a job, it does not just happen to you; th

Building Relationship Resilience that will Survive COVID-19

Building Relationship Resilience that will Survive COVID-19

There is no perfect relationship, and all relationships struggle with conflict, misunderstanding, and frustration from time to time. However, when you add stressors like a pandemic, job loss, and being confined with the same people every hour of every day, relationship discord is going to be intensified. When personal space is no longer an option and worries about every aspect of your livelihood are present, it can begin feeling like your relationship is a pressure cooker rea

When the Pandemic Brings Your Ex Back

When the Pandemic Brings Your Ex Back

During a crisis such as Covid-19 people have time to be reflective about their past. Because everyone is shut in, there’s more time for scrolling social media and decluttering the house. It’s not uncommon to find photos, letters, books and other things you shared with your ex. Nor is it uncommon to see your ex’s text or direct message show up asking how you’ve been. It doesn’t matter how many years ago, or why you broke up; witnessing what’s happening in the world is painful,

G-Rated Expressions of Intimacy in Quarantine

G-Rated Expressions of Intimacy in Quarantine

Most of the United States has been ordered to stay home to helps save lives from Covid-19. You’re working from home, teaching your children from home, making and sharing meals at home and surrounded by each other 24/7. Nerves are getting frazzled and we hear more about the progression and destruction Covid 19 is causing all over the world. The situation has intensified stress overall and what happens in the world is usually felt at home. It’s common and predictable that you w

Emotional Wellness for Healthcare Workers During COVID-19

Emotional Wellness for Healthcare Workers During COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, the toll it’s taking on our healthcare professionals on the front line is overwhelming. Seeing their faces and hearing their stories of grief, helplessness, and utter exhaustion breaks our hearts. Hospital employees are working overtime to care for the thousands of patients with COVID-19 while trying to care for other patients, too. It’s important to remember we are all human no matter how well you were trained; fatigu

Blessings Within the Tragedy of COVID-19

Blessings Within the Tragedy of COVID-19

No one would have wished this pandemic on anyone anywhere in the world, but it has a become one we’re all battling. Within that battle is a sense of working together with the world, seeing other countries going through a similar experience where grief and joy are shared in a way most of us have never witnessed. Amid experiencing the suffering, financially, emotionally and physically it can seem impossible to find anything positive about what we’re collectively going through.

Dating Perks in the Time of COVID-19

Dating Perks in the Time of COVID-19

Before COVID-19 we didn’t worry about who we were meeting or if we would risk lives by meeting someone for a coffee date. With most people in the United States practice social distancing, dating practices have changed overnight. Meeting up in person is risky, sharing a meal together could cause contamination, and kissing or hugging could leave you with COVID-19. Your dating life doesn’t have to be over, however. In fact, it may be an advantageous time to go back to when commu

Managing Anger Before Snapping at Your Kids During COVID-19

Managing Anger Before Snapping at Your Kids During COVID-19

Parents are trying hard to do it all. Homeschooling kids, entertaining little ones, working from home, and trying to keep everyone on schedule creates a lot of stress and anxiety. It’s a difficult job under ordinary conditions let alone during an uncertain and frightening pandemic. Parents may forget to take care of themselves, only to find themselves feeling overwhelmed, burned-out, and depressed. If you find yourself feeling angry during this pandemic, you’re not alone. The

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