Posts in Couples
5 Cheap Ideas You'll Want to Try for Self Care Saturday

We asked our therapists, who live and work all around San Diego County, about their favorite weekend self-care activities. They all replied with outdoor activities that are not only super relaxing, but also fairly cheap or even free. If you’re looking for a way to boost your mental wellness this weekend, check out our list of cheap self-care ideas in San Diego from our therapists.


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Things to Know Before Calling to Make a Therapy Appointment

I love that I get to help everyone who calls find someone who can be their therapist, whether it is at Integrity Counseling Group or if that means referring them elsewhere. So as you’re thinking about making that phone call, sending that e-mail, or shooting us a text message, I want to give you a few pieces of information that will take a bit of the unknown out of that initial conversation for you.

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How the Personal Craziness Index Can Help You Survive the Holidays

It’s okay if the holidays fill you with equal parts joy and anxiety. This season is not easy, especially if you have a history of mental health struggles. This is the time to dig out the tools that have served you well in the past, and perhaps try some new ones.

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Everything You Need to Know About Support Groups

Predators like lions never take down a group of animals (for example, a herd of sheep). What a lion does instead is this: he lures one of the sheep out of the herd by frightening the herd with a chase. The sheep are safer if they can stick together. Support groups, also known as therapy groups, provide you with similar benefits.

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New Website, Renewed Passion: How We’re Celebrating Our 2nd Anniversary

As we approached our two year anniversary, we knew we needed to clarify our vision, starting with a new website that would speak to the heart of potential clients and those who trust us with referrals. Today, we’re excited to share that website with you, along with a behind-the-scenes look at what went into it.

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Tips to Make the Most Out of Online Therapy

As therapists, we take the time to craft a safe, healing space for our clients. Our therapy offices reflect a peaceful environment, so you might want to find a space at home where you feel the most comfortable and secure. You’ll want to find a spot where you won’t be interrupted and where you can chat openly without worrying about anyone overhearing your conversation. Wondering what to expect in your first session? We break it down in our blog post.

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6 San Diego Therapists on How to Survive the COVID-19 Lock Down

After more than 2 months under COVID-19 lock down, you’re either feeling like a self-isolation expert or wondering how much longer your patience is going to hold. If you’re feeling weary of being home—or just need some tried-and-true suggestions for your next takeout meal—our San Diego therapists are here to share what they’re learning about surviving the pandemic.

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How to Use Your Insurance Plan for Mental Health Care, Including Therapy

Among the first things new clients ask when they call to set up an appointment are: 1) what are our fees, and 2) will insurance cover those fees? I address some of these questions on our Fees & Insurance page, but this blog post will take a deeper dive into the world of insurance plans, mental health care, and therapy.

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What to Expect in Your First Therapy Session

Hi, I’m Cory Anderson, owner of and one of the therapists at Integrity Counseling Group. I’ve been doing therapy in San Diego for more than 10 years. In that time, I’ve had hundreds of first sessions with new clients! Here’s a peek into what to expect in your first therapy session.

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Should You Stay with Your Partner after Infidelity and Betrayal Trauma?

Our goal in marriage counseling or individual counseling after an affair is ultimately to empower you to 1) take care of yourself, and 2) work toward making a healthy decision. This decision is ideally one you feel is respectful to you as a person and your relationship as a whole. For some people, that may mean working through the underlying issues and conflict to stay married. Other clients may decide that a situation warrants divorce.

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When a Friendly Relationship Becomes an Emotional Affair at Work

But sometimes friendly relationships at work can become something more. An emotional affair may not involve sexual infidelity, but it can be just as damaging to the spouse as a sexual affair. In this blog post, I will tackle some questions surrounding emotional affairs, marriage counseling for emotional infidelity, and how to approach your spouse if you think they are engaging in emotional cheating at work.

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4 Tips for Coparenting throughout the Divorce Process

Sometimes couples decide to divorce despite their best efforts, or clients come to us having already gone through the divorce process. In these cases, they want to know how to make coparenting a success, so they can reduce the impact of the divorce on their kids and be the best coparents possible.

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Did Your Spouse’s Infidelity Cause Betrayal Trauma?

Spouses of unfaithful partners are usually relieved to learn that their strong emotions around the infidelity are perfectly valid. According to Dr. Patrick Carnes, who founded IITAP, the leading organization for treating sexual addiction, discovering your spouse’s infidelity can be as traumatic as sexual assault.

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Healing the Addicted Brain of “Stinking Thinking” Is Critical to Relapse Prevention

If you stop at sobriety you are missing out on the full benefits of healing the addicted brain, such as overcoming “Stinking Thinking.” This is critical for relapse prevention. “Stinking Thinking” is a term often used in 12 Step programs to refer to the negative patterns of thought that add fuel to the fire of addiction. These thoughts sabotage your ability to see the world clearly and take responsibility for your actions.

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