Integrated Behavioral Health

When was the last time you actually stopped to greet your partner?

Not a quick “hey” from across the kitchen. Not a glance up from your phone. But a real, present, lingering hug — the kind that actually lands.

Studies suggest that a 20-to-40-second hug releases oxytocin and lowers cortisol (your stress hormone). That’s a measurable shift in your nervous system from one moment of connection.

This summer, when everything feels fast and logistical and overwhelming — try stopping for 40 seconds. You don’t have to have anything figured out. You just have to show up for that one moment.

Bozhena Evans, LCSW — couples and s*x therapist in the Denver area — shared this and so much more on the latest episode of Kids These Days with Dr. Courtney. 🎧

Link in bio to listen 🎧

If you and your partner keep having the same argument about how to handle the kids — you’re not alone, and you’re not broken.

One of you goes strict. One of you goes soft. And somewhere in the middle, you’re both exhausted and feeling like the other one just doesn’t get it.

But here’s what I see over and over in my work with couples: you almost always want the same thing. The conflict isn’t really about the rules or the routines. It’s about fear. It’s about your own childhoods showing up in moments you didn’t expect. It’s about needing to feel like your partner is with you, not against you.

When couples start to understand each other’s histories — not just negotiate logistics — the parenting piece tends to fall into place.

This is the work I love most. And if it’s where you are right now, a 20-minute consult call might be a really good next step.

🔗 Link in bio to book.

↓ Tag a partner who needs to hear this.

When teens blow up, shut down, or spiral — it's usually because they reacted at the height of the emotion before it had a chance to pass.

This is something DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) addresses directly with a skill called urge surfing. The concept is simple: emotions move like waves. They build, peak, and pass on their own — if we let them.

The goal isn't to suppress the feeling. It's to wait it out instead of acting at the worst possible moment.

Try this with your teen next time things escalate:
"I can see this is really big right now. You don't have to do anything with it yet. Let's just let it peak."

You're not dismissing them. You're buying them time to get their thinking brain back online.

That's a skill they'll use for the rest of their life.

🔗 If your teen's emotional intensity feels unmanageable at home, let's talk — consult link in bio.