Helpful Boundaries for the Holidays and Beyond
Are you dealing with the stress of navigating difficult family members this holiday season? You are not alone. Here are some helpful...
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Andrea Anderson Polk’s Blog
Clinically Practiced, Biblically Informed
Most Recent Blog Post
- 24 hours ago
- 5 min
Helpful Boundaries for the Holidays and Beyond
Are you dealing with the stress of navigating difficult family members this holiday season? You are not alone. Here are some helpful...
3 views
- Sep 10
- 2 min
The Need-To-Know-Syndrome
Do you need to know, right NOW? I call this the Need-To-Know-Syndrome. When a solution to a problem is not obvious or knowing the answer...
30 views
- Aug 14
- 2 min
Do You Have an Egyptian Mindset?
God answered your prayer: You got that promotion, new opportunity, new home, new business endeavor, new baby, or new relationship… But...
45 views
- Jul 23
- 6 min
How Anger Helped Julie Overcome Anxiety
This is the final post in the series on anger. Read the first three posts here: When Anger is a Gift, Ways You Avoid Anger and Why, How...
86 views
- Jul 9
- 15 min
How to Deal with Anger and Set Boundaries
Learn practical ways to from an experienced therapist on how set boundaries and stick with it! Including how to practice self-care.
148 views
- Jun 13
- 15 min
Ways You Avoid Anger and Why
Did you know anger is a gift and serves to protect you? In the last post, we looked at Kate’s story and how avoiding anger can cause you...
139 views
- May 16
- 8 min
When Anger is a Gift
Did you know that anger is a gift and serves to protect you? Kate has been consumed by her work as the CEO of an organization she is very...
152 views
- May 1
- 10 min
5 Things I'm Loving Right Now
For those of you who have been with me for a while know that my blog posts are about the integration of mental health and faith where I...
164 views
- Apr 11
- 7 min
My Gratitude Journal Changed My Life
When I first started my gratitude journal, I felt silly because what made me grateful seemed insignificant, frivolous, and maybe even weird.
115 views
- Mar 27
- 7 min
Overcoming Your Fantasy Friend
When you feel hurt, lonely, rejected, abandoned, ashamed, anxious, jealous, inadequate, or like an imposter, your Fantasy Friend makes you
92 views
- Mar 13
- 5 min
Rachel and Her Fantasy Friend
We all have a Fantasy Friend we turn to that keeps us feeling safe, needed, loved, special, and important. Your "Fantasy Friend" can look...
84 views
- Feb 21
- 7 min
Who's Your Fantasy Friend?
We’ve all been hurt and we’ve all experienced painful situations and relationships such as heartbreak, the loss of a dream or a loved...
108 views
- Feb 6
- 6 min
Sadness to Joy: The Paradox of Grief, Part 2
In the previous blog post, I shared my story of loss. As a young girl, when my home life became unstable, I sought refuge at my...
78 views
- Jan 30
- 7 min
My Story: The Paradox of Grief, Part 1
We all experience loss. Loss of a loved one. Loss of a career. Loss of a dream. Loss of a relationship. Loss of ourselves. Grief is a...
124 views
- Jan 16
- 7 min
Struggling With the Winter Blues or Feeling Down and Dreary?
The holiday season has come to a close and the Christmas decorations are put away. The house seems bare which has a somberness that...
80 views
- Jan 3
- 6 min
Do You Have a Toxic Relationship with Yourself? 10 Ways We Self-Sabotage
In a previous post, I created 10 questions designed to help you identify if you are in a toxic relationship. The toxic relationship in...
108 views
- Dec 4, 2022
- 6 min
Christine's Story of Setting Boundaries with a Difficult Family Member
So far in this series on toxic relationships, I created 10 questions designed to help you identify if you are in a toxic relationship in...
74 views
- Nov 20, 2022
- 8 min
5 Steps to Dealing with Toxic Relationships
So far in this series on toxic relationships, I created 10 questions designed to help you identify if you are in a toxic relationship. I...
60 views
- Nov 14, 2022
- 3 min
7 Warning Signs of Your Partner’s Toxic Behavior in Therapy
In the previous post, I identified 13 warning signs of toxic therapy designed to help you know when a therapist is displaying harmful...
36 views
- Nov 7, 2022
- 5 min
What is the Purpose of Therapy and Do You Need It?
The previous post, identified 13 warning signs of toxic therapy designed to help you know when a therapist is displaying harmful behavior...
58 views
- Oct 10, 2022
- 4 min
What Makes a Therapist a Good Therapist?
In the previous post, we identified 13 warning signs of toxic therapy designed to help you know when a therapist is displaying harmful...
59 views
- Oct 3, 2022
- 3 min
13 Warning Signs of Toxic Therapy
As a licensed therapist, with over fifteen years of clinical experience counseling people, it saddens my heart to state the reality that...
108 views
- Sep 26, 2022
- 5 min
Should I Stay or Leave the Relationship? Part two.
In the previous post, we began to address the question: Should I stay or leave the relationship? The answer is neither straightforward...
72 views
- Sep 10, 2022
- 5 min
Should I Stay or Leave the Relationship? Part one.
You might be wondering, Should I stay or leave the relationship? The answer is neither straightforward nor black and white. It is complex...
129 views
- Sep 8, 2022
- 1 min
TV Interview on 100 Huntley Street
In a recent interview on the tv show, 100 Huntley Street, Andrea has an inspiring, deep, and meaningful conversation with Cheryl Weber...
21 views
- Sep 1, 2022
- 2 min
Andrea Published in The Science of Personality Magazine
In a recent interview with Karen Asp and published by Centennial Media, "The Highest Bar: If striving for perfection is making you...
68 views
- Aug 29, 2022
- 7 min
My Migraine Miracle: The Defense of Projectizing, Part 5
Thus far in this series about projectizing, a deeper form of perfectionism, showing up in a tendency to anxiously fix ourselves, we...
131 views
- Aug 10, 2022
- 5 min
Do you want to be fixed or be free? The Defense of Projectizing, Part 4
Thus far in this series about projectizing, a deeper form of perfectionism, showing up in a tendency to anxiously fix ourselves, we...
79 views
- Aug 4, 2022
- 4 min
Are You a Chronic Overthinker? The Defense of Projectizing, Part 3
Thus far in this series about projectizing, a deeper form of perfectionism, showing up in a tendency to anxiously fix ourselves, we...
108 views
- Jul 28, 2022
- 1 min
Andrea's Interview on 700 Club Interactive
Break Away from Self-Sabotaging Patterns and Mindsets In a recent interview on the tv show, the 700 Club Interactive, Andrea has a...
19 views
- Jul 20, 2022
- 2 min
The 700 Club Interviews Andrea
A Mission to Free People from Toxic Relationships In a recent interview on the tv show, The 700 Club," Andrea has a compelling...
35 views
- Jul 9, 2022
- 6 min
A Single Woman’s Story of Shame: The Defense of Projectizing, Part 2
Last week we discussed a common defense mechanism, projectizing, a deeper form of perfectionism, by making ourselves a project to be...
115 views
- Jul 5, 2022
- 1 min
Andrea's TV Interview on The Perspective
In a recent interview on the tv show, The Perspective with Mike Sherbino and Julie Stautland, Andrea discusses her new book, The Cuckoo...
29 views
- Jul 5, 2022
- 5 min
Are You Trying to Fix Yourself? The Defense of Projectizing, Part 1
Fix Me! Fix Me! Many of my clients seek counseling after having been in therapy for years and suffering without any significant symptom...
163 views
- Jul 1, 2022
- 1 min
USA Today Interviews Andrea on Successful Travel Coping Strategies
Everyone knows that although summer vacations are fun, they are not always restful and relaxing. Sometimes we return home needing a...
13 views
- Jun 28, 2022
- 2 min
Andrea’s Interview in Authority Magazine on Her Story, New Book, and Self-Acceptance
In a recent interview by Authority Magazine, “How To Learn To Finally Love Yourself,” Andrea Anderson Polk is quoted in these excerpts...
17 views
- Jun 3, 2022
- 1 min
Andrea Publishes Article in Church Growth Magazine on How to Deal with Toxic Relationships
I had the privilege of being published in Church Growth Magazine with my article 5 Steps to Dealing With Toxic Relationships: Guarding...
27 views
- May 26, 2022
- 1 min
Andrea Publishes Article in The Christian Post on Couples Counseling and Mental Health
I had the privilege of being published in The Christian Post, “How the Church can best help struggling couples,” below is an excerpt from...
26 views
- May 23, 2022
- 1 min
Money Magazine Interviews Andrea on How to Prioritize Mental Health During the Homebuying Process
Everyone knows that homebuying can be stressful, especially in the current climate. While how-to guides on everything from the mechanics...
27 views
- May 21, 2022
- 3 min
Are You Vulnerable & Susceptible to Attracting Toxic Relationships?
In all my years of working with different people as a professional counselor, I’ve observed that there are some who are more susceptible...
35 views
- May 21, 2022
- 2 min
Understanding People Who Abuse Others: Hurting People Hurt People
In this article we discuss toxic relationships, specifically people who abuse others. Bottom line, hurting people hurt people. How to identi
15 views
- May 21, 2022
- 3 min
A Story of Emotional and Verbal Abuse
Emotional and verbal abuse is experienced in a toxic relationship. It slowly erodes your sense of self and thwarts your purpose. Andrea shar
20 views
- May 14, 2022
- 5 min
Abusive Relationships: Death by a Thousand Cuts
A toxic relationship is considered an abusive relationship when a person has allowed someone else to alter their reality and/or when they ar
70 views
- May 14, 2022
- 3 min
Toxic Communication Characteristics: Help – I feel crazy!
One of the most challenging parts of being in a toxic relationship is communication. Andrea's article on toxic communication describes what
34 views
- Apr 15, 2022
- 5 min
Are You In A Toxic Relationship?
Toxic relationships can be tricky and not easily recognized. These 10
questions can help you understand if you are in a toxic relationship.
111 views
- Feb 18, 2022
- 1 min
A Special Welcome Video From Andrea!
Andrea Anderson Polk, LPC, introduces her brand new book The Cuckoo Syndrome.
54 views
- Dec 30, 2021
- 5 min
The Cuckoo Syndrome, Part 3: The Self-Inflicted Cuckoo
Exposing Toxic Thinking Patterns and Self-Sabotaging Behavior In the previous post, we discussed The Relationship Cuckoo which means you...
534 views
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