All Work and No Play…

Marriage Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft You may have heard of the old expression, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” If you haven’t heard it, it’s worth spending a little time thinking about. It actually says less...

No, You’re Not A Mind Reader

Marriage Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft One of the fulfilling aspects of a romantic relationship is the feeling that you really know your partner. If you’re in a long-term relationship, think back to the time when you really...

Must-Have’s In A Relationship

Marriage Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft When you go shopping for anything from a new car to your dream home, you probably make a list of all the things you’re looking for. With a car, it might be everything from stylish wheels to...

Relationship Killers

Marriage Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft We often focus on what we think are the keys to a great romantic relationship. That unknowable we call chemistry. Attractiveness to the other. On a deeper level — a shared value system. The...

Critical Parenting “Should Nots”

Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Life is full of all kinds of “shoulds.” I should exercise more. I should call my friends more often. That list can be overwhelming at times. For parents, the list can be even more daunting. Fortunately...

How to Help Your Kids Be Mentally Strong

Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft Do you have a friend or maybe a colleague who just seems to have it all together? They take charge of situations with steady determination. When life inevitably knocks them down, they get up and...

The Rewards of Finding Balance in a Relationship

Marriage Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft Many times advice from a therapist is just good common sense. It can also be rooted in ancient wisdom passed down through various traditions, with a classic example being the Golden Rule....

Be. Here. Now.

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft  No one knows exactly when people in ancient India began developing yoga as a practice to still the mind and enter a state of detached witness-consciousness. But it was already widely...

The Subtle Nature of a Fear of Abandonment

Marriage Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft You don’t have to be a psychotherapist to understand that childhood events can affect you as an adult. It gets trickier, though, when you try to figure out exactly what happened in...

How and Why To Make Time For Socializing

Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft There’s a good reason that 113 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl — it was a wonderful chance for people to get together with friends they may not have seen in ages, with the...