Coming out is a super personal journey that can feel both empowering and challenging. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and each individual's experience is going to look …
The Ellie Blog
Relationships tips and insights
Problems with Intimacy and Sex: How Couples Therapy Can Help
Intimacy is like the secret sauce in the recipe of a healthy relationship, but keeping it simmering can be tough! With life's whirlwind, past baggage, or good ol' miscommunication, …
How to Help and Support a Spouse with Depression
Watching your partner struggle with depression is tough. You want to help, but it’s hard to know what to say or do without feeling like you’re walking on eggshells. We're here to …
How Should I Respond if Someone Comes out to me as LGBTQIA+?
Society has historically held the assumption that everyone is heterosexual and cisgender, so when someone isn’t and decides to share that with others, we say they are “coming out.” …
How to Recognize Gaslighting: 10 Key Phrases to Listen For
Have you ever been in a relationship where you felt like you were constantly second-guessing yourself? Or perhaps your version of events never lines up with your partner’s? If so, …
Exploring Love Languages for a Deeper Connection
Many people are familiar with the idea of “love languages.” This is something that Gary Chapman wrote about in his book The Five Love Languages, and it’s something that many …
Unraveling Enmeshment: Understanding Healthy Boundaries in Family Relationships
Remember that last family gathering? Or are you secretly trying to forget it? If the latter is true, we get you. Our families have the power to make us laugh, cry, and then some. …
What A Christmas Carol Teaches Us About Ourselves this Holiday Season
As I settled down to watch “The Muppet Christmas Carol” with my seven-year-old kiddo earlier this month, I found myself falling into my often tread path of wondering how I can tie …
Building Strong and Lasting Relationships: Top 10 Relationship Books
Everyone knows that relationships can be tough at times. There are plenty of self-help books out there that promise to improve communication or decrease conflict, but how do you …
How To Build a Healthy Relationship: Nurturing Communication, Connection, and Mental Well-being
Let’s be real. Romantic relationships aren’t like those picture-perfect scenes from a rom-com (unless your life somehow involves unexpected rain showers and airport chase scenes). …
Conversion Therapy: Why It’s Harmful and Why Banning It Matters
According to a recent study by the Williams Institute at UCLA, approximately 698,000 adults in the US have received conversion therapy, and about 350,000 of them were adolescents …
How to Validate Someone’s Feelings and Become a Better Listener
Someone tells you they are struggling. Maybe they’re stressed about their tumultuous relationship, or maybe they’re in a funk and feeling like they’re completely worthless. How do …
