The Menopause Transition: Understanding and Dealing with a New Stage in Life © copyright 2004 by Lynette J. Hoy, NCC, LCPC Introduction: Entering the stage of menopause brings on all kinds of changes and emotions. You may feel a sense of loss since the reproductive years are ending. There will no longer be opportunity to [...]

Where do I start? My husband drinks too much, becomes angry, verbally abusive, sometimes slightly physically abusive. He has been this way for the last year. The occurrences have become more frequent (weekly) the last few months. I’ve tried talking to him and he keeps saying things will change and they don’t. When is enough [...]

My husband and I were brought up very differently and it is effecting the way we raise our 2 year-old son. He tells me I spoil him and I tell him he’s too strict. There are things I let our son do that my husband disagrees with. I just think he’s a kid and he [...]

My life seems to have nothing good about it. I was raped and got pregnant. I decided to have an abortion. I am so angry with life that I can no longer cope. I know I am depressed, please help me.

Could you please direct me to information on overcoming spending addictions? It seems that if I get stressed or bored I will either turn to food for comfort or go out and spend excessive amounts of money (approximately up to $500 worth of clothes or things we don’t need). Usually I end up returning most [...]

My partner and I have two children. Our daughter is four and our son is a year old. We are separating and he wants to keep our children for six months and then have me keep them for six months. I feel that will be difficult for the them. I am moving to the west [...]

We receive a lot of questions dealing with the topic of abortion. We asked Counselor Lynette Hoy to sit down with us and answer some of the most common ones. “I am 18 years old, pregnant and about to start college. I am considering having an abortion. Is having an abortion is safe? What are [...]

My husband has a daughter from his previous marriage. His daughter and I have always had a great relationship, but recently everything did a 180 degree turn. Her mom dropped her off at our house on Friday and my step-daughter started sobbing. Later, her mom said that she just wanted to come to our house [...]

Determine which life events have occurred in your life over the past two years and add up your total stress score then follow the directions below. Events Scale of Impact: Death of a spouse 100 Divorce 73 Marital separation 65 Jail term 63 Death of close family member 63 Personal injury or illness 53 Marriage [...]

All of us have experienced anger. Some of us have cringed under the rage in our families, struggled with it in our souls, felt it toward our friends, co-workers and loved ones. Some of us have shocked others with volcanoes of anger. The evidence abounds that we live in a mad, mad, mad world. A [...]