Dottie Alo 
Our goal is to learn how to ask for what we want; be able to resist pressure from others;and maintain our point of view. Using the DEAR MAN Skill Describe the SITUATION/PROBLEM; stick to the facts Express your FEELINGS and OPINIONS about the situation; don’t assume the other person knows how you feel Assert yourself … Read more
Our goal is to increase self-respect so that we feel better about ourselves and our self-confidence increases. Using the FAST Skill Fair – Be fair to YOURSELF and to the OTHER person Apologize – But do not over-apologize! No apologies for being alive; no apologies for making a request; no apologies for having an opinion … Read more
Relationships Can Provide Help and Support When we face challenges in our lives, our positive relationships become a source of help and support. For this, and many other reasons, improving and strengthening those relationships should be among our top priorities. Improving Relationships with the GIVE Skill Gentle – Be nice and respectful. Don’t attack, judge, … Read more
Our Goal with Negative Emotions It is difficult to feel pain, sorrow, worries, and other powerful and negative emotions. However, our goal is not to suppress those emotions. Instead we need to learn how to handle them in ways that are healthy. We do not want to be reactive. We want to be mindful and … Read more
Regulate, Don’t Suppress The goal of emotion regulation is to reduce the intensity of the emotion, NOT to get rid ofthe emotion. It is important to recognize that very high or intense emotion can make it difficult to think clearly, problem solve, make wise choices, or use executive functioning skills. The TIP Skills are designed … Read more
What is Resilience? Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from, or adjust easily to, misfortune or change. A main characteristic of resiliency is the understanding that life is full of challenges. To be resilient means that we are aware of situations, our emotional reactions, and the behaviors of people around us. What is … Read more
The Importance of Family Family! This single term is one of the most important words in our cultural vocabulary. It creates a firm sense of identity tied to important values of respect, love, strength, sacrifice, and endurance. It does not matter where we live, as caring for our families will always be a top priority … Read more