Sam Barrons, MA, MS, LMFT

Building connections in group settings is crucial to a productive and harmonious atmosphere. Whether you're facilitating a workshop, leading a community group, or simply trying to foster better relationships among friends, engaging in creative exercises can help break the ice, foster understanding, and strengthen bonds. Here, we explore various creative exercises designed to enhance connection among group members, making interactions more meaningful and enjoyable. A cozy group setting...

Some events enter history books. Others enter the body. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, did both. For people who escaped the towers, lost loved ones, responded to the scenes, lived in New York City or Northern Virginia, served in the military afterward, or watched the attacks unfold on television, 9/11 was not only a national event. It was a psychological rupture. Even people born after 2001 often carry some part of that rupture. They may hear it...

Grief changes the shape of ordinary life. It does not only live in the big moments, the celebration of life, the phone call, the anniversary, the empty chair. It also shows up when the dishwasher needs unloading, when a text goes unanswered, when the dog needs to be fed, when your body feels too heavy to move from the floor. In 2025, I lost my younger brother in a motorcycle accident. There is a before and after in my life now. Before the accident, the world felt familiar. After it, even...