Hello! My name is Taylor Rapuano (she/her) and I’m an LCPC based here in Washington, DC, and practicing in Maryland. I’m so thrilled to be joining the Monarch team.
Understanding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A Guide for Better Mental Health
Have you encountered the abbreviation “CBT” and found yourself in the dark about what it means or entails? If so, you’re not alone, and today, we’re here to shed some light on this acronym. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT for short, is a powerful form of psychological intervention and treatment proven to address various mental […]
Eating Disorders and Trauma
Dr. Dana Harron discusses the intersection of trauma and eating disorders.
How to Choose a Psychotherapist
Tips From a Psychotherapist on Finding a Good Fit for Therapy Choosing a therapist is an overwhelming task at a time when, by definition, you are usually not at your peak. But a little bit of effort now can go a long way – research clearly indicates that the relationship you have with your therapist […]
The Science Behind “I Feel Fat”
“Fat” may be an attempt to describe a change or a challenge in proprioception. Proprioception is your sixth sense- it’s how you know where your body is in space. Take your hand and place it behind your hand. How do you know it’s there? You can’t see/hear/feel/touch/taste/smell it. And yet, you know where it is […]
Chronic Pain and Eating Disorders
The Battle of living with Chronic Pain and an Eating Disorder March is Disability Awareness Month, and the week of February 21st was National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Both are serious illnesses that can be interconnected. Living with a disability can be a lot of work and navigating finding help can be an exhausting process. […]
10 Tips for Dealing with Stress from a Washington DC Therapist
1. Breathe Deeply Taking a deep breath is a cliché for a reason. When we breathe deeply, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the “rest and digest system”. It tells us that we are safe and that we can stand down. When this system is active our heart rates slow down, our […]
5 Ways that Living in Washington DC is Stressful
There are any number of wonderful things about living in the greater DMV area, from the diversity of people and cultures to the free museums. Nevertheless, when real estate blog Movato took a look at stress levels across American cities, Washington DC came out right on top (1). 1. The High Cost of Living […]
8 Therapist Recommended Books to Help Cultivate Your Body Image and Self Worth
Frequently, my clients ask me for recommendations to continue to explore their body image and self-worth. Below you will find a list of eight, yes eight, body image books because I couldn’t just minimize the list to five. These books range from helping you explore the origins of your body image, to societal implications of […]
Understanding the Stages of Grief
Looking at the Stages of Grief as non-linear You might have heard about the “Stages of Grief”, which are often talked about as though you progress through one stage to another. What Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the woman who came up with the model, actually said was a word closer to “aspects” which has been mistranslated from […]