Counseling Blog | LGBTQ+ Couples & Individuals

June 6, 2025 by Alan Zupka

What Is Executive Dysfunction?

Understanding Executive Dysfunction: Rewriting the Narrative of Focus, Flexibility, and Control

The human brain relies on three core executive functions to support daily living. These include working memory, which allows you to hold and manipulate information in the moment; cognitive flexibility, which enables you to shift your attention between tasks or ideas; and inhibitory control, which helps you pause, reflect, and choose your responses rather than react impulsively.

When these functions are disrupted, a condition referred to as executive dysfunction, it may be challenging to organize thoughts, regulate emotions, or manage behavior in ways that align with one’s values or goals.

From the perspective of narrative therapy, these struggles are not who you are; they are experiences you are having. Together, we can begin to understand how executive dysfunction has shaped your current story and how you can begin to reclaim authorship of that story with intention and self-compassion.

What Causes Executive Dysfunction?

Researchers continue to explore the underlying causes of executive dysfunction. Evidence suggests that it can arise from a wide variety of neurological, psychological, and environmental factors, including:

Addiction
Alzheimer’s disease
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Autism spectrum disorder
Brain tumors
Cerebral hypoxia
Exposure to environmental toxins
Dementia
Depression
Epilepsy
Head injuries or trauma
Huntington’s disease
Infections affecting the brain
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Schizophrenia
Stroke

Because executive dysfunction is often a symptom of a broader condition, treatment is most effective when it addresses the root cause.

Recognizing the Symptoms

Executive dysfunction can present differently depending on a person’s unique context and life story. Some everyday experiences include:

Becoming easily distracted or unable to concentrate
Daydreaming when attention is needed
Struggling to shift attention from one topic or task to another
Hyperfocusing on a single idea or activity
Having difficulty regulating impulses
Feeling unable to explain thought processes clearly
Finding it hard to start tasks, especially those that feel complex or uninteresting
Losing track of goals midway through a task
Struggling to organize, prioritize, or complete steps toward a larger objective

In Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), we often explore how these symptoms influence your self-beliefs and how to challenge the negative thought patterns that may accompany them. For example, a persistent belief such as “I am lazy” may stem from years of difficulty completing tasks, not from truth, but from misattributed patterns. Together, we can reframe those beliefs with more accurate, empowering thoughts.

A Mindful and Strength-Based Path Forward

Mindfulness practices can help you become more aware of when executive dysfunction is present, without judgment. By cultivating awareness of the moment and responding rather than reacting, you can begin to interrupt unhelpful cycles and create space for healthier patterns.

Through positive psychology, we will also identify your strengths. Executive dysfunction may make certain areas feel like uphill battles, but that does not erase your creativity, resilience, insight, or kindness. Together, we can build routines and structures that draw upon your strengths while supporting the more challenging areas.

Let Us Begin This Work Together

If you are experiencing executive dysfunction, I invite you to reach out. I work with individuals navigating the impact of these challenges on focus, memory, motivation, and emotional well-being. In our work together, I offer a space where you can rewrite your story, identify what truly matters to you, and develop strategies to align with your values.

You are not alone, and you are not broken. There is hope, and there is support available.

Please feel free to contact me to schedule an appointment. I would be honored to help you take the next step forward.

June 2, 2025 by Alan Zupka

How to Track Your Mental Health

Tracking Your Mental Health: A Path to Clarity and Growth

If you are seeking to strengthen your mental health and enhance your overall well-being, one of the most empowering steps you can take is to begin tracking how you feel. This practice serves not only as a mirror to reflect your current emotional landscape but also as a tool for identifying patterns, clarifying challenges, and setting goals rooted in intentional change.

From a narrative therapy perspective, tracking offers you the chance to author your own story with greater awareness and agency. From the lenses of positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and mindfulness, it can deepen your connection to your strengths, help restructure limiting beliefs, and foster present-moment insight.

Here are a few suggestions I offer to support you in beginning a reflective and sustainable mental health tracking practice:

Choose a tracking method that resonates with you. Whether you find comfort in the tactile process of writing in a journal or prefer the accessibility of a digital app, the key is to select a format that feels intuitive and sustainable for your lifestyle. The method is less important than the consistency and honesty you bring to it.
Designate a daily time for self-reflection. Making this practice part of a daily ritual, such as after dinner or just before bedtime, can help you build a rhythm. Please set an alarm or reminder if you think it’s a challenge. The routine itself can become a gentle cue to check in with yourself.
Create a space that invites focus. A quiet, comfortable environment free of distractions can help you become more attuned to your inner experience. Even a few minutes of focused presence can yield meaningful insights.
Begin with concrete indicators. If identifying your overall emotional state feels overwhelming, start by tracking specific areas such as your appetite, energy level, mood, sleep quality, or stress level. These touchpoints can serve as reliable anchors for reflection.
Set SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals are more likely to lead to meaningful change. Rather than saying, “I want to feel less anxious,” try saying, “I will meditate for ten minutes each morning for the next four weeks.” Framing goals this way increases the likelihood of follow-through and allows you to celebrate tangible progress.
Focus on one goal at a time. It is natural to want to address many aspects of well-being at once, but taking on too much can lead to overwhelm. Start small, focus deeply, and allow yourself to experience success in one area before moving on to the next.

Partnering with a Professional

As you begin tracking and reflecting on your mental health, you may discover that you would benefit from guidance in interpreting what emerges or in setting and maintaining your goals. I am here to help. My therapeutic approach is grounded in narrative therapy, positive psychology, CBT, and mindfulness. Together, we can explore your story, uncover your strengths, and co-create a path forward that feels meaningful and sustainable.

If you are ready to take the next step, please contact me to schedule an appointment. You don’t need to do this alone. Support is available, and your well-being matters.

June 2, 2025 by Alan Zupka

Celebrating Gay Pride Month by Focusing on Mental Health

Honoring Pride and Mental Health: A Compassionate Commitment to the Self

June is Gay Pride Month, a time to celebrate authenticity, identity, and the freedom to live and love openly. The parades, music, and vibrant festivities serve as powerful reminders of progress, visibility, and resilience. Yet Pride is also a meaningful opportunity to reflect inward, to affirm personal growth, and to renew the commitment to mental and emotional well-being.

As a society, we have made significant strides. Today, members of the LGBTQ+ community possess more freedom to express their truth. At the same time, being human includes facing moments of adversity, loss, grief, anxiety, illness, and transition. Many LGBTQ+ individuals carry unresolved emotional pain, often rooted in early shame, rejection, or fear associated with coming out, exploring identity, or navigating relationships. These lived experiences deserve space, compassion, and healing.

What is LGBTQ-Affirmative Therapy?

LGBTQ-affirmative therapy is more than a gesture of acceptance; it is a collaborative, empowering process that supports clients in integrating their sexuality and/or gender identity into a whole and meaningful life. Rather than treating identity as a problem to be managed, this approach validates it as a source of strength, richness, and resilience.

From the lens of narrative therapy, each person holds the right to author their story. Too often, LGBTQ+ individuals inherit narratives shaped by external judgment or societal expectations. In our work together, I invite clients to re-author those stories, centered on dignity, agency, courage, and love. Through this process, they move away from internalized shame and toward self-trust, confidence, and belonging.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps clients notice and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns that often stem from past invalidation or trauma. When someone begins to believe they are “not enough” or “too much” because of their identity, CBT provides the structure to evaluate and shift those beliefs toward greater self-acceptance and truth.

Mindfulness invites awareness of the present moment, allowing clients to observe thoughts and feelings without judgment. It cultivates gentleness with the self, helps manage anxiety and stress, and creates space for clarity, choice, and grounded connection.

Positive psychology emphasizes strengths, hope, and purpose. It helps LGBTQ+ clients identify what is working, what brings joy, and what kind of life they most want to build. This month is a fitting time to reconnect to those sources of vitality.

As a therapist who affirms and celebrates LGBTQ+ lives, I understand the importance of being seen and heard without condition. Whether out, questioning, celebrating, or struggling, you do not have to carry your story alone. I am here to walk alongside you as you deepen your self-understanding, honor your lived experience, and explore what it means to live with integrity and peace.

This Pride Month, I invite you to prioritize your mental health. Healing is not only a personal act but also a collective one. When LGBTQ+ individuals thrive, the entire community grows stronger. We can honor your identity, rewrite harmful narratives, and create a future grounded in wholeness and self-respect.

I am here to support you if you are ready to take that step.

May 30, 2025 by Alan Zupka

3 Types of Boundaries

Setting Healthy Boundaries: A Path to Self-Respect and Stronger Relationships

Many individuals have heard that setting boundaries with family, friends, and coworkers can be beneficial. Boundaries allow people to express their needs and values clearly, enhancing self-respect, reducing stress, and promoting emotional and mental well-being. When established and maintained with care, boundaries often improve the quality of relationships by fostering mutual respect rather than resentment.

From a narrative therapy perspective, setting boundaries is a powerful way to reauthor your personal story, one in which your needs matter and your voice is honored. Positive psychology reminds us that prioritizing well-being, autonomy, and mutual respect improves life satisfaction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps individuals recognize and challenge thoughts that may have discouraged them from asserting their boundaries in the past. And, through mindfulness, you can begin to notice when your discomfort signals a boundary is needed rather than ignoring or dismissing your own needs.

What many people do not realize is that boundaries take many forms. Here are three of the most common types:

1. Physical Boundaries

Physical boundaries refer to the space around your body and how you wish to be physically approached or touched. For instance, you may prefer a handshake to a hug when greeting a colleague. These boundaries also extend to your personal spaces, such as letting relatives know that you prefer they not enter your bedroom while babysitting.
Establishing physical boundaries honors your sense of safety and comfort. It also teaches others how to treat you with consideration.

2. Material Boundaries

Material boundaries relate to managing your belongings, finances, and resources. For example, you might tell a friend you cannot lend more than a certain amount of money, or let a family member know they may borrow your car only if it is returned with a full gas tank.
Setting these limits supports your sense of fairness and helps prevent resentment or imbalance in relationships.

3. Time Boundaries

Time boundaries reflect how you choose to spend your time and energy. You may need to tell your employer you are unavailable after your scheduled work hours, or ask your partner not to interrupt your dinner with friends unless it is an emergency.
Time is a limited resource. Learning to protect it allows you to be more intentional, present, and grounded in your values.

Taking the First Step Toward Boundaries That Serve You

If you are struggling to implement healthy boundaries or feel unsure where to begin, I invite you to contact me for a consultation. Together, we will explore your experiences, identify internal and external barriers to boundary-setting, and co-create a plan that reflects your values and supports your goals.

In my work, I help individuals reconnect with their personal narratives, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and approach change with mindfulness and self-compassion. I believe that every person has the right to feel safe, heard, and respected, starting with the boundaries they set.

Let us begin reclaiming your time, space, and emotional well-being. I am here to support you.

Remain Curious