The Problem: Jordana (client) is a 25-year-old woman navigating complex family dynamics while planning her same-sex wedding. She is struggling to set boundaries with her family, particularly her great aunt and great grandmother, who do not support her marriage. The […]
Depression - healing - In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: When Your Brain Becomes the Enemy
🧠THE SETUP: THE STORY SHE TOLD HERSELF Julianne walked into my office on a Tuesday morning looking like she’d been carrying a boulder. Tall, articulate, composed on the surface, but Julia was convinced that she’d destroyed her own mind. […]
Emotional Bytes Theory - Family Dynamics - In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: When Your Family Goes to War Over a Cat
It Was Never About the Cat Brielle came in on a Tuesday, shoulders tight, jaw clenched like they were bracing for impact. The complaint? A family war over their cat’s diet. The vet said the cat needed to lose weight. […]
Adult Parent Relationships - Families - Family Dynamics - In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola - Relationships
In the Therapy Room: Setting Boundaries with Parents
It was raining hard that Tuesday night—the kind of rain that makes you feel alone. Jensonaya sat across from me, shoulders tight, jaw clenched, staring at her hands like they’d betrayed her. She had moved back home six months ago […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Family Restructuring and the Experience of Betrayal
Why Family Restructuring Feels Like Betrayal 🚗 The old man sat in his truck outside the diner, hands on the steering wheel at ten and two, staring at nothing. His daughter had stopped answering texts. His new girlfriend had suggested […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Dealing with Exclusion and Emotional Pain
The Setup: Your Inner Committee Is Having a Meltdown 🧠Here’s what most people miss about exclusion: it’s not a single emotion. It’s a full-blown internal coup. When Jenson got that text, multiple parts of his psychological organization activated simultaneously, […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Emotional Numbness in Men
The Man Who Showed Up But Wasn’t There 🚪 The man across from me had good teeth and good posture. He held his coffee like someone trained by military or corporate America—or both. His watch cost more than my first […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola
In the Therapy Room: Emotional Numbness in Men
☕ A Bloke at the Café Who Couldn’t Feel Anything He sat across from me at Three Bags Full in Fitzroy on a Tuesday morning, the kind of café where Melbourne’s thin winter light cuts through the windows like a […]
In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola - Narcisism - Teen Issues
In the Therapy Room: Adolescent Narcissism
The rain fell heavy outside my office that Tuesday. Kaia-Renee had been coming to see me for eight weeks. This was the session where everything shifted, though neither of us knew it yet. She was sixteen, and she was certain […]
Authenticity - In the Therapy Room - Jas Mendola - Moral Dilemma - Secrets - Workplaces
In the Therapy Room: When Loyalty Becomes Your Prison
🔥 The Setup: When Your Tribe Becomes Your Trap The fire station smelled like diesel fuel and old coffee. Mark sat across from me in my office and kept his hands on his knees like he was bracing for impact. […]