Since the publication of Daniel Goleman’s influential book Emotional Intelligence, our culture has become increasingly aware of the importance of emotions, the ability to read our own and other’s emotions, and the skill to communicate with appropriately integrated emotions. Emotional intelligence, or EQ, has been placed on par with IQ, intelligence quotient. Where IQ represents reasoning ability; EQ represents awareness,...[ read more ]
If there is one thing that has been sapped by the events of the last two years, it is hope. The pandemic, racial discrimination and violence, deepening political division and threats to democracy, and now inflation and the war in Ukraine have left us feeling a collective weariness that some have termed "crisis fatigue." We may feel that our reserves...[ read more ]
What inspired you to become a counselor? As a young child, I recall noticing the pain in the world around me and desiring to be a part of bringing healing to that pain. In my early young adult years, this desire became even more pronounced through seeing the emotional pain of the many street children in the region of the...[ read more ]
You’ve been fighting with your partner for over an hour. Voices have been raised, blank stares and death glares passed. And there’s no way you’re letting your guard down now. If this has ever been you, you have found yourself in the couple’s stalemate. And you are not alone. Every couple has experienced big conflicts in their relationship. Some conflicts...[ read more ]
“Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.” C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (1961, p. 77) Grief is a tricky beast of a thing. It can come when you’re least expecting it, as you head into a store that you used to visit with a family member now gone,...[ read more ]
What inspired you to become a counselor? When I was a child, I thought “when I grow up, I want to be a pastor”. As I went through middle school and into high school, I realized that there was no way I could get up there and do public speaking. So middle of high school, I quickly threw that off...[ read more ]
What are you noticing at this time about your counseling work with clients in consideration of how the pandemic has changed our world? What I am noting most of late is the impact on children. Just today a friend’s second grader was diagnosed with Covid. That’s a pretty tender age to be hit with a virus that has killed many....[ read more ]
What inspired you to become a counselor? I have always loved connecting on a deep level with people. Growing up I loved hearing people’s stories-- of their pain and triumph, of their disappointment and hope, and of their dreams both realized and not yet. Deep, honest conversations give me life. In pursuing counseling, I saw how I could sit with...[ read more ]
The past year and a half has changed how many of us live, work, and go about our days. Though the intensity of the pandemic is beginning to shift, a new norm is emerging. Whether it's options like still doing some or all of your work from home, having new, virtual tools for your kids’ learning, or ordering your groceries...[ read more ]
Trauma presents in a variety of ways. Traumatic symptoms can show up after a single incident like a car accident or by way of a repeated, pervasive experience, like physical abuse. And when long exposure to traumatic stress is at play, it is called complex trauma. We can think of trauma as anything too much, too soon, too fast for...[ read more ]