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 ]
You probably recognize this scenario: A friend or family member makes a comment about a current issue or political figure, and you feel your body and mind reacting. Your blood pressure rises, muscles tense and a series of automatic thoughts enters your mind like, “How could they say that?” or “They are so wrong!” Maybe you feel an urge to...[ read more ]
By looking at our photo collections, it seems like the “important” stuff of life takes place at big events and special occasions. While we enjoy those memorable times, the majority of each of our lives plays out in ordinary day-to-day tasks that rarely get documented. In fact, my daily round looks a lot like yours and everyone else’s. Instead of...[ read more ]
The impacts of guilt and shame have been a consistent topic in the therapy room. Clients, finding themselves tossed and turned by the waves of these emotions, have reported increased levels of anxiety and depression, the symptoms of which often leads to a paralyzing sense of immovability. The guilt/shame cycle has a cunning way of making our brain fire in...[ read more ]