It is depressing how many men have heard the phrase “man up” in one form or another throughout their life. Whether from a relative, teacher, or significant other, these two words have a powerful impact on men’s emotional health. The “man up” charge carries an expectation and a prescription given to boys and men particularly related to their emotional health....[ read more ]
Hearing traumatic news is disorienting enough. Racing thoughts, fear, anxiety, and hypervigilance are all common reactions. Figuring out how to talk to your children about traumatic news can feel even more challenging. You know your child better than anyone else. You know how they act when they’re excited, when they’re nervous, when they’re about to explode into a tantrum, and...[ read more ]
The new 988 mental health emergency number is something new and something not so new. New is the three-digit, easy to remember number. What is not new are the resources behind 988 which are the current local and regional suicide prevention offices. The use of 988 will make calling during mental health emergencies much easier and faster. After all, how...[ read more ]
What inspired you to become a counselor? As a black woman, I grew up in a religious Christian home that didn’t hold space for anything but prayer. Although, I fully believe in and stand by the power of prayer. I also needed further assistance. I knew at a young age I dealt with anxiety but only received prayer. I waited...[ read more ]
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 ]
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 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 ]