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Dear Parents: Get Over Yourselves

July 24, 2019
| No Comments
| Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health, Parenting, Teenagers
parents

Did I get your attention?  You might be wondering what this blog is about.  It’s been heavy on my heart over the past few years in my practice that so many teenagers don’t get the support or help they need because of their parents.  Even some teenage clients who have made it to counseling don’t improve because their parents make their child’s counseling about themselves or attempt to control it.  Today I’m going to talk bluntly about the importance of allowing your child to get the help they need—without making it about you. If you are the parent of a tween or teen, this blog is for you! Teens and Mental Health According to Mental Health America, Clinical Depression will...

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What is Intrusive Thought OCD?

June 26, 2019
| No Comments
| Mental Health, Shame
OCD

When someone mentions OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), most of us probably have images of someone who washes their hands frequently or has to flip a light switch on and off a certain number of times when they enter a room.  While these traits are definitely OCD symptoms, it’s important to note there are so many different subtypes of OCD.  OCD causes individuals to have disturbing thoughts (obsessions), and then to behave in a certain way because of these thoughts (compulsions). Today I’m going to discuss Intrusive Thought OCD and some of the different subtypes under it.  These subtypes are all about having thoughts or images that are scary or seem threatening (intrusive thoughts).  While the individual does not want to experience...

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What Type of Therapy Are You Looking For?

May 29, 2019
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| Counseling, Goals
therapy

Whenever I have a potential client referral reach out, it’s important to me to screen them to ensure I am the right fit for the person.  Sometimes I will ask questions, such as “What is bringing you to therapy?”, “What style of therapy are you hoping for?”, and “What are you hoping to work on?”  These questions help me quickly see if I may or may not be a quality match for the client. Why is this so important?  There are so many different types and styles of therapy!  Sometimes what a client is looking for is not a great match for my style.  And that’s okay! Today I’m going to talk about some of the personal styles of therapy...

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10 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Mom

May 1, 2019
| 1 Comment
| Marriage, Parenting, Shame
mom

About a month ago, I became a mom to the most beautiful, sweet, and cuddly little girl.  She is our answer to so many prayers, and our wish come true. Before I became a mom, there are so many things I had heard about, and yet not experienced.  Today on the blog I would love to take some time to address some of these small, yet meaningful things I’ve learned. 1. Let It Go I am a self-proclaimed control freak.  I like order, schedules, and knowing what to expect.  Over the past month, to some extent, some of that has flown out the window.  While a schedule is still really important, this controller is learning to slowly let go of...

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How Miscarriage Impacts a Marriage

April 3, 2019
| No Comments
| Grief, Marriage
miscarriage

Finding out that you’re expecting a baby is undoubtedly one of the most joyful things in life you will ever experience.  You may start imagining what your life is going to look like in a few months and dream about this little one.  You may choose names and a nursery theme.  But for 1 in 5 women, these dreams will not come to fruition.  You discover at some point in your pregnancy that your precious little one is no longer alive.  You’ve suffered a miscarriage. Miscarriages are hell on earth.  They are the loss of life, the loss of a dream, and the loss of a family.  Experiencing a miscarriage can be extremely hard on a marriage as well.  Today,...

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Stages of Change

March 27, 2019
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| Counseling, Goals
change

We all have moments in life where we decide to make a change.  Sometimes it’s a career change, a relationship change, or even changing something about ourselves (communication, patterns of behavior, a bad habit, etc.).  Whether you realize it or not, there are often certain, intentional steps that you take when you decide to make a change in your life.  These steps are officially referred to as Prochaska and DiClemente's Stages of Change Model. Today on the blog, I’m going to talk about the Stages of Change and how knowing what they are can make you more intentional in shifting your life in a different direction.  While reading, you may realize that you are actually in one of the stages,...

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What Postpartum Depression Is…And What It Isn’t

March 20, 2019
| No Comments
| Anxiety, Depression, Mental Health, Parenting
postpartum depression

If you watch the news at all, you know there are frequently stories of mothers experiencing Postpartum Depression (PPD), and unfortunately not getting the help they need.  When we hear about PPD, it is usually in the worst case scenarios—either a mother has harmed her children or harmed herself.  What I want you to know today is this: there is so much more to Postpartum Depression than what is reported on the evening news. Today I want to take an opportunity to tell you about the PPD I know and see in my clients.  And if you’ve ever experienced PPD, or even think you may be experiencing it now, I want to encourage you to get the help you need....

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How to Prevent a Panic Attack

March 13, 2019
| No Comments
| Anxiety, Mental Health
panic attack

If you’ve ever experienced a Panic Attack, you know they are absolutely terrifying.  It’s not unusual for people to end up in the Emergency Room because they think they are dying.  Panic attacks are often mistaken for heart attacks and strokes because they are so debilitating.  They can cause people to miss out on life because they occur out of the blue, and are incapacitating.  According to Anxiety.org around 2-3% of the population in the United States suffer from Panic Attacks annually (roughly 6 to 10 million people a year). This week, I’m going to talk about how to prevent Panic Attacks, and I also hope to give you some tools to utilize.  If you or someone you care about...

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Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

March 6, 2019
| No Comments
| Boundaries, Mental Health
Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health diagnosis that is gaining a lot of recognition lately.  While the diagnosis gets thrown around a lot, I think it’s important to talk about what BPD is—and what it isn’t.  If you love, care about, or work with someone with BPD, this blog is for you! What is Borderline Personality Disorder? BPD is often identified by either the tagline “I hate you don’t leave me” or "Walking on eggshells".  Those with BPD are often triggered by perceived abandonment—and will react in an impulsive, angry, or self-harming manner.  Around 2% of the population have a BPD diagnosis, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) with around 75% of those being women....

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How to Survive the Highs and Lows of Therapy

February 27, 2019
| No Comments
| Counseling, Feelings
therapy

If you’ve ever been to therapy, you know that sometimes it can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster.  Therapy can start off really good, but it can quickly take a nosedive.  Sometimes you feel relief, and then it turns to pain and grief. If you’ve not been to therapy before, consider yourself warned.  This isn’t meant to deter you from starting, but rather to be completely transparent about what therapy is and isn’t, and to give you realistic expectations. I once had a client come in for three sessions, and leave feeling on top of the world.  She would email me, and say things like, “This is wonderful, I feel so great, and I can’t believe I didn’t...

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