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From Comparative Suffering to Compassion

November 29, 2023
| No Comments
| Feelings, Mental Health, Relationships
Showing Compassion

Let me paint a scene for you. Two friends (let’s call them Carrie and Melissa) are grabbing lunch together and here’s what their conversation sounds like:  Carrie: You won’t believe what happened in our staff meeting this morning. My boss just handed me a huge project that she wants done by the end of this week. I’ll have to stay late tomorrow night to finish it in time, which means I’m going to miss my daughter’s volleyball game.  Melissa: You think that’s bad?! You have no idea the stress I’m under right now! I can’t even think about work with everything going on with my mom. It’s looking like we will have to move her into assisted living because I...

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Courageous Beginnings: 10 Reasons to Start Therapy Today

November 15, 2023
| No Comments
| Counseling, Goals, Mental Health
New Beginnings

Do I need therapy? How can therapy help me?  If you’ve ever asked these questions, you’re not alone. Therapy is one of those words with many preconceived ideas attached to it. Some think therapy is only for people with severe mental health diagnoses. Others think therapy is only for crises or processing major life events. And some think therapy is a sign of weakness. I hope to offer some brief thoughts on the value of therapy, and some reasons to start therapy today. “There will be moments when you bloom fully and then wilt, only to bloom again. If we can learn anything from flowers it is that resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying.” These...

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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
| No Comments
| 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
| No Comments
| 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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