If You Are on The Fence About Counseling…
Since becoming a counselor, it has continued to surprise me how many misconceptions there are out there about counseling and mental health care. In fact, one of the very first clients I ever had asked me if he had...
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?
What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive...
How NOT to Talk to Someone With Anxiety
It has been my experience that usually when we respond to those who are struggling, we are all trying our best to be as empathetic and kind as possible to our friends and loved ones. While our intentions are...
What to Do When Feeling Defensive
Defensiveness is a factor dealt with in many relationships, whether it be constant trouble or a road block you encounter every now and then. We see defensiveness when we try to talk to someone about our feelings, experience, or...
Expressing and Showing Gratitude
Gratitude is recognizing the good in our lives and being thankful for those positive experiences. It turns out that the ability to acknowledge the good in our lives and to express gratitude for the people, places and things that...
How to be Available for Friends Experiencing Grief
In Early 2019 my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Three short months later she would pass away at the young age of 50. Only 6 months earlier my best friend’s mom was diagnosed with ALS which...
Teaching Your Child About Emotions
For the younger children and teenagers, emotions can be very confusing. At any given time, things and circumstances around us change, which sometimes makes us feel different. As many would say; emotions are like rollercoasters going up and down,...
Be the Change You Want to See In Your Communication
A common issue that I encounter in my work as a counselor is communication problems. Most of the time we think of communication problems being exclusive to couples or marital counseling, but the reality is communication problems can be...
Healthy New Year Resolutions
As the holidays come to an end and the new year approaches, you are probably beginning to make new year resolutions. I like new year resolutions; it’s healthy to explore and reflect on the ways you can be your best...
New Year’s Resolutions
The new calendar year is approaching, and for many this means resolutions! The beginning of a new year often signifies new chances and new opportunities for change and success. For many of us, the process goes something like this:...
How to Balance Connection & Boundaries During the Holiday Season
The holiday season can be filled with rich and joyous moments full of connection. The holiday season can also be filled with stress and overworking, trying to connect with family and friends and feeling overwhelmed and burdened in the...
‘Tis the Season for Sensitivity
While most professions do what they can to wind down as we near closer to Christmas and New Year’s Day, I’ve found myself ratcheting up with client crises here in the counseling world. See, I have the blessing and...
Why Mindfulness?
Do you feel you often forget things or conversations? Do you have difficulty staying focused or completing a task? Do you find yourself feeling bored if you are not doing more than one thing at a time? Do you...
Giving the Gift of Validation
Validation is important because it communicates I hear you, I see you, and I care. When experienced from others it can feel like you have received the gift of acceptance and feeling understood. This is what makes learning the...
The Poverty of Pity
As someone who holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, I’m very aware of how tricky words can be. For instance, pity is often used synonymously with the term compassion, but the two couldn’t be any more different. Compassion...
Self-Care: Taking Care of Your Body
Self-care is doing activities to take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Practicing self-care helps us reduce stress and manage our emotions better. Lack of self-care can lead to increased stress and illness overtime. While taking care...
Transitions
There are times in our lives when we feel as though we are in a period of transition, shifting from one place to another. Waiting for the movement of transitioning to cease and to be at a point where...
Video Games – How Much is Too Much?
We have all seen the rise and fall of trends in play in our children: slime, fidget spinners, and more, but what seems to stick around are video games. These games stick around because there is always something new...
A Simple Fix to a Bad Day
Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? Or maybe you feel irritable for unknown reasons and you can’t shake the feeling. Marsha Linehan, the founder of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and her team created a...
You Are Enough
Stephen Walters , M.Div., M.A.
“You are enough” is one of my most loved and most hated phrases. On the one hand, it can be very assuring. It can be the phrase that keeps you from comparing yourself to other people, especially unrealistic images...