The Big Issue
Visiting my best friend, he asked what the biggest issue in my life was. Not being used to taking on the role of the client was refreshing, and my answer surprised him – fear, I told him. Fear of my body, the pains, would I get over ailments, would I die. The other was fear of finances and preparing for retirement. Also, fears in my relationship – would unresolved issues remain or...Learn More
Creating a Strong Inner Foundation
We are only as strong as our emotional make-up. If it crumbles, we go into a crisis. For eleven years I worked at the first Mental Health Urgent Care Center, seeing over 7,000 people there, before moving up to this area to run a clinic. At the crisis center, problems, too difficult to deal with, caused problems ranging from manic episodes, psychosis, suicidal ideation, and above all –...Learn More
Advise for Budding Counselors
If you have chosen to be a counselor – fasten your seatbelt, because every issue you have ever had will be triggered. This is the good news, because as you process through the wounds of your past, it makes it easier to help others. And here is where we start – taking an honest look at yourself tops the list of the most important items to address when you are starting out in this field. You...Learn More
A Few Basic Steps
Often, people enter treatment looking for quick results. Yes, there is medication that takes the edge off; however, the problem can still remain. This is because there are reasons for depression, anxiety, mood swings, or anything else. According to Spiritual Psychology, your ailments have educational value for the soul. If we process through these issues, they are gone forever. If not,...Learn More
The Dynamics of Change
It takes real commitment to change old habits and familiar ways of looking at life. Our brains hardwire automatic responses—which we often experience as our personality. So often in sessions I hear people say, “That’s just the way I am,” or “I’m just an angry, anxious, or depressed person.” If you continue to convince yourself that this is who you are, how can you possibly change? Life is...Learn More
What to Look for in Counseling
This article is written for people who have never attended counseling or who have tried it and found that it didn’t work. There are many factors that can cause treatment to fail. Let’s look at the obvious ones. You didn’t like the counselor. In counseling, it is important to create a “therapeutic bond.” If people don’t like one another, it makes it difficult to develop trust, which is...Learn More
Enhanced Healing
I believe one of the benefits of running your own counseling center is the freedom to adjust your approach and emphasize what is the most effective way of obtaining the proper results you would like to see in the clients. One way I do this is by applying the approaches to myself. A recent health scare caused me to reevaluate my priorities and focus on what truly mattered while my body...Learn More
Ask Your Therapist: How Do We Heal?
If you are looking for a therapist, ask them, “How do we heal?” It is important to find out their theory of healing before you enter their counseling room. Unfortunately, this isn’t the question potential clients ask me—they want to know if their insurance will pay the bill. I ask you to decide one of two things: to do it the cheap way or the proper way. And, in fact, the proper way can...Learn More
Legal Assessments
In 2017, I opened Basic Steps Mental Health, a clinic that assists people with mental health issues and issues with substance addiction. What we offer are individual sessions, group sessions, family sessions, an intensive outpatient program, and a partial hospitalization program—which is temporarily on hold. It is a big undertaking offering six hours of treatment five days a week, so we...Learn More