News and Insights

Living in a quick-fix society, people come to our facility looking for that one fix-it-all that will change their lives forever. Well, occasionally that happens, but it is rare. Because we are so complex, the pill, the prayer, or the special activity won’t fix the matter, psychotherapy can but only with dedication. Are people ever fully fixed? We can help them learn a wide array of tools and...

Recently, there have been a lot of people at our facility that are new to counseling. It can be very scary to walk into a facility and talk about things you are trying to hide from others. So first off, a big thanks to all of you first-timers who were brave enough to come in and face their fears. Now, if you are unfamiliar with the counseling process, this article was written to take the...

Years ago, I went through a seminar called Insight – which was entitled “The Awakening Heart Seminar.” Hey, I was single at the time and was looking to get my heart awakened – okay. However, there were a few things they showed us that still impact me today. I learned what negative and positive thinking does to our physical body. They called a woman who came to the front and asked her to hold...

I took a step back today and let my assistant run the intensive outpatient program. I was in the main office and could hear what was going on but needed to back off and let my assistant do her thing, as well as the clients. Letting go of the control was an interesting process. There were times when the group was quiet, seemingly trying to figure things out, and I wanted to rush to the rescue...

What if all the problems you were facing were meant to be? What if there was a higher purpose to your life, instead of being here to eat, shit, and die. Because life didn’t make sense to me, and having no religious beliefs, I went on a quest in 1978 to find some meaning in life. If life was just a death sentence, well, that was too much for me to bear. What if’s are born out of having no...

I can’t believe it, but I began writing another book. Even though I am in the middle of professionally recording my music, you would think that I didn’t have much time to do anything else. All I know is that for the last few days, I’ve had this nagging voice inside of me that had another agenda, writing another book.   Over 20 years ago, I came up with a process called Opposite Hand Play. It...

Welcome to a new year, with new hope of something better, perhaps an adventure, or a better job, relationship, and enhanced family relations. The question is – “Do you have hope?” If the desire isn’t there, then your odds of success diminishes. Tradition at this time is to create “new years resolutions” – you know the things you may want but know that it is impossible to achieve – so why...

In 2001, the first Mental Health Urgent Care center in the country opened and I was fortunate to be one of the founding members. It is shocking that I have never written an article on surviving a crisis because of the thousands of crisis sessions I have taken part in. I’ve learned firsthand that when a situation is beyond the coping skills of a person, they go into a crisis. Overwhelmed, it...

Basic Steps Mental Health is about to enter our seventh year of providing services to people in the Mukilteo and surrounding areas. We wanted to take this time to thank you for being a valued client and sharing the valuable information you have learned with loved ones. The holidays are a special time to share your heart with yourself, family, and wonderful friends. We hope that our time...

Relationships are complex. Two people from two different backgrounds and two different life experiences are suddenly thrust into each other’s world and if you don’t know how to be in close quarters with somebody, things can get out of hand. Now, if you suffered trauma in the past, intimacy can be very difficult because it is natural for a part inside of you to be on guard, fearing that it...