Bottom Line – Healing Through Effort
I was looking through my files and came upon this article that hadn’t been published. Perhaps something more important was on my mind. Re-reading this I realized that, bottom line, this article is very important because it gets down to the root of my therapy strategy. For almost 30 years I’ve struggled to find “the solution”. You know, something that will fix everybody, so that they won’t...Learn More
The Importance of Self-Care for Us Counselors and Clients Too
After 29 years in the mental health field, the most important thing I learned was to take care of myself first. In the helping business, it can be easy to get attached to people you treat, and worry about how they are doing. When this happens, it is a clear sign to stop whatever you are doing and take a break. Why? Because if we are not in balance, it is difficult to take care of others....Learn More
What to Expect from Therapy
If you have never gone through counseling and wondered what happens in sessions, then this article was written for you. I remember the first time I went to a counselor and could feel my heart pounding in my neck and was looking for an excuse to sprint out of there. Though to be honest, I just found myself talking about myself, which was strange since at that time, all I wanted to do was...Learn More
Breaking the Barriers
Have you ever felt like you are destined to deal with the same issues over and over again, to the point where you just give up hope for anything better to happen? That used to describe me in dealing with my anxiety. I just assumed that everyone had to deal with anxiety, you know, cope with it forever. In this article, I’ll discuss ways to push past, heal, and move forward. I’ve looked at...Learn More
Welcome Back from Vacation
Three weeks. Yeah, three weeks in Europe was amazing. I got the opportunity to do something I had never done before, experience life that was vastly different from what I was used to, and then BAM! back to work. My schedule was completely filled when I returned and of course, the basic operations of the facility had to be handled too, so let me cut to the chase – I need a vacation after this...Learn More
A Thank You
Today marked the last work day before my trip to Europe and it was one final push. Doesn’t it always seem that it gets extra busy before you need to leave for something? This was no exception and I found myself doing new assessments and writing out reports well into the evening. Did I complain? Maybe at first but as I took an honest look at what I eventually accomplished I was very proud. I...Learn More
Spiritual Beings Having a Human Experience
After graduating from the University of Santa Monica with a master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology, I have avoided talking about spirituality. Many people I have treated lack the belief in God or had religious issues so I felt I could still reach my clients psychologically. To be transparent, it feels to me that our society has not embraced that type of thinking or the realization that this...Learn More
Anxiety – A Different Perspective
Anxiety, even the word causes us to hold our breath. Did you know that holding your breath is at the root of the disorder? Holding one’s breath causes the oxygen levels in the body to lower, making the heart work harder and the mind to lose clarity. The antidote is of course breathing, especially deep breathing while anxiety is occurring. What causes a person to stop breathing, or not breathe...Learn More
Dad’s Memorial
A rainbow followed me as I drove to work this morning. The morning before my father’s memorial celebration. He lived a good 90 years and seemed to have a good life. I came to love my father after the rocky start of his abuse in my younger years. Because of this I went through extensive therapy and was then able to confront him as an adult. From that moment we began to build a wonderful...Learn More