I remember starting my practicum in graduate school feeling angry. My professors were about to set me loose to see clients for the first time and while I knew theories, techniques, and foundational skills of counseling, I did not know how to cure someone’s depression or anxiety. You know…what I thought I had gone to …
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Spiritualizing Feelings
I recently saw a meme on Instagram that resonated with me. There’s been a lot of talk about “deconstructing” in Christian faith circles, with several strong opinions both for and against. I appreciated this creator’s perspective (Sam Won, @SamObiWon), when he posted: “I’m a decluttering Christian. Grateful for the faith I was raised in for …
Feelings Come and Go. Values are Forever.
I am a huge fan of feelings. I think they are important and they tell us things. By no means do I think we should ignore them. However, I think we need to consider a few things before we make decisions based off of how we’re feeling. For example, am I taking a particular action …
Interview with Craig Foust of Life Care Counseling
This week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Craig Foust of Life Care Counseling. Craig is a local therapist, who works with couples and teens facing a variety of challenges including substance use, infidelity, divorce, mental health issues, and extreme life stressors. I enjoyed talking with Craig and sharing some of my background, …
FOMO
Let’s be honest…social media plays a role in all of our lives. Even if you’re deliberately not on social networks, the existence of social media has changed the way we relate and connect with each other. One way in which social media has changed the way we relate to each other is that it serves …
Subtle – but Noteworthy – Reasons to End Your Relationship
Have you been here? You’re dating someone, you know they’re not perfect (because no human being is), and you know healthy relationships always include some kind of conflict. But how do you know when the seemingly small things that bother you about your relationship are actually signs of a larger problem? Here are some examples …
Vulnerability: How to Practice It
We all have those oversharers on our Facebook feeds, the ones that share information that make us cringe, or at least think, “Wow! I can’t believe they’re posting that on social media!” My husband and I recently learned the word fremdschämen, a German term that describes “the feeling of shame on someone else’s behalf; the …
Vulnerability: How Does It Impact Our Mental Health?
Last month, I started a blog series on vulnerability and its impact on our mental health. In the first blog (which you can access here), we defined vulnerability (as best as one can define this dense topic!), discussed what it looks in everyday life, and how we can own it and engage with it in …
Rough Patch? Or Toxic Wasteland?
I was recently asked about how to discern if a relationship has simply hit a rough patch or if it’s toxic. This is a common discussion I’ve had with numerous clients and friends over the years, and one that I had to wrestle through personally in a past relationship. Let’s break it down: Any relationship …
Vulnerability: What is it?
Why write a blog on vulnerability? As I write these words, with the intention of publishing them for the world to read, I struggle to answer my own question. My reason for writing about vulnerability reflects my own experiences of vulnerability in the past, and one truth stands out: the times that I’ve been my …