What Avoiding Other People Means to Us When we are avoiding other people or dealing with a situation, we are really saying no to the hard things that are coming up within ourselves when dealing with that situation. *Whether we are conscious of these hard feelings or not.* This is really unfortunate because those hard […]
Tag: Wichita
How to Survive Thanksgiving with Your Mental Health Intact (Part 2 – 2019)
Tip #2: Set boundaries. (Tip #1 is in the previous blog post) Set self boundaries on what you’ll talk about, think about, and how you’ll react around difficult family members. As much as we’d like to, we CANNOT change how other people treat us, what they comment on, and the questions they ask/don’t ask. We CAN […]
Hugs Can Transform Your Relationship – Here’s How!
X’s over O’s? Plenty of couples spend time, energy, and money trying to fix relationship problems, increase intimacy, or simply kick things up a notch in their relationship. Well, there is a free way to do all of the above that is often overlooked and underrated: Hugs. Yes, hugs help all of the problems listed […]
I’m Not Trying To Fix You: A Letter to Those in Therapy
As a therapist and counselor, I am here to embrace you. The good, bad, messy, silly — all the parts. So many clients come to therapy saying “Fix me!” or “Just help me erase or get rid of these painful memories!”or “Make me better!”, especially when they’ve been struggling with pain from trauma, grief, a […]
Parenting is Hard.
Rebellion One of the most valuable phrases I’ve learned when working with families is: Rules – Relationship = Rebellion This concept was originally created to help step-parents and blended families understand the oh-so common rebellion that can happen when a step-parent steps into a child’s life and tries to enforce rules, while failing to foster […]
Response to “5 Things You Can Do Daily to Feel Less Anxious or Stressed” By Dr. Seth Gillihan
Dr. Seth Gillihan wrote a timely and wonderful article on Psychology Today about 5 practices we can do to feel less anxious and stressed: 5 Things You Can Do Daily to Feel Less Stressed and Anxious | Psychology Today Here’s a brief overview: Tell Yourself Good Morning Check Your Mind Reading Go Outside at Lunchtime […]
Substance Abuse: Why Jail Fails People Who are Struggling with Addictions
*To preface this article, I want to start by saying that this is not about police bashing or to put out fear or disconnection to any sort of agency in America, this is about giving both an empathetic and responsible look at the War On Drugs and the system we are currently using with the […]
The Dangers of Emotional Constipation
Holding Back Our Emotions For most people, we hold back our emotions. In today’s busy society, it makes sense that we may want to hold back our emotions, ESPECIALLY the ones that are more “shameful” to carry. Emotions such as anger, rage, depressions, grief, disappointment, and anxiety. On the other hand, some people mask the […]
The Many Faces of Anger
Anger comes in many faces. It can look like kindness, it can look like silence, it can look like withdrawal. Most people only know the more violent, the more loud, the more outward presentation… But my oh my, how insidious the damage of inner anger can be. How deceiving it can look in the “nice […]
Understanding Psychiatric Medication Management: What You Need to Know
Psychiatric medication can be an effective tool in managing mental health conditions, but it’s important to understand how medication works and how to manage it properly. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of psychiatric medication management, including what to expect, common medications, and tips for managing your medication effectively. What is Psychiatric Medication Management? […]