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Forgiveness VS Reconciliation
"How am I supposed to forgive this person if I’m never going to see them again?" I hear this question a lot from friends and clients who had a difficult relationship with someone they are no longer able to contact. In a lot of these situations, the person does not...
Part 3 – Apology Languages: Repentance & Forgiveness
Over the past few weeks we have looked at an overview of the 5 apology languages in Part 1 - Apology Language: It's Different from Forgiveness and have looked in depth into the first three in Part 2 - Apology Language: Regret, Responsibility & Restitution. If...
How Good Days Make Bad Days Better
A lot of people I talk to think of their mental health journey as a fairly linear path. Fairly because we know that we will not always make progress in our journey or find healing as quickly as we hope. Linear because many people expect to continue making forward...
Men, Let’s Talk
There has been a message that has been shared over and over again in our societies culture where men are told to not talk about their emotions. Growing up you see it happen in school, sports teams, and even the church. Men are told they need to learn to suppress or...
What’s On My Bookshelf: Getting Past Your Breakup
Getting Past Your Break-Up: How to Turn a Devastating Loss Into The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You by Susan J. Elliott Another book I highly recommend. Susan Elliott uses the wisdom that she has gained from her own loss as well as anecdotes of clients that she...
What’s On My Bookshelf: Girl, Wash Your Face
I’m a little late to reading this as it’s been on the New York Times Best Seller list for awhile, but better late than never, they say. Here’s another book on my bookshelf: Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were...
Feeling Old?
When my mom found out that I was writing counseling blogs, she said, “You need to write one for people who are getting older, like me! It’s tough getting old.” So this blog is for my mom, and all those like her who still feel young at heart, but realize that age is...
The Hurt in a Helping Profession: Battling the Boundaries and Burnout
I remember the first time my graduate school professors warned us about compassion fatigue and burnout in the helping professions. I was certain that burnout couldn’t happen to me in the early stages of my career, so I tucked their advice away as a reminder for when I...
Why Balance Matters: Part 3
My previous posts in this series focused on the need to find balance with work. Often, when we feel stressed or unbalanced, it is easy to blame work for the problems we face. However, our personal lives can also be a source of anxiety and confusion as well. Many...
Why Balance Matters: Part 2
In part 1 of this blog series, I described the indivisible parts of every person’s identity. I also discussed the importance of balance. Without balance, we can feel any number of negative emotions associated with stress and anxiety. Over time, we begin to make...