Continue reading “Night Terrors & Sleep Paralysis”

Yasmeen Ismail M.A., LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

The holidays are often associated with a sense of cheer, joy, and festivity.  For many, it is a time to gather with loved ones and spend quality time with one another. However, for others, the holidays can feel overwhelming, stressful, or even isolating. The pressure to meet expectations can lead to feelings of anxiety, sadness, or exhaustion. If you find yourself drained by the holidays, you are not alone. Here are 5 ways to help you approach the holiday season with peace and self-compassion.
Continue reading “How to Approach the Holidays”

Alex Czop M.A., LCPC
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

EMDR is an acronym that stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. It is used in clinical work when a client has been afflicted with a trauma and is experiencing difficulty in being able to regulate themselves in times of duress. EMDR’s ultimate goal is to

Continue reading “What is EMDR & How can it help?”

Continue reading “What is Internal Family Systems?”

Courtney Van Acker M.A., LPC, NCC, Licensed Professional Counselor

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos
into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and
creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

The pain and challenges of life often create in us a pull to be cynical. Our psyches can be
wired to actually filter out positive information in favor of what is negative, difficult, or less
than ideal about our lives, a process which is called negative mental filtering. Some of this is
naturally ingrained and necessary for survival, such as being intensely aware of any threat in
our environments so we can keep track of anything that may be threatening and make active
decisions to either defend ourselves and/or flee from potential threats.

Continue reading “The Healing Power of Gratitude – 5 Effective ways to practice it daily”

Nanette Thomas Shepardson, M.A., LPC, CADC

Have you ever had a “gut feeling,” or felt like your “skin was crawling,” or maybe you experienced a “bad vibe” from someone?   If so, you may have put into words what we Somatic Experience Practitioners (SEP) define as a “somatic experience.”  It is a bodily (somatic) sensation (experience) that sends a message to your brain, explicitly designed to get your attention!  For what purpose, exactly?

Continue reading “Somatic Experience – What is it and can it help you?”

Alexus Lee, M.A., Licensed Professional Counselor

Continue reading “The News – and our Mental Health”

Crystal Villegas, M.S., LCPC

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

At some point in our lives, most of us will have the honor of being pet owners. Some of us bring pets into our lives for companionship, some as a steppingstone into parenthood, some as additions to the family, and some simply because they “chose us” as their pet parents. Everyone has a different reason for welcoming a pet into their home. And everyone’s experience of having a pet is different. However, as with all living things in life, every pet’s life comes to an end at some point.

I had the heartbreaking experience of losing my cat recently, whom I had had for 12 years. She came to me unexpectedly when I was just 21 years old. I didn’t know it at the time; but that cat would be my companion through all the life transitions I would be experiencing in my twenties. At times, she would be my only source of comfort. Dallas was the most beautiful Himalayan cat ever, both inside and out. She brought joy to my life that I could never describe in words.

Continue reading “5 Lessons Learned about Grief, after losing a beloved pet”

Abby Clark, Marriage and Family Therapist Intern

Humans have myriads of feelings in their bodies every day. Yet in our fast-paced culture, slowing down and noticing our feelings is an exercise few people engage in, and most, aware of it or not, avoid. We avoid feeling our feelings for different reasons. Sometimes, they are too painful; sometimes, we are so busy we don’t think we have time to feel them; and sometimes, we have disconnected ourselves from our feelings because they are overwhelming. Distracting ourselves from feeling is quite easy. Endless scrolling on our phones, drinking alcohol until we feel relaxed, smoking cannabis to ease anxiety, or overworking to distract ourselves are some ways we do this. Is there any benefit to feeling our feelings?  Yes.  Counseling is one of the resources some people utilize to do just that.

Continue reading “5 ways to Identify and Manage your emotions”

Nancy Kuhn M.S., LMFT

I offered this eulogy at my mother’s passing and wanted to share my tribute to her here.  It’s fitting because without her, my professional life, our practice, may have never come to be.   

So here we are family, facing the end of another chapter in the book of life. Our sister Lin, our mother Linda, our aunt Linda, our grandma Linda, and our dear friend Linda has moved on to her eternal home. And someday we will join her. And I know this because of the beautiful gift of faith my mother planted and nurtured in me.
I would like to reflect on some of the most meaningful and impactful gifts my mother gave me. I know she also gave all of you gifts of herself, and I’m sure as you’ve listened today, you’ve been reflecting on the blessings Linda gave each of you. I hope to hear about them when we gather.

Continue reading “A Tribute to my Mom”