Life with teens is difficult, to say the least. As adults we have survived our teen years so we have hope and faith that our teens will also survive their teen years and yet… there is doubt, there is worry, there are concerns, there are complete freak-out moments where the [...]
Hope is an elusive word…what exactly is hope? Everyone likes a feel-good word, something that inevitably makes the light shine in the darkness. HOPE seems to give us that mushy feeling that life…as hopeless as it seems right now…well, it may just have potential to get better! Is hope real [...]
When I have asked clients to describe anger I hear words and phrases like hot, uncontrollable, rage, out of body experience, blackout, temporary release of tension, numb, exhaustion, explosive. When I have asked clients to give anger a color there has only ever been two colors given: black or red. When [...]
Depression is very common. People experience depression for various reasons and at varying degrees. When people find out that I am a counselor they often share an anonymous story of a friend or family member and pose this question, “what should I do?” I wanted to provide a quick reference [...]
Close your eyes for a minute and picture yourself. What do you look like? How do you describe yourself? Are you critical of yourself? Do you love yourself? Are you accurate in your description or is your view of yourself distorted? Too often we are hypercritical of ourselves and describe [...]
It’s that time of year again….social media is blowing up with Elf on the Shelf posts! Most people by now know the story behind these vintage elf dolls… they are the eyes and ears for Santa Clause. Each night as the house quiets down and everyone sleeps, the elf flies [...]
Happy (stressful) Holidays The Holiday Season is marketed with lights, laughter, giving, cheer, favorite foods, snuggly clothes, romance, blissful family gatherings… but when will we turn on the television a see a commercial that advertises the truth of the holidays? I want to see an ad that shows families arguing, [...]
There you are, the two of you who used to be one, are so divided being united again seems impossible. There you are, sitting on opposite ends of the couch searching your mind and soul for words to fill the blaring silence. There you are, married and alone. There you [...]