Blog
Confronting Your Triggers
Imagine a scenario in which you feel emotionally challenged, irritated or “triggered” in some way. Perhaps someone has said something you inherently disagree with, something you perceive as untrue, disrespectful or immature. How do you handle it? What is the way you typically respond? And what if your response doesn’t elicit the reply you were hoping for? And furthermore, what if the person irritating you is…your therapist!? (GASP!)
What makes a good therapy session?
Spoiler Alert: it’s not just a ‘good therapist.’
Whether you’re new to the therapeutic process or not, knowing how to utilize and evaluate your therapy sessions is very worthwhile knowledge. You and your therapist are both bringing different things to the table and investing into your time together, so you ought to know what to look for and how you can make the most of each session. Just like in any other profession, there are good therapists and poor ones, creative ones and lazy ones, good fits and bad fits. The same goes for clients! Some are actually willing to do the work and will see change as a result, while others just want to talk once a week and stay trapped in their comfort zones.
Why “Trying Harder” Doesn’t Work
“So I'm using the word infrastructure to make the point that if you have NEVER had a successful conversation with your partner where you felt heard, got your point across to where it was at least accepted if not agreed with, and did the same for your partner, then you have not actually been having a dialogue at all. You have been having two separate monologues and expecting the impossible…”
How to know if you’re making progress in therapy?
Whether you’re heading into your first therapy session or you’ve been in counseling for years, it’s important to have an awareness of if it’s actually WORKING. Are you able to pinpoint ways that you have actually grown or changed? What can you do today that you couldn’t do a year ago?
The way in which you and your therapist establish landmarks in your treatment plan can make or break your overall experience and motivation.
How to make big decisions
When you reach a crossroads in life, how do you know what to do next? Read on for 5 concrete steps to help you navigate huge life decisions…
Real vs Perceived Threat
“Are you 100% safe, right now, at this moment?
This is a question I have asked many of my clients over the course of my career: Are you 100% safe, right now, at this moment? Most say, no…When someone has experienced stressful or traumatic life events, the body is essentially constantly looking for danger.”
Christian counseling
If you’ve ever been interested or seeking a Christian counselor, it seems like literally everyone and their mother offers “Christian counseling” nowadays. It’s almost a buzzword, a necessary niche or another SEO specialty to slap on the website. But not all Christian counseling is the same…
Frequency of emotions: how to raise your vibration
If everything is frequency and we are experiencing a low vibration frequency within our body, the idea is that we can influence and shift that frequency by coming into contact with a higher frequency. The higher frequency could come from our own thoughts (i.e. meditation), music, movement..etc. Think about what types of things naturally raise your vibration or make you feel good.
5 tips to manage anxiety
Pretty much everyone deals with anxiety sometimes, but if anxiety has become a constant pattern for you, it can take over and make you feel stuck or unable to move forward in life.
There are so many different factors that create, contribute to and exacerbate anxiety. Your daily routine (especially morning), your job, the people you spend time with, substance use (caffeine is a big contributor!), how you spend your downtime…etc. all effect your overall state of well-being or anxiety.
So what works well for someone else may not work for you and vice versa. I’ve compiled a list here based on things that have worked well for many of my clients. The trick is actually practicing them!
How to find a therapist
Finding a therapist that is right for you can feel very overwhelming. Regardless of how much therapy you’ve had before or past ‘successes’ or ‘failures,’ choosing a therapist is a big decision that should not be taken lightly. As with any other profession, there are decent ones, terrible ones, great ones, and at least a handful that would be a perfect fit for you. The trick is learning how to find that perfect fit before you get burnt out!
Over the years, through my own experience and those of my clients, I’ve learned a few things about how to narrow down your search. Read through the following suggestions for some solid guidelines.
