Blog
How does spirituality fit in to counseling?
“…In the same way that we learn behavior and emotional intelligence from those around us when we are young, we learn about our likes, dislikes, aversions and preferences in relation to the spiritual realm. And we ALL have baggage around spirituality.
I’m in the business of helping you to assess all of your baggage. :)”
Toxic Relationships: How to set healthy boundaries
Whether intentionally or not, toxic people create a huge drain on your energy and health. They are a source of stress, drama and significant effort, you are giving more than you are receiving within the relationship, constantly made out to be the ‘bag guy,’ and it every time you try to set a healthy boundary, it’s like a bomb went off in the relationship. Sound familiar?
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 for anger management
Anger is such a powerful emotion that can really completely take over your mind and body if you allow it. Many anger management techniques are most effective as preventatives, when you are NOT in the moment. I’ve included a few of each. When you feel the heat rising, it’s great to have your go-to strategies ready and waiting for you.
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.
How trauma gets stored in the body
“This mind-body connection is the reason why talk therapy may not always ‘work’ in the way you hope it will. Our subconscious minds are intelligent enough to literally hide unbearable pain, trauma and grief within our body as a survival mechanism.”
Journal Prompt Ideas
Sometimes you just need a little jumpstart with concrete ideas! Lack of direction is one of the main reasons that a journaling practice fails.
How and why to create a journal jar
You might try one for creating a daily affirmation, writing one thing that you love about yourself each day, or filling it up only with things that absolutely inspire you. You might even consider adding a group jar to your home or workplace for multiple people to participate!
How to use nature to combat stress
For much of our lives and our culture, we have completely lost our connection with nature. It’s why nature-based experiential therapy is so important to me. Because it gets us outside of our micro-managed, polished and climate-controlled lives and back to our literal roots.
I like to think about the way that animals within nature live their lives. We can learn a lot from studying and observing the natural world around us. Here are a few lessons we might take from nature:
