Do you long for true healing in a relationship? There are 11 crucial steps toward forgiveness, and healing cannot begin until all eleven steps are taken. Sadly, many of my clients hang on to number nine and refuse to budge from there. Little do they realize the pain and agony they bring to their own … [Read more...]
Mental Health Check-Up
Gone are the days of a stigma attached to those who pursue counseling. This is good news! The healthiest and happiest people are those who have a periodic mental health check-up. If we make one physicians appointment after another for infection, illness, aches and pains, and yet ignore our … [Read more...]
Disenfranchised Grief
Many of my clients enter therapy with deep-seated, unresolved grief and yet are unaware of this grief. What they know is that they are depressed, can’t seem to get out of “stuck”, feel alone and isolated, and basically feel like giving up. What they are experiencing is termed disenfranchised grief. … [Read more...]
Keeping Your Marriage Strong and Healthy
As with flowers and gardens, marriage requires proper tending. Without a commitment of time, regular watering, fertilizing, and weeding, our flowers and vegetables soon begin to wilt and die. When marriages are neglected, they do the same. Too often we give work our best and last burst of energy, … [Read more...]
Relationships: A Path Toward Change
Relationship challenges and tensions are the fuel for growth… OUR growth. If we determine to learn something in every relationship, it diffuses any struggle or battle because the struggles and tensions provide us with answers into ourselves. If we will let it be so, relationships … [Read more...]
Recovery: A Miracle of God
So many people in our world struggle in pain, aimlessly repeating the same hurtful behaviors, yet expecting different results. Perhaps that’s where you find yourself. I’ve been there, too, and my friend, there is freedom for you and there are answers! Recovery: It’s A Start Alcoholics … [Read more...]
Recovery & Healing
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'VE RECOVERED OR ARE ON YOUR WAY TO HEALING? Anytime you do not feel anger, blame, self-pity, bitterness, or resentment, then you are experiencing recovery. If you think of your former spouse, boss, friend, etc., less often than you used to, this is a sign of recovery. If … [Read more...]
Optimal Health
While working with clients to create a treatment plan, I always urge them to include better choices for nutrition and the implementation of an exercise program. Because our physical health has direct correlation with mental health, this is a vital aspect of treatment. It is difficult to work … [Read more...]
Noxious People
I recently did a study of Joseph Shannon, Ph.D.’s work on Noxious People. He defines noxious people as problematic relationships that can cause us many problems, anxiety and chaos. He also calls them extremely ‘high conflict people’ and ‘toxic people’. Here is a list of some of the … [Read more...]
Mutilation/Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
What is Non-suicidal self-injury? Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as deliberately injuring oneself without suicidal intent. The most common form of NSSI is self-cutting, but other forms include burning, scratching, hitting, intentionally preventing wounds from healing, and other … [Read more...]