What is distance counseling? Distance counseling, or teletherapy, is counseling that takes place via phone or video conference because the counselor and the client are in separate locations. Clients and counselors may not be able to meet face to face for various reasons: the client is traveling for work or is on vacation the client…
How often have you noticed your child copying your action, words, or thoughts? Maybe you were driving and heard your child in the back seat repeating, “Come on, people! The light is green! Go, go, go!” Or when you were mowing the lawn and your child got his toy lawnmower and started doing it alongside…
8. That is the percentage of people who will accomplish their new Year’s resolution goals this year. 25. That is the percentage of people who will even make it past 30 days of trying to achieve those goals. That means by Valentines Day, 75 percent of those of us reading (and writing) this post will…
For five straight months, I went online to look up the Pilates class schedule. I promised myself I was going to get back to it the very next day. And so, for five straight months, 2 or 3 times a week, I would click on the big, bold, flashing “Sign Up!” button. I would then…
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “boundary”? Maybe it’s a fence, gate or a towering wall. Psychologically and relationally, boundaries are assertive statements of limits used to describe feelings and needs, expressing what is “me” and my property, and what is “not me” and not my property. They…
I was sitting at a traffic light while silently and anxiously calculating my arrival time. Traffic was growing exponentially along with the likelihood I was going to be more than “fashionably” late. Suddenly, and without warning, something strangely familiar caught my attention. The check-engine light was blinking ominously. I tried to reassure myself it was…
Growing up we learn all sorts of lessons from our parents, teachers, friends and loved ones. One of those lessons is about random acts of kindness and using kind words when speaking to others. We all remember being kids and learning to “be kind to one another.” We hear quotes like, “In a world where…
I often encounter parents who are concerned because their child doesn’t talk about their feelings. Whether it’s in response to a separation or divorce, the death of a loved one, bullying at school, or any other number of issues, parents desire to help their children talk through their emotions. But therein lies the problem: Children…
One of my jobs as a therapist is to make sure that whoever walks into my office for the first time feels safe and comfortable. One way I often do this, is through humor. Here is a common exchange I engage in if they are new to therapy: Therapist: So… is this your first…
Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to do or what to say when someone you care about is mourning a loss. The Bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15), but we often don’t know exactly how to do just that. I hear a lot of shared experiences from clients…