Happy Holidays?
The holiday season is officially upon us, and for many of us that comes with a whirlwind of planning, decorating, activities, etc. All of these are designed to make us feel that holiday ‘magic’ or ‘spirit,’ something akin to the warmth of loving friends and family, the anticipation of gift giving (and let’s be honest, […]
Falling Back
We just turned our clocks back an hour, and although most were happy for the extra hour of sleep, we often view falling back or going backwards as a negative thing. This is often the case as we experience times of growth and/or change in our lives. The journey of life growth will always include […]
The Masks We Wear
October brings with it many sights, sounds, and activities; leaves changing colors and falling to the ground, cooler air, apple picking, pumpkin carving, and Halloween. We are in full fall mode, and if you have little ones in your life, it is also the time for candy buying and costume shopping. The fun of getting […]
The Mindfulness Bridge
My last blog post was about the notion of mindful living, and I realized that it is such an important topic that I wanted to continue to elaborate on it. I believe it is such a vital state of being, but one that we are not always successful at implementing in a tangible way. I […]
Here: Now and Present
A dear person in my life shared this poem with me that she wrote recently: Help me to stay here, in this 24 hours.Not looking ahead in fear or fantasy,Or looking back in regret or regression, but here – present, aware, and me. Poem entitled “here” This poem reminded me what a gift it is […]
The Narrative: What does the counseling process look like?
This is the final blog of the counseling process series. Here I would like to focus on clients’ narratives. Tip #5: Rescript the Narrative Once the self-narrative has been identified through the previous exercises, we then begin to look at the God-narrative as the truth to replace the lie (CIB). I believe that it is […]
Core Beliefs: What does the counseling process look like?
When negative self-talk, “brain grooves”, and thought charts have been processed, I help the counselee see how these messages have invaded the very core of who they are. I ask them to think of their core as a steel/titanium bean that cannot be moved or shaken. Yes, life certainly shakes our thoughts, our feelings, our […]
Thought Patterns: What does the counseling process look like?
One way to help identity what the negative self-talk or “brain groove” is would be to find the theme or pattern that speaks most loudly, and most often in a person’s thought process. What is the message that the tape recorder plays over and over and over again in their head? Tip #3: Recognize the […]
Self-Talk: What does the counseling process look like?
This next blog post in the series for counselors focuses on the need to identify the self-talk that counselees say to themselves about themselves. This enables the counseling process to explore the cracks in the foundation of the “house” (the self), and begin to recognize the ingrained Core Irrational Beliefs (CIB) coined by Albert Ellis […]
Counseling: A Walking With Experience
I think that counseling is more of a “walking with” experience rather than a “telling” experience. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, one of the often held misconceptions of counseling is that people come in and we, as counselors, have all the answers to all of life’s problems, and when we tell them what to […]