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The Powerful Benefits of Choosing Faith-Based Counseling
As a mental health professional, I understand the importance of addressing the holistic well-being of my clients – mind, body, and spirit. For many individuals, their faith and spirituality play a significant role in their lives, influencing their values, beliefs, and sense of purpose. Faith-based counseling can be a powerful step towards achieving emotional and spiritual healing. Faith-based counseling provides a unique approach to therapy that integrates psychological techniques with spiritual principles and beliefs. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals who are seeking to deepen their connection with their spiritual life and values, and who desires a therapist who understands and respects their faith traditions. Here are some benefits…
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Breaking the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health
Mental health has long been a taboo topic in society, shrouded in stigma and misconceptions. Despite progress in recent years, many individuals still feel ashamed or afraid to seek help for their mental health challenges. This stigma can prevent people from getting the support they need and deserve, leading to feelings of isolation and exacerbating their struggles. It is crucial to break down these barriers and create a safe and supportive environment for individuals to openly discuss and address their mental health. Seeking Help is a Sign of Weakness One of the most pervasive myths surrounding mental health is the idea that seeking help is a sign of weakness. This harmful belief contributes to the stigma surrounding mental…
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A Season to Reflect
Fall is here in Louisiana and it’s a great time to stop and reflect! I don’t know about you, but fall is my favorite season. The cool weather in the mornings is my favorite! I grew up in Michigan, and it’s a little different here than it is there during fall. For example, the leaves change quicker there, and sometimes in October, it snows! My family and I would go to a cider mill and get fresh hot cider and donuts every year. There’s something about the smell in the air and the big green trees turning yellow, orange, and red. Stop and Reflect Fall is also a time of…
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Life Lessons from Solving a Puzzle
A few weeks ago I did something I hadn’t done in quite a while—I put together a puzzle with a friend. Although we haven’t finished it yet, the experience reminded me of how putting together a puzzle is similar to moving through life. Here are some of the insights I gained while piecing it together. Clarity First, let’s normalize that putting together a puzzle, especially a 1,000-piece one with minimal detail, is not easy. When I started trying to put this puzzle together, I was quickly reminded to reference the picture of what the puzzle is supposed to look like often. Clarity is key. Understanding what you want your life…
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How to be Childlike (but not Childish) to Improve Mental Health:
In today’s fast-paced and hectic world, it’s easy to get caught up in the stresses and responsibilities of adulthood. We often forget the carefree and imaginative mindset of childhood that can bring joy and lightness to our lives. However, embracing a childlike mentality while still maintaining maturity and responsibility can have significant benefits for our mental health. Being childlike means tapping into the curiosity, wonder, and creativity that children naturally possess. It means approaching life with a sense of playfulness and openness, rather than being weighed down by worries and fears. Embracing this mindset can help us to see the world in a new light, sparking our creativity and inspiring…
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Apps That Can Support Your Mental Health
Do you know the 6 smartphone Apps that can support your mental health? We have all heard before that technology is a waste of time. I hear that phrase the most from my grandparents. Some of what they say is true, but smartphones can be helpful for your body, mindset, and life, when used in the right way. People use smartphones for their entertainment purposes such as Netflix, Hulu, Facebook, and others. Social media and entertainment apps are the most used on everyone’s smartphones. Instead of using technology to benefit the entertainment side of our lives, why not use it to better increase our mindset and mental health? Here are…
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Social Media Risks for Teens: Mental Health, Addiction, and Cyberbullying
Social media has become a major part of our lives and a huge impact on society. Teenagers have more access to social networks. This access brings teens to a range of issues. Issues such as social anxiety, digital addition, cyber bullying, media pressure, and increased screen time are increased due to social networking. Parents worry about their children due to social media. Social media exposes dangers into a teens life. It is imperative for parents, educators, and other adults who have an impact on teenager’s lives to be aware of these dangers . Social media is changing. We have to remain knowledgeable to be able to protect our teens from…
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Connecting with Angry Children 101
Warning: This article is for parents and caregivers who know that they aren’t perfect, who occasionally are afraid to take their kids out in public, who know that they will find nothing monumental in the following article about parenting, but love their kids and are willing to trust their own intuition over any one single “proven” parenting strategy. A teenager and his mom arrived in my office one day, one looking angry as hell and the other at her wit’s end. Her son was in trouble at school, in trouble at home, a behavior problem everywhere he went, with not a single respectful bone in his body. His attitude in…
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Feeling Angry? Here Are 3 Steps to Take
Recently, I talked to someone who stated they were feeling angry with their intimate partner. When I reflected back to them that they said they were angry, they looked back at me confused. They responded by trying to say they weren’t really angry, because they felt like it was “not acceptable to be angry with those they love”. Here’s something we should all know, it is OKAY to be angry with the ones we love. In fact, it is inevitable that we are going to feel at least some form of anger towards them at some point. We are human. The important thing is to recognize when we are feeling…
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Mental Health is Health
May is mental health awareness month. Mental health is a very important part of our overall health. Each year millions of Americans are affected by mental illness (1 in 5 adults and 1 in 6 youth aged 6-17). One way to break the stigma that continues to surround mental health is to talk about it. The more we talk about it, the more it will encourage those struggling to seek the help they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Life Can Be Hard We can all agree life comes with challenges. Many of the challenges we face are not ones we ask for or seek. Yet, they are still things…
