I recently went with my family to see the movie Inside Out and it is a counselor's dream. The idea of seeing how the emotions and the islands work inside a human creates an opportunity for parents and their kids alike to join in a dialogue with common vocabulary. This new vocabulary is playing ... Read More about Emotion Coaching for Parents from the Inside Out
Even in the Midst of Grief, Kids Need to Have Some Fun
I have said it countless time to grieving moms in my office that children grieve differently than we do and don't need to just sit around the house doing nothing. Adults use the business of personal demands and work to distract themselves from continuous and intense emotion. The waves of grief are ... Read More about Even in the Midst of Grief, Kids Need to Have Some Fun
Sometimes It Seems You’re Surrounded by Suffering
I've been walking beside young widows and their children for the past 5 years. It started very slowly. A previous client called pleading, "You've got to see my friend. It's just too much and too sudden and you are the only one I trust." After a few months, she has a friend whose husband suddenly ... Read More about Sometimes It Seems You’re Surrounded by Suffering
Coping When Life is Hard and Sleep Isn’t Happening
The last two nights have been tough. After being sick for two weeks and sleeping a ton, I keep waking up in the night and can't go back to sleep immediately. Being a mental health professional, I follow my own advice. I pray. I then get up for an hour and try again, I even sometimes exercise to ... Read More about Coping When Life is Hard and Sleep Isn’t Happening