Accepting Defeat
Friday afternoon rolled around with Presidents’ Day weekend on the horizon. Traditionally, I worked either over the weekend at my part-time job or worked on Presidents’ Day since most mental health agencies did not contract […]
Workplace Self-Care
A faint buzzing sound rings in your ear. Your exposed eye that is not covered by a pillow squints open. You look at the source of the sound. Your hand searches for the snooze button […]
Overcoming Mental Health Stigma
Last week I posted about how mental health stigma can present itself as an obstacle to one’s self-care. To check that post out, click here: https://caringcounselor.blog/2019/01/29/stigma-and-self-care-pt-1/ Picking up where I left off though, we cannot […]
Stigma and Self-Care Pt. 1
One of my favorite activities as a group facilitator involved the topic of stigma, or the “societal labels.” I stood in front of the six-foot whiteboard holding my dry erase marker. I asked my clients […]
Don’t Complete It, Complement It
***Warning: Some NSFW language*** I had dinner plans with a girlfriend (a friend who is a girl) that I set up a few days prior. My actual girlfriend was sick with bronchitis for nearly a […]
Empathy is Life’s Greatest Teacher
Last week I experienced every mental health professional’s worst nightmare. A young man I worked with took his own life. If you want to get caught up to speed about what happened, feel free to […]
Suicide is a B*tch
I was not feeling all that great and opted to take a Sunday afternoon nap. On my lazy Sunday, a chirping sound woke me. It was my work cell. My ringtone was a cricket noise […]
The Caring Counselor Year in Review- 2018
I don’t know about you, but 2018 felt like the longest year on record. What I can definitely say is that New Year’s always provides a time for reflection. We can look back at the […]
Anxiety’s Many Personalities
Sitting here trying to write this post drove me insane. I deleted and rewrote the introduction at least five times over the course of an hour. I sat here staring at an empty screen. I […]
Long-Lasting Effects of Trauma
This time of year has never been fun for yours truly. In October 2009, I lost my childhood home to a fire. In November 2015, I experienced my first- and hopefully last- psychiatric hospitalization after […]