Thoughts and Prayers
There was a time when saying that you had someone in your “thoughts and prayers” was meaningful and appreciated. When someone says that it nowadays, it often feels like apathetic. The phrase gets bashed all […]
Personal Reminders
War of Self
The first half of 2018 was not kind to me. I lost my childhood home to foreclosure. I broke my ankle. I was in a pretty serious car accident in a vehicle I owned for […]
Down, But Not Out
All I can say is depression is a bitch. Not the fun kind of bitch that makes snarky comments and everyone giggles. It is the Regina George of mental health. It knocked me on my […]
Open the Door
I’ve seen a lot of shit. In both my personal and professional life, I have either heard, seen, or experienced unimaginable events good and bad. Therefore, I developed an uncanny ability to bounce back quickly. […]
Confronting Your Demons
It was fifteen minutes before nine on a Sunday morning. I sat there at a diner table with my eyes anxiously darting from my phone up to the windows facing the parking lot. I glanced […]
It’s Always There
“I have a secret to tell you. You know it’s always there — in the back of your mind.” I oversaw a small partial care program for roughly two years. Roughly 15 to 20 clients […]
In for the Long Haul
I admit that I can get away with things as a community-based mental health counselor that the average counselor dreams of. I get to take my clients out into the community to parks, restaurants, community […]
The Power of Understanding
Working as an in-home counselor, I can do things that typical counselors cannot. Just the other day I took one of my clients out to lunch for our session. This young man has been on […]
Vicarious Trauma
This week was rough. My mental health took a toll on me. I recently transitioned between jobs. I was working two counseling jobs, easily adding up to sixty hours a week. This was all while […]
Five By Five Rule
Earlier this morning, I was having a session at a local diner with an adolescent male I see twice a week. He was initially referred for counseling for anger management after aggravated assault charges and […]