The cold season is upon us, and as the temperature drops, there is potential for moods to plumet. Ah, "the winter blues." It arrives in all shapes and forms, and may impact some, more than others. Luckily, there are many different foods that one can add to the pantry and stock up to result in... Continue Reading →
Watering Our Mental Health
Our brain signals thirst to our consciousness many times a day. Many of us reach for coffee, soda, tea, and juice as the first defense to quench this thirst. But how many times do we and should we reach for water and how does this affect our cognition? Comprehensive studies on dehydration have shown that... Continue Reading →
Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Depression
In the pursuit for understanding the link between food and mental health, research has turned to investigating the role that inflammation plays on depression. Many of the modern diets focus on anti-inflammatory foods as a way to decrease inflammation in chronic physical illnesses. We are now finding that inflammation also has a negative affect on... Continue Reading →
How Do I Know If I Should Go To Therapy?
I am often asked how do I know if I should go to therapy? This is an excellent question and odds are if you are asking yourself this, it is probably time to seek help. Of course we all have times in life when we feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and down. So if we all... Continue Reading →
A Grateful Intern
As a graduate student in a counseling program at Trinity Christian college, the anxiety in the pit of everyone's stomach is their internship. It is a state requirement that demands a certain amount of hours with clients and other duties of a counselor. It is also a way to gain real world experience, understanding, and insight... Continue Reading →
Stage of Life Transitions
People are always in motion. Whether it is aging, changing jobs, starting or ending relationships, or relocating, life is in a constant state of evolving. This is very evident at milestones across the life span. Beginning at birth, a newborn rapidly develops into a toddler, and a toddler quickly grows into a child. I... Continue Reading →
Termination
No matter how long a client has come in for therapy, an attachment forms between client and counselor. The therapeutic alliance is full of meaning. Creating a safe space for clients to share their pain, shame, disappointments, and milestones, a secure relationship is experienced. Sometimes, a counselor has to leave the relationship for a variety... Continue Reading →
How to Build Resilience
First of all, what is resilience and why is it something that we need? Most simply put, resilience is what helps us to bounce back from adversity. Resilience is the process of adapting effectively in situations such as trauma, tragedy, or significant stressors such as loss of a job or the death of a loved... Continue Reading →
Digging Deep
Have you ever been at a place in your life where you think, “I don’t know if I can make it”? The journey is long, it has been exhausting, and mental fatigue has set in. Sounds a little like what life in general can become. Maybe it’s a medical condition that is chronic, offering glimmers... Continue Reading →
