Hello everyone! Working simultaneoulsy in Youth Ministry and Faith Formation for the past six years, and working as a Marriage and Family therapist towards licensure for the past four, I have acquired a passion for integrating the richness of the Catholic faith with the psychotherapy process. In working with these populations teen and young adult…
Active Listening 101
What does it mean to really listen to someone? How do you keep your mind from wandering during a conversation? As humans we all have a deep desire for intimacy and therefore a desire to be heard and understood. Listening is a key skill and component to any relationship. Here are a few tips to…
Things That Aren’t Helping Your Mental Health
Growing up there were many times I would sit in Adoration trying to pray, but my mind would be all over the place. I couldn’t stop thinking about things I needed to do and worrying about what was going on in my life. For a while I thought I wasn’t praying right, but I soon…
How to Deal With Anxiety as a Catholic
How to Deal With Anxiety as a Catholic As a teen there were many times that I was super anxious and didn’t even know it. It wasn’t until college that I realized what I was experiencing wasn’t completely healthy. I remember being in one of my smaller classes and feeling so anxious that I had…
Teens & the Need to be Understood
Starting out as a therapist trainee, I worked specifically with kids in anger management groups. At first I was a bit nervous about working with disgruntled teens who were forced by the court to attend my groups. However, I soon realized that it didn’t matter so much what I did or said but how much…
Thoughts Matter
Your Thoughts Matter! Some scientists claim that we have over 50,000 thoughts per day! It’s amazing how many thoughts run through our heads each and every day. Sometimes we are not even fully aware of our passing thoughts and how they shape our views, opinions, and actions. We might wonder how our thoughts affect our…
5 Things Parents & Teen Guys Should Know About Chastity
What comes to mind when you hear the word chastity?
Dating with a Purpose – Building a Christ Centered Relationship
Dating can often be confusing, heart-breaking, and sometimes scary. So, how do we date with confidence and purpose? What are the keys to building a healthy, lasting, Christ-centerted relationship? Let’s begin by looking at these three main points: Laying the foundation for a healthy relationship – building your house on rock God’s purpose for dating –…
Five Basic Needs of Teenagers
Hello! At the intersection between my work in psychotherapy and my work in Youth Ministry I have found these five needs of teenagers to be very helpful. The adolescent years can be a time of self-discovery and growing autonomy as teens encounter the larger world around them. These five needs can help us better understand…
Peace of Soul – Part 2
“They are restless until they rest in thee.” – St. Augustine. Hello everyone! It has been a while since my last blog. In June I married my beautiful wife and took a break from writing but am now excited to add Part 2 of the Peace of Soul blog on Venerable Fulton Sheen’s book Peace of…
The Power of ‘No’: Christian Assertiveness
In the past three weeks of the Batterer’s groups that I run, we have been talking about assertiveness with the guys. Talking about assertiveness and even assertive refusals has led me to think more about the importance of saying ‘no’, especially in the Christian life. When I started working for the Church in Youth Ministry,…
