Radical Honesty

How honest are you? How honest are you with yourself? Recently I was reminded of the importance of honesty in the therapeutic process and relationship. As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, therapy is  foundationally about having a relationship with yourself. The cornerstone of this process is self-honesty. Many people view honesty as telling the truth to…

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The Value of Emotions

Have you ever been confused by an emotion you have? Have you had to ask yourself why am I so angry? why am I feeling so down, right now? Sometimes emotions can be confusing. It’s easy to be swayed by them completely or on the other side wish that they could be completely turned off. So how…

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Problem Solving 101

Whether it’s your set of circumstances or with another person, as human beings, we are going to encounter conflict in our lives. There are many problems that we deal with on a daily basis, from figuring out what to do about the homework assignments we forgot, to dealing with drama at school, to being in…

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Triggers & Hurts

Often times we can find ourselves angry or frustrated and not even know why. Sometimes it is easy to notice that a certain something said to us, or a behavior, can trigger us in certain ways. These situations and triggers are important and can reveal helpful self-knowledge. The more we understand about ourselves, the more we…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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