Recently, someone asked me how a parent might prepare for a custody or parental fitness evaluation. I have conducted many evaluations and while it has been a long time since I sat in the evaluator’s chair, the question brought me immediately back to something I learned doing that work: describe the behavior rather than diagnosing… [Read More]
Did Spirit Say That? Or Did You?
Lately, everybody seems to be channeling… Let me begin by saying something that may complicate what you think I am about to say: I believe in signs. I pay attention to synchronicities. I work with dreams, symbols, intuition, oracle cards, essential oils, Reiki, subtle energies, and all manner of things that might make a strict… [Read More]
The Impression Is Not the Intervention
I teach intuition, but I also teach discernment. For these reasons, the two belong together: suggestibility, and therapist power. When therapists, coaches, healers, and spiritual guides begin trusting their intuition, there can be an understandable impulse to share what arrives. A felt sense, image, word, or sudden knowing may seem important. Sometimes it is. But… [Read More]
Therapist, Coach, or Both? A Values Clarification Exercise
Over the past several years, I’ve noticed an increasing number of licensed mental health professionals exploring coach training. Some are curious about adding coaching competencies to their clinical work. Others are considering leaving psychotherapy altogether. Still others are attracted by the flexibility that coaching appears to offer. The reasons are understandable. Therapists speak of burnout,… [Read More]
Creative Writing, Aromatherapy, and Young People
Recently, a few therapists have asked me if I would share some of the essential oils and writing prompts I use in my work. Most speak about working with adults but a few therapists who work with children and adolescents have also asked, seeking creative ways to support the young people in their practice. I… [Read More]
How Professionals Keep Becoming
Reflection, Formation, and the Learning That Shapes Us Not long ago, another therapist reached out with interest in one of my courses. She loved the topic. It sounded exactly like what she had been looking for. Then came the inevitable question. “Will it count for CE in my state?” When she discovered the answer was… [Read More]
The Contemplative Life I Didn’t Plan
I had a pity party recently—the kind where tears arrive unexpectedly and all your past losses line up for inspection. Afterall, I haven’t left the house in over a month. While I’ve been struggling with my physical health for quite some time, I thought surely, I would be all better by now. Since my mother’s… [Read More]
What a Balance Cushion Taught Me About Hypervigilance
Recently, I began vestibular rehabilitation after being diagnosed with peripheral vestibular hypofunction, a condition in which one side of the balance system is not sending clear signals to the brain. The treatment is surprisingly simple: eye movements paced by a metronome, balance exercises, and repetitive activities designed to help the brain recalibrate and compensate. Well,… [Read More]
