Remember the childhood retort that ‘sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me’? If only this could be true! I can remember saying this on the playground to a now unknown tormentor only to turn away with tears streaming down my face. I’ve heard too many stories from too many [...]

As I sit here at my computer just wrung out from a day working with clients I am thankful it is almost Thanksgiving and I can have two days off to be with my family uninterrupted. I have counseled many clients this week who have become greatly conflicted about the holidays and why shouldn’t [...]

It seems timely, as we head into the holiday season, to reflect on one of the hallmarks of holiday gatherings: eating. Through much of the year, eating has a less ritualistic function (aside from birthday cakes and summer barbeques) than the gatherings at the end of the calendar year. Most people who celebrate this [...]

I currently live in small, rural town in Missouri. Phewww, typing that was cathartic! The town is predominately made up of White, working class Protestants who, until the last presidential election, were tried and true democrats. The town recently renovated the local playhouse and currently shows a movie a few Saturdays a month. You know, [...]

Sandy Urkovich is a counselor in Sanibel Island, Florida and a recent graduate of an online animal assisted therapy certificate program. With her clients, Sandy uses her own dogs who have helped not only ameliorate relationships, but often provide a temporary deflection of feelings of pain, or offer a shoulder to cry on. Here is [...]

I saw a feature on the local news about security and surveillance and I was astonished at how common surveillance cameras are. They are everywhere~ in subway stairways, on street corners, in the grocery store, at major theme parks. And actually, I guess I knew that. We all know that, right? But how many [...]

I begin this week’s blog by revealing that I survived my father’s 1994 suicide. Since that time, I’ve also lost two clients and one student to suicide. This probably sounds overwhelming for you as a reader, but I think that the most important thing I can give you is to say that my felt sense [...]

I remember graduate school fondly. I waited five years before I went back to school. I was ready to go back to school and maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much. I remember how nice it felt to have only two classes and wanting to read material as opposed to [...]