Rock Springs Positive Coaching Caring and Counseling

11/06/2024

On Election Day, I'd offered preemptive comfort to friends worried about the possibility of a convicted ra**st and instigator of the Jan 6 Capitol Riot becoming the next President.

I, however, held higher hopes for our democracy and faith in our future. While I am deeply saddened by the outcome, I know that it is possible to re-ground myself in the ongoing work that comes next.

Today, I still have hope that our experiment in Democracy - that of creating a voice for all people - can eventually flourish even as we witness the flaws in the current system that enables gerrymandering, voter suppression, and other forms of intimidation to persist.

I can also hold up the faith of our ancestors and their wisdom.

Those who study the New Testament (and the Old, in many instances) will find that the message of loving-kindness and incarnated compassion is so revolutionary that it may be experienced by both the powerful and the mob as threatening - to such an extent that it leads to sacrifice or crucifixion.

But that's not the end of the story.

Whether it's three days later, two years later or forty years - Resurrection arrives.

Where do we find ourselves today? I trust that we will not need to inhabit the wilderness for forty years waiting for the Promised Land.

I think that today, we enter a season of Reform. I bear in mind, in fact, that Martin Luther posted his 95 suggestions for reform on the church door at Wittenberg just a little over 500 years ago. They are primarily remembered for the call to stop peddling indulgences (i.e., certificates to reduce punishment time in purgatory for sins committed). Kind of a "get out of jail" card - evidently, we are still working through his suggestion.

I do have faith that reform is possible and grateful that some were celebrating Reformation Sunday this past weekend for it brings to mind the liturgical color of that season: RED.

For me, I will undertake to see those red caps with a new light: they can represent to ne the need for reform even if I know that the wearers are terribly misguided about what kind of reform is actually needed.

For it's not the narcissistic assertion that America can be made to be great again but instead that it might come to welcome and represent ALL the people rather than simply the uber rich and power-hungry.

One additional thought about the word MAKE. We rarely hear this word in Juedo-Christian Scripture other than in three contexts.

1. We are made in the image of God. It will be useful to remember this in the coming days and years.

2. When used in the context of making a holy garment or place. We will definitely need holy places for retreat and renewal.

3. When connected with the idea of a clean heart and spirit. We are invited to examine our own hearts and make them pure.

Indeed, Proverbs 16 reminds us that "Mortals make elaborate plans,but God has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good."

So how might we incorporate goodness (patience, gentleness, meekness, and self-control) while we work to promote the values of the Sermon on the Mount?

Where can we find love, joy, and peace on a day filled with disappointment and broken dreams?

I think we look to our family, friends and neighbors and offer charitable hearts and service. We offer our support as we bear witness that true reform is born not out of fear and exclusion but in acceptance and love.

Today, I still have hope, and I'm cultivating my sense of faith that death is not only an ending but a transition to something new. We can do good work and we will find some good trouble to get into.

Today, I will seek wisdom and move a little more slowly, cultivating as much loving-kindness as I can find within myself and be compassionate with myself when my frustration temporarily overtakes my capacity for staying centered.

I will practice really deep breathing and call upon my faith and my ancestors to help guide me in this quest.

I will study and I will move forward.

Most importantly, for me, I will seek to serve.

Afer all, what else can I do?

11/05/2024

Tuesday, Nov 5 2024

My sister shared this poem with me this morning:

HOLDING VIGIL
Allison Luterman

My cousin asks if I can describe this moment,
the heaviness of it, like sitting outside
the operating room while someone you love
is in surgery and you’re on those awful plastic chairs
eating flaming Doritos from the vending machine
which is the only thing that seems appealing to you, dinner-wise,
waiting for the moment when the doctor will come out
in her scrubs and face-mask, which she’ll pull down
to tell you whether your beloved will live or not. That’s how it feels
as the hours tick by, and everyone I care about
is texting me with the same cold lump of dread in their throat
asking if I’m okay, telling me how scared they are.
I suppose in that way this is a moment of unity,
the fact that we are all waiting in the same
hospital corridor, for the same patient, who is on life support,
and we’re asking each other, Will he wake up?
Will she be herself? And we’re taking turns holding vigil,
as families do, and bringing each other coffee
from the cafeteria, and some of us think she’s gonna make it
while others are already planning what they’ll wear to the funeral,
which is also what happens at times like these,
and I tell my cousin I don’t think I can describe this moment,
heavier than plutonium, but on the other hand,
in the grand scheme of things, I mean the whole sweep
of human history, a soap bubble, because empires
are always rising and falling, and whole civilizations
die, they do, they get wiped out, this happens
all the time, it’s just a shock when it happens to your civilization,
your country, when it’s someone from your family on the respirator,
and I don’t ask her how she’s sleeping, or what she thinks about
when she wakes at three in the morning,
cause she’s got two daughters, and that’s the thing,
it’s not just us older people, forget about us, we had our day
and we burned right through it, gasoline, fast food,
cheap clothing, but right now I’m talking about the babies,
and not just the human ones, but also the turtles and owls
and white tigers, the Redwoods, the ozone layer,
the icebergs for the love of God—every single
blessed being on the face of this earth
is holding its breath in this moment,
and if you’re asking, can I describe that, Cousin,
then I’ve gotta say no, no one could describe it
we all just have to live through it,
holding each other’s hands.

—from Poets Respond

My cousin asks if I can describe this moment, the heaviness of it, like sitting outside the operating room while someone you love is in surgery and you’re on those awful plastic chairs eating…

09/25/2024

Annual conference of Spirituality Integrated Psychothera**sts and Practitioners, Oct 11-13

Come for one day or all three.

Early bird reservations still available.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2024 ACPE Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy Conference!  Our volunteer work in bringing spiritually integrated practitioners together is very important to us and we hope that you will enjoy the comradery and community that is sure to occur throughout the w...

09/18/2024

We all mourn the passing of an Atlanta legend and someone we deeply admired.

https://www.facebook.com/share/7PfZLZkKRbJq8q5X/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Remembering the writer and editor

09/13/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/gnVmQzJN7X9jjhKv/?mibextid=UalRPS

We can hardly bear it!

06/19/2024

Celebrating Juneteenth here in Atlanta!

04/11/2024

Announcing: Group Therapy Meets the Book Club
May 2024

We invite young women (around ages 26-39) to join us for six evenings as we explore topics ranging from career to relationship to personal growth – all through the lens of popular romance books! We will connect for discussion, personal growth and our shared love of reading in a therapeutic space facilitated by professional thera**sts.

​

For more information, email Brooke.Sanders@RockSprings.us or call our office at 404-721-7409.

We offer a positive, affirming, and collaborative approach to working through questions about life, w

03/06/2024

We appreciate all social workers and especially the two who practice with us Thomas Anderson and Joseph Cross, LCSW

10/27/2023

Researchers from Universität Graz found even at early stages of musical training, there were significant anatomical differences in the auditory cortex. This study elucidates the impact of nature and nurture on auditory neurodevelopment.

Learn More: https://bit.ly/455ThsO

09/25/2023

Stay-win-lose neuroscience

: While the PFC has been supposed to be the site of working memory, researchers from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University show neuronal activity in the motor cortico-basal ganglia loop carry previous action & reward info necessary for the win-stay-lose-switch behavior in rats.

Learn More: https://bit.ly/3YRyDeL

02/04/2023

11/25/2022

Music for reflection, meditation, and preparation.

Playlist

04/14/2022

Rock Springs plans to re-open some of our offices during the first week in May. With that said, please be assured that we will also remain available for online appointments for those individuals who prefer or need that option.

Over the next few weeks, we will keep a watchful eye on the next surge of the next variant to understand its potential effect on safety. Our primary focus is on hospital utilization rates and should these return to the 90%+ range, we will adjust our plans.

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Re-opening-Spring-2022.html?soid=1107205830282&aid=4t8nJ9LMQG0

Important update on re-opening Update from Rock Springs View as Webpage Greetings As of April 14, 2022, we are expecting to re-open our practice at Rock Springs during the first week in May. With that

03/12/2022

Childhood trauma can be screened with this useful tool: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Check out these useful resources at CDC and please reach out to us if you desire our help.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. CDC works to understand ACEs and prevent them.

01/15/2022

Hopeful research study!

Depression, Repeated Doses of Ketamine, and Neuroimaging

01/13/2022

Sharing new position paper from on transforming Georgia's mental health system

02/26/2021

We are big fans of The Atlantic and are sharing these ideas from their Daily Newsletter!
FEBRUARY 24, 2021

By Caroline Mimbs Nyce
Senior associate editor

We’ve arrived at the final stretch of this pandemic. Break up the monotony of isolation with a small activity, as suggested by our newsroom.

The COVID-19 Outbreak

(Carolyn Drake / Magnum)
The prognosis is good, really good: Cases are falling and summer 2021 looks to be incredible. Now we’ve just got to get through the spring.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of being isolated for another few months, or have simply run out of activities to do in your home, let us help. Below, our writers and editors offer their best suggestions for making it through this stretch.

1. Take a neighborhood plant walk.
I have taken up night walks, wandering the empty streets of Oakland and Berkeley after my kids go to bed. Every once in a while, I find a succulent from a neighbor and snip just a tiny piece. Then, I take it home, stick it in water, and wait for its roots to sprout and grow down. Eventually I plant it in the tiny garden that I've built.
— Alexis C. Madrigal, staff writer

2. Then: Build on your indoor garden.
Grow it; don’t throw it: Plant some kitchen scraps (lemon seeds, lentils, celery stalks, avocado pits) and watch new life happen in days, no extra soil or pots required.
— Shan Wang, senior editor

3. Call someone.
Pick up your phone and call—actually call; don’t text—a friend just to catch up. Any time I have talked to a friend during this pandemic, I have found the conversation restorative, grounding, and gratifying. Plus, you never know when the person on the other end of the line really needs a friend, too.
— Rebecca J. Rosen, senior editor

4. Make pierogies.
One weekend, perhaps seized by the spirit of some ancient Polish ancestor, I found myself irresistibly drawn to the idea of making pierogies. The little dumplings require an astonishing amount of time and patience, at least by my standards, but the process is meditative, and at the end, you have something delicious for the freezer. Any filling works. I’ve followed recipes from the Gefilteria and NYT Cooking.
— Emma Green, staff writer

5. Take a fake commute.
I learned this trick from one of my favorite newsletters, Girls’ Night In: If you're working remotely, create a daily commute and take a walk around the block in the morning. Quarantine has blurred so many work-life boundaries that even a pretend journey can feel refreshing.
— Marina Koren, staff writer

6. Learn about cicadas.
Maybe you or your kids are fascinated by bugs. If so (and if an overabundance of insects isn’t too biblical-plague-esque for you), now’s a perfect time to study up on them before your spring hikes: The Brood X cicadas are emerging for the first time in 17 years. (Did you know that there are also 13-year broods?)
— A.C. Valdez, senior podcast producer

7. Host a standing Zoom get-together.
A group of my friends organized a standing nightly Zoom meeting for the month of February as part of a plan to revive a college tradition. This structure has (perhaps ironically) recreated both the consistency and the spontaneity that I’ve been missing socially. The meetings are planned, but it’s always a surprise who will show up. They help to fight against the instinct toward self-isolation by removing any barriers to seeing friends: Someone will be on the call each night.
— Kate Cray, assistant editor

8. Change up your hair (but don't give yourself bangs).
Every day is the same. Every day is overwhelming. You scroll through Instagram, bored, procrastinating, and see the same ad as always, for brightly colored hair dye, until one time you hit Purchase. Why not? It turns the floor of your shower purple; now you’ve got Saturday-night plans. And the next time you see yourself in a mirror, you smile—for once, not everything is the same.
— Karen Ostergren, deputy copy chief

9. Play video games.
Video games are fun! Remember fun? They take you away from your stupid home; they give you a sense of forward motion, even when you’re sitting on your couch. You could spend these long, boring pandemic days yearning for your old life or beating yourself up for not being more productive, or you could just play Pokémon. A pandemic is no time to overachieve.
— Julie Beck, Family editor

10. Take on a home-improvement project.
The most satisfying things that I’ve done for myself in the past year have been a series of small home-improvement projects, such as swapping out my kitchen faucet for a model with a higher neck and spray nozzle. DIY projects work on several levels—they give you something new to learn, they require you to put down your phone and focus on the task in front of you, and they provide the satisfaction of solving a problem whose solution you can see and appreciate every day.
— Amanda Mull, staff writer

11. Buy new socks.
This is sad, but even the smallest novelties help. I ordered two pairs the other week just to have something to feel excited about.
— Paul Bisceglio, Health, Science, and Technology editor

12. Set micro-goals, and track your habits.
I know, I know. This seems like the kind of toothless advice that the worst person you know would offer on LinkedIn. But it works: My habit calendar guided me through a turbulent January, forcing me to take five-minute stretch breaks and get outside once aper day. Crossing my daily tasks off also helped me visualize the passing of time.
— Caroline Mimbs Nyce, senior associate editor

13. Do a clothing-and-other-items-that-can-be-donated purge.
The pandemic is nothing if not clarifying, and one thing it’s helped me realize is that I have too much stuff. Twice this past year, I’ve gone through my belongings—clothing, books, kitchenware, decor—and separated out items for donation. Hopefully, my neighbors will find them as useful or educational or beautiful as I once did.
— Nora Kelly Lee, senior editor, Politics

14. Volunteer.
Many organizations offer creative ways to serve the community while staying safe. You can organize a contactless food drive, tutor a student over Zoom, or answer a domestic abuse hotline. I consistently find a deep sense of purpose and connection in meeting and helping my neighbors.
— Katie Martin, associate art director