Hope for Healing Counseling LLC

09/16/2025

This is such great news! Lots of horses still available for adoption.

DORSET — Martha Stewart, (yes, that Martha Stewart) has adopted two of the Friesian horses that were rescued from the troubled Friesians of Majesty horse farm in Townshend.

09/09/2025

I spent the weekend training virtually for Humanitarian Assistance Program.
That’s another 18 fabulous clinicians across the country trained in EMDR. EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs

09/09/2025

ADHD doesn’t always look the way you might expect it to …

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18mHMddSQd/?mibextid=wwXIfr

07/22/2025

I'll be offering an EMDR Basic Training in August/September.

04/11/2025

Food for thought...

01/16/2025

If you know anyone in the market for EMDR Basic Training, please share this with them.
https://hope-training.thinkific.com/courses/emdr-burlington-vt-2025
Hosted by Spectrum Youth and Family Services www.spectrumvt.org

10/24/2024

AND......

It's amazing how such a small word can make such a big difference. We challenge you to think of where you can add in an AND and change your perspective. 📷.org

09/29/2024

Shame

❤️🌼❤️Christine…

09/26/2024

https://hope-training.thinkific.com/courses/emdr-basic-training-live-in-bennington-vt-2024

LIVE EMDR Basic Training in Bennington Vermont. November 15-17, 2024 & January 17-19 2025. This course is approved by EMDRIA and is also approved by VT OPR (Allied Mental Health) for 40 CEUs.

Live basic EMDR training in Bennington Vermont

07/31/2024

Ten Things Bereaved Parents Wish You Knew

1. Please don't be afraid to talk to me about my child. My child lived and was very important to me, and it is a comfort to me to know that he or she was important to you, too. My child is pretty much always on my mind anyway...you're not going to "remind" me that he or she is gone.

2. If I cry when you speak of my child, it isn't because you have hurt me. My child's death is the cause of my tears. You have talked about my child and allowed me to share my grief and I thank you for both.

3. If I seem absent-minded and forgetful, that's because I am! "Grief Brain" is a common malady in bereaved parents. I'm really not losing my mind, but sometimes I may feel like I am.

4. Please don't expect my grieving to be over in six months, or even a year. The early months may be the most traumatic for me, but please understand that my grief will never fully end until the day I am reunited with my child in Heaven. And though it may sound strange, I don't really want my pain to completely go away....it helps me feel connected to my child.

5. When you ask me how I'm doing, that's a really hard question for me to answer. I will probably tell you I'm fine or I'm doing okay, but neither one of us has enough time for me to fully and accurately answer that question.

6. Please excuse me if I seem rude at times. Sometimes I just don't have the emotional stamina to participate in small talk and keep the smile on my face. I may just have to " check out" for awhile.

7. Please don't tell me you understand or that you understand how I feel. Unless you have lost a child, you cannot understand how it feels. I pray that you will never know how I feel.

8. Being a bereaved parent is not contagious, so please don't shy away from me. I need your support now more than ever before.

9. You may see me struggling emotionally sometimes, but this is just me trying to survive. This does not mean that I have lost my faith. For a variety of reasons, anywhere I am or anything I’m doing anymore is just a very emotional place to be. But I’m trying.

10. Please understand that the loss of a child changes a person. When my child died, a large part of me died with him or her. I am not the same person that I was before my child died and I will never be that person again.

Author Unknown

07/20/2024

I know many people in the Bennington/Pownal community are concerned about what and how to say to their children at this terribly heartbreaking time, here are some ideas:

When Children Experience Death

Possible Emotional Responses ... -Sadness or depression -Confusion (about why adults are upset, location of deceased, what is going on) -Feeling abandoned/deserted *left behind by loved one *others not emotionally able to provide usual care or emotional support -Loneliness -Anxiety or Panic *Separation Anxiety *Worry about impact or change *Panic about own health: "I have a bump. Is it cancer? I'm going to die, too!" -Guilt or responsibility taking -Anger

Possible Behavioral Responses ... -Crying or pouting -Rapid shifts between crying/withdrawal and laughing/playing/active participation -Regression (thumb sucking, baby talk, etc.) -Aggression (Among children experiencing a significant Joss, 1/4-1/3 engage in unprovoked violence. Bolby, 1980) -Overactive or high energy "Busy Bee" -Asks many questions [Adults misinterpret matter-of-fact questions, "Will Granny be cold under ground?, as weird or morbid. These questions are normal for young children coming to terms with death.] -Frequently brings up deceased -Refuses to discuss deceased -Sleep disturbances: insomnia refuses to sleep or go to bed, early morning awakening -Becomes overly self-reliant -Displays care taking behaviors.

Possible Cognitive Responses ... -Varying levels of understanding according to age... *older children generally personify death as bogey man, grim reaper, or ghost *5 and under: death is not final, no understanding of causes or "forever," expect dead to come back to life, view death as sleeping *5-9: accept that the person has died, do not accept that death will happen to everyone, may ask what "dead" is -Curiosity about death or deceased experiences (Is she hungry? Where is Boomer?) -Takes Responsibility: Cause and Effect Punishment Relationship: "Something bad has happened to me, so I must have done something bad to deserve it." Magical Voodoo Thinking: "I wished my sister would go away and now she's dead. I did it."

Possible Social Responses ... -Need to feel included>may demand to play with others or have teacher's time -Takes on a care taking role> makes self indispensable

Helping Children Adjust to Death

* Help the child feel secure. -Remind the child he/she is loved and liked. -Provide a special stuffed toy for company. -Maintain stability ... require the child to follow classroom as always. -Give some extra attention.

* Be available. -Let the child know that you know someone died. -Answer the child's questions. Be sure you understand exactly what they want to know. -Discuss what the child is feeling and has been told with family members.

* Acknowledge and validate the child's expression of feelings. -Allow the child to grieve. Do NOT distract him/her from sadness or painful feelings. -Validate and express your own feelings: "I felt sad for you when I heard your dog died." -Normalize the wide range of emotions the child may feel. "All of your feelings are ok." -Be empathetic, but NEVER ASSUME YOU KNOW HOW A GRIEVING PERSON IS FEELING. -Suggest methods for expressing feelings (art, dramatic play, physical activity). -Let the child know that some days/he will feel better. -Read books about feelings.

* Help the child address feelings of guilt. -Explain that s/he did not cause death. -Correct "Voodoo Thinking": Wishing someone harm or dead does not make them die.

* Help the child remember his/her loved one. -Draw a picture or write a story about the deceased. -Remember together the good times the child had with the deceased. -Encourage adults to give the child something that belonged to the deceased.

* Let the child know what to expect. -Explain what will happen at the funeral or wake (take family's religion into account).

* Avoid using euphemisms like "passed on" or "went to sleep." -These are easily misinterpreted by children who frequently take words literally.

* Before the student returns to class, let other students know. -Explain the situation as honestly as possible. -Make it clear that it is not appropriate to tease about death or loss. -Offer suggestions on how the children might be able to help.

* Whenever possible, provide children with death education. -If a class pet dies, discuss this, and create a memorial service. -Include death in your description of the life cycle. -Occasionally point out dead bugs and plants on nature walks. -Read books in which characters die or have died. -If children mention a well-known figure who has died, discuss their thoughts/feelings.

04/22/2024

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week to all of my fellow HAP faculty peeps! It's a pleasure to work with you!

🙌 It's National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our incredible volunteers.

The passion, commitment, and kindness of our volunteers inspires us every day.

Join us in celebrating these incredible people throughout the week, who give their time and expertise to make the world a better place. 🌍❤️