The Counseling Hub

08/21/2025

Parents, here’s the lowdown: Your teen’s brain is still under construction — especially the prefrontal cortex, which is basically the CEO of decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation. But right now? It’s the last building on the block getting wired.

Meanwhile, the emotional centers — like the amygdala (aka the drama queen of the brain) — are working overtime. So yeah, those wild mood swings and impulsive decisions? Totally expected. It’s like their brain’s throwing a construction party, and the emotional DJ is playing very loud tunes. 🎉🧠

Your job? Be the calm foreperson. Help them build those skills with patience, boundaries, and brain hacks (deep breaths, movement breaks, creative outlets). You’re not just surviving this phase — you’re helping them thrive through it.

Roll with the chaos, because this mess means major growth is happening — and the finished product is gonna be amazing.

Got questions about teen brains or want more brain-building tips? Hit us up. We’re here for the whole construction crew. 🛠️💛

08/20/2025

🎉 Help us give a warm welcome to Emily Jarrett, the newest therapist to join our crew at The Counseling Hub! 💙

Emily works with adults and college students who feel stuck in patterns they know aren’t working but don’t know how to change—think trauma that still feels fresh, anxiety that won’t quiet down, people-pleasing that leaves you last on your own list, and relational dynamics that seem to play on repeat. She's trained in Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT Level 2) and EMDR.

But Emily’s magic goes beyond clinical chops.

👟 She’s an avid runner, having completed five half marathons (!), and credits running with helping her stay grounded, present, and mentally balanced. Whether it's a quick mile or a long weekend race, running is her reset button.

🍪 She’s also a kitchen person through and through—both cooking and baking. Her kitchen is her happy place, especially when she’s sharing food with loved ones (bonus points if Taylor Swift is playing in the background).

Basically, Emily is the kind of therapist who makes you feel supported, understood, and gently challenged—all while reminding you that you’re allowed to take up space and set down the heaviness you’ve been carrying. 💙

Come meet her ➡️ https://thecounselinghub.com/emilyj

08/19/2025

Parents, if your teen’s mood swings were a weather report, they’d be a full-on Missouri tornado warning 🚨. Good news? You’re the human-sized life jacket in this brainy boat ride.

Try these brain hacks with your teen — and maybe sneak in a dance break yourself (you deserve it). Trust me, it’s not about perfection, it’s about showing up (and surviving).

Drop a 💃 if you’re ready to bust moves or a 😤 if you’re ready to yell it out — either way, you got this.

08/19/2025

🎉 Please help us give a warm (and sparkly crystal-infused 💎) welcome to our newest clinical intern, Breanon Kratzer! 🎉

Breanon brings a seriously rich combo of education, lived experience, and a no-nonsense dedication to advocacy. She’s worked as a behavioral health tech, peer support specialist, and case manager—and now she’s diving deeper into her clinical work while finishing her Master's in Mental Health Counseling at Truman State University.

What she’s passionate about? Helping adults untangle trauma, substance use, and depression—with heart, empathy, and some real talk. She’s the kind of therapist who cares deeply, listens hard, and won’t shy away from the tough stuff.

Also important:
🏈 She’s a die-hard Chiefs fan (blame COVID + homesickness).
🌊 She finds peace while kayaking.
🎵 Her music taste leans emo-rock, because—feelings.
💎 Yes, she’s into healing crystals. (Her favs? Malachite, black tourmaline, and labradorite.)

She’s here to help you process, heal, and reconnect—with yourself and the people around you.

Say hi, send good vibes, or book with Breanon here: 👉 www.thecounselinghub.com/breanon

08/18/2025

🌞🌧️ Your teen’s brain? Missouri weather on a caffeine buzz — one minute sunshine, next minute “WHAT EVEN?” tornado. And that’s 100% normal.

Parents, listen up: Your teen’s brain is still under construction — wiring, rewiring, and throwing mood swings like Missouri storms. One minute they’re sweet as apple pie, next they’re a hot mess express. It’s not you. It’s their brain doing the heavy lifting of growing up.

This week, we’re serving up brain hacks to help you both stay sane through the chaos. Because weathering teen moods is a team sport. 🌦️💥

Read more on our blog: https://thecounselinghub.com/news/how-teen-brains-are-different

The teenage years are a whirlwind for both parents and teenagers. These are the years when teens must navigate bodily changes, academic pressures, emotional shifts, impulsive decision-making, and social dynamics.

08/14/2025

Let’s be real:
Healthy relationships aren’t always cute.

Sometimes they look like:
🍝 Arguing over dinner plans but still setting the table
🛑 Saying “I need a minute” instead of storming off
🧠 Thinking “I could win this fight”… and choosing connection instead

That’s the real flex.

Gottman-style progress isn’t always “🔥 look how aligned we are!”
Sometimes it’s just:

“I heard you. I still disagree. And also — I love you. Want to split fries?”
👏 That 👏 counts 👏

If you’re in the middle of the work, wondering if it’s working — it probably is.

Check out our latest blog:
“How Do Couples Know If the Gottman Method Is Working?”
(link in bio, as always, and here: https://thecounselinghub.com/news/how-do-couples-know-if-the-gottman-method-is-working)

08/13/2025

If you think therapy is only working when you’re holding hands under a rainbow, let us gently say: nope.

Sometimes it’s working when you roll your eyes less hard.

Sometimes it’s working when one of you says, “That hurt,” and the other says, “I hear you.”

That’s real progress.

And yeah — that’s Gottman doing its quiet little magic.

08/12/2025

🚨 “We need to talk…” isn’t it.
💡Try a Gentle Start-Up instead (your nervous system will thank you).

Our clinical therapist + Gottman Level 2 pro, Kacie Naros, is diving into real, doable relationship skills—like this one—in her in-person workshop on The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work! 💍🧠💬

🎥 Featuring: Kacie + her magic.
📍Columbia, MO

Find out more here: https://thecounselinghub.com/making-marriage-work

08/12/2025

Couples come into therapy expecting fireworks.

What they get? A fight about the dishwasher that ends in a civil conversation and a mutual sigh.

And that’s when they ask:
👉 “So… is this working?”
💥 Our latest blog breaks down what real progress actually looks like with the Gottman Method — the kind that builds over time and sneaks up on you.

Read on here: https://thecounselinghub.com/news/how-do-couples-know-if-the-gottman-method-is-working

Your relationship is probably doing better than you think.

The Gottman Method is one of the most researched and widely used approaches for relationship counseling. It focuses on helping couples build stronger connections, manage conflict in healthy ways, and create shared meaning in their lives.

08/08/2025

Who you’ve been might have kept you afloat. But who you’re becoming? That version’s ready to swim. 🏊‍♀️

There’s this space—this messy, beautiful, in-between space—where the lines blur and the certainty dissolves. That space in the middle? It’s called being human. And for some of us, it’s also called being fluid.

Gender doesn’t always follow a straight line. It might swirl, shift, splash, stretch. And that’s not a crisis—it’s capacity. Capacity for growth, for truth, for you.

So if you’re swimming somewhere between the boxes and the binaries—know this: You're not alone. And we’re cheering you on every stroke of the way. 🌊

08/07/2025

Showing up for people who are gender fluid looks like:

💬 Using their pronouns — and gently ask if they change
👂Listening when they talk about their experience
🤝 Not making it about you — just be there
❤️‍🔥 Validating their shifts instead of questioning them

If someone tells you they’re gender fluid, it means they trust you.
Your job isn’t to figure them out, it’s to honor and trust their unfolding.

08/06/2025

🎉 It’s Alexa Robinson’s 1-year anniversary at The Counseling Hub and yes, we’re popping all the imaginary confetti we can find! 🎉

In just one year, Alexa has become that therapist you want in your corner when life gets messy — whether it’s wrestling with anxiety, feeling stuck in the “now what?” phase, navigating cultural identity, or untangling relationship knots. She’s Level 2 trained in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, which means she’s basically the expert in turning “We need to talk” into “We got this.”

Alexa’s superpower? Making big feelings feel manageable and helping you rewrite the story you tell yourself — with kindness, real talk, and zero judgment. Burnout? Overwhelm? Confusing emotions? Alexa sees it, gets it, and helps you actually find your footing.

Outside the therapy room, Alexa’s a certified Royal Family enthusiast (yes, she’s seen The Crown more times than she’ll admit), a proud mini Aussie mom who spoils the heck out of her furry sidekick, and a book collector with a spreadsheet to prove it. She’s also the queen of playlists and has seen Beyoncé live five times, because some things are worth the hype.

Alexa, you bring warmth, wisdom, and just the right amount of sparkle to this place. Here’s to many more years of making a difference—and making us laugh along the way.💙