Paso A Paso Counseling, LLC

10/30/2025

Sweet, poignant and powerful all at once:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLwqbg0ud5u/?igsh=MWtyemlka28zeXJycQ==

10/21/2025

A testament to animal memory and interspecies friendship. Beautiful 😍

Darrick returns to Elephant Nature Park after 14 months working on a conservation project in Cambodia.As he calls out to the elephant herd he once cared for,...

10/16/2025

The more we know...evidence keeps mounting....Cannabis is far from the "natural product" users proclaim it to be:

Large Genetic Study Links Cannabis Use to Psychiatric, Cognitive and Physical Health

New research has found genetic associations between cannabis use and psychiatric, cognitive, and physical health. The findings could inform prevention and treatment strategies for cannabis use disorders.

10/10/2025

*The Pain of Not Being Celebrated*

As a therapist, I often sit with clients who have achieved so much...they are capable, nurturing, and resilient. Yet beneath their accomplishments lies a quiet grief: the pain of never being celebrated.

For those raised by narcissistic or emotionally unavailable parents, recognition often came only when it reflected well on the parent; not when it honored the child’s authentic self. As adults, these individuals may continue striving for validation that never arrives, especially from a parent who remains unable to see beyond their own needs.

Even in moments of success, like raising their own children with care, building a stable life, and healing from trauma, a conversation with that parent can reopen old wounds. The hurt isn’t about the present interaction as much as it is about the lifelong absence of being genuinely seen and delighted in.

Healing begins when we allow ourselves to grieve what was missing without self-blame.

To name that longing :
“I wanted to be celebrated”
is not weakness; it’s truth.

And with time, the work becomes learning to hold that space for ourselves: to affirm, to honor, and to celebrate the person we’ve become, even if our parents never could.

You are worthy of celebration, not for what you do, but for who you are.

09/25/2025

**Sweet today, sour tomorrow**:

🥤➡️🧠 Sugary sodas may fuel depression, especially in women.
New research shows a strong link between soft drink consumption, gut bacteria changes, and higher risk of major depression.

Your gut and brain are talking. What you drink matters.

👉 https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-microbiome-soda-29736/

A new study shows that sugary drinks don’t just affect physical health—they may also raise the risk of depression in women by disrupting the gut microbiome.

05/24/2025

Tonight I attended a graduation for a client. The seniors were each given a yellow rose for them to walk over and hand it to someone in the audience whom they believed was most helpful to them in their journey. Receiving this rose was one of the most significant moments in my life. It is truly a privilege to earn the trust of people so hurt by relational trauma, but to have that publicly on display was extremely humbling.

05/05/2025

On Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, we hosted the 4th annual equine therapy event in support of Arize Together. It was truly an amazing morning, blessed with beautiful weather, willing participants, and our herd of horses and minis (donkeys and mares) who showed up in their own unique ways.

We received this unsolicited reflection through the website and have shared it with permission and MUCH gratitude:

"Hey, I was in the morning session this past Saturday with Arize Together. I really enjoyed the experience you were able to give us! Thank you for doing all of the work and all of the training to enable people to have such powerful moments! I wanted to share something that I was able to put into words this morning. One of the women in my small group with Romeo shared that when she was close to the group, she had greater confidence and she was better able to lead Romeo and that when she got further away from the group, she lost her confidence and she shared that she wanted to not be so dependent on her group to have confidence and be successful. I was realizing that my confidence did not come from the group or from myself but that it came from the leader. I knew that you wouldn’t send us out with a horse that wasn’t gentle and able to be led and if you did have concerns that you would be nearby and you would take the reins. I hardly have any experiences with horses but I have experiences with good leaders, including farmers and shepherds, and I know how they know their own. Also, I am involved with Young Life in Africa and there is an African proverb they incorporate in what they do, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

It is such a joyous privilege to serve others in this line of work alongside the herd. While Rio's absence was felt, it was heartwarming that some of the ladies remembered, asked about him and were sad to find out he passed. In that way, he is still working alongside us.

02/15/2025

Do animals love?
How do they love?
Interspecies communication isn't entirely all understood, but I believe a prerequisite to feeling loved is feeling understood.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15Ad16TzJs/?mibextid=D5vuiz

02/13/2025

Honoring Rio: A Therapist, A Guardian, A Friend

Grief has a way of arriving in waves—unexpected, relentless, and all-consuming. It has been nearly two weeks since I lost Rio, my beloved bay Quarter Horse, and still, I find myself searching the pasture, longing to see him grazing peacefully, as he always did.
I find myself finally ready to put into words the heaviness of the loss. Unless you've loved and felt loved back by a horse, it is hard to explain. Whether horses have spirits or not is a question for another time.

Rio was not just a horse; he was a therapist in his own right. I had the privilege of sharing my life with him for 13 years, and in that time, he became a pillar of my equine-facilitated practice. Solid, loyal, reliable, grounded, patient, and wise—he carried not just my clients through their healing journeys but me as well. It wasn’t until a dear therapist friend put it into words that the weight of my loss fully settled in: I hadn’t just lost a horse; I had lost a therapist.

Rio had a presence that commanded respect without demand, offered comfort without words, and held space for emotions too heavy to carry alone. He was a steady force in the herd, a guardian in the truest sense. I remember the day he defended me against a mare I was boarding—she lashed out, and Rio intervened without hesitation, making it clear that I belonged to his herd. That was the moment I knew he was more than special. He was family.

His bond with my elder mare, Robin, was one of unspoken devotion. In the days after his passing, she searched for him, her appetite low, lingering in the spaces where he last stood, where his spirit still seemed to linger. It was a silent mourning that mirrored my own.

Rio touched many hearts, both human and equine, and the void he leaves behind is vast. I do not know if he can ever be replaced, nor do I know he should be. Moving forward without him feels like walking with a missing piece of my heart. Losses chip at hearts that way. Yet, I will carry him with me in memories, in every lesson he taught me, in the wisdom he so freely gave.

To Rio—my steadfast companion, my buddy, my co-therapist—you are deeply loved and profoundly missed. Your legacy lives on in the work we did together and in the hearts you touched.

Rest well, my dear friend.

01/27/2025

In 2010, my lifelong dream of being a horse "owner" came true, for the first time. As some of my older horses began to age, I have often worried about going through the process of "losing a horse". I have lost some of our dogs before. Losing a horse is a lot more complex, given the size and weight.

After several years of recurring winter-season related health issues, today was that day I dreaded. My husband woke me up to the news that our beloved Río, had passed. The initial shock evolved into deep grief. Many ugly cries released into the open air of the pasture. I'm glad I didn't need to hold back.

I am grateful I was able to reschedule the afternoon appointments. Right now, all I have is the capacity to hold space for myself. Well, and Robin. His best friend of 13 years. They were inseparable. Robin has been supporting me and I, her.
She knows.

As I sit at the barn processing this loss and waiting for the burial services to arrive, I am relieved we have nice weather today. I have selected a spot where he'll be laid to rest. Río was a very special horse, and I'll have to write a separate post to attempt to immemorialize in words why he was so unique. He touched many clients' lives with his gentle and calm demeanor.

Memories flood and it's hard to keep writing, so for now...goodbye to my sweet, smart, patient, fiercely loyal Río. I don't know the answer as to whether animals have souls or not, but if there is an animal heaven, you deserve special recognition. I promise I'll take great care of your girl.

01/03/2025

She came in heavy, a shadowed frame,
A heart weighed down by sorrow’s name.
Eyes on the ground, no light, no spark,
A soul adrift in a world too dark.

But then she stood where the horses roam,
Their gentle breath felt like coming home.
With every touch, her spirit rose,
A whispered hope in their calm repose.

By session's end, her gaze was new,
A face that softened, a life in view.
“How do you feel?” I asked at the end.
And with a smile, she found her way:

"OK," she said, just one small word,
Yet in its quiet, new hope was heard.

05/16/2024

The chronic experience of being misunderstood as a child fosters an identity of shame because being authentic leads to feeling rejected. Horses help people experience authentic feedback in the moment.