Cody Higgs, Licensed Professional Counselor

01/05/2023

Please welcome my now-permanent therapy assistant, June! She is a great example of the 100+ amazing dogs currently available for adoption at & .

As you may or may not know, my last dog and best friend for over 14 years, Edge, passed away in November of 2021. I’ve had over a dozen fosters since then, and many have been in my office helping my clients, and it’s helped them get adopted in the process. Please consider adopting your next pet. There are some amazing animals out there waiting to rescue you.

12/22/2022

Rare Facebook post to say if you have Instagram, follow my foster dog!

https://instagram.com/juniie.baby?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

09/16/2021

It seems like most of us know the term “coping skill” now. Sometimes it gets left as a fix-all, and people sometimes have the misconception that therapy is just coping skill teaching.

Much like water, you do truly need coping skills to make it through life. Also like water, coping skills can’t get the job done by themselves.

Feel free to read, and share if you feel inclined.

Coping skills are good. But are they enough? How should you use them? And not use them? Cody Higgs, LPC-MHSP in Franklin, TN answers.

07/23/2021

Celebrate your kid’s differences. Ask about their weird interests. Learn about the things you have no idea about. K-pop, Minecraft, lime green hair, combat boots with a skirt, all that stuff. Be curious about it. Give it a chance. Fight the knee jerk reaction to dismiss or condemn it. Remember, there was a time when people though the Beatles and tattoos were going to literally be the end of the world. Your kid’s quirky interests may end up being just fine, or even….really good things.

Here’s a picture of Edge and me being goofy in the office, just to grab your attention.

www.codyhiggs.com

03/16/2021

Edge and I would like to welcome Melvin to the office. He has visiting hours Monday-Friday from 10:00-3:00, by appointment 😉

02/25/2021

But people are always speculating – why am I as I am? To understand that of any person, his whole life, from birth, must be reviewed. All of our experiences fuse into our personality. Everything that ever happened to us is an ingredient.

- Malcolm X

Good things and bad things will happen in life. They’ll affect you. Trauma happens. Huge, great things happen, too. When it’s trauma, it will probably suck. Maybe even in ways you won’t see. The good thing is that it can get better. As for the good stuff - it’s ok to enjoy it, even it that may feel a little “weird” for you.

04/13/2020

File under “things to remember when stressed out during a pandemic.”

03/25/2020

Edge and I were on News 2 WKRN, letting people know that counselors are still here. This COVID-19 situation is stressful. If you need anything, reach out. If I can’t help you, I’ll help you find someone who can!

www.codyhiggs.com

As a licensed counselor, Cody Higgs helps people deal with their anxiety and other issues, but with COVID-19 shutting down everyday life as we know it, he has made some changes.

03/23/2020

Teenagers and the new COVID-19 world. Wondering about the "do's and don'ts" of the Coronavirus situation in relation to your teen? Check this out for a few pointers.

5 Tips to Help Your Teen Make It Through the COVID-19 Lockdown. Read about warning signs and ways you can help your teen during the Coronavirus situation.

03/19/2020

I’m getting spoiled being able to sit beside Edge for our online therapy sessions. It’s like working with my clients while a therapist sits next to me. Pretty cool. Anyone else figuring out any silver linings in the social distancing cloud?

www.codyhiggs.com

03/16/2020

We are definitely still open! First, I'd like to say that Edge will be really bummed that he doesn't get to hang out with all of his people this week.

However, with the current COVID-19 issue, Edge and I are moving to online and phone sessions for a little while. For now, we'll follow suit with local schools and officially announce that we will be online and phone only through April 3. Please stay safe and enjoy each other as much as possible with our limited ability to socialize right now.

As always, you can reach us at www.codyhiggs.com

02/05/2020

Breakthroughs in counseling....

Counseling gets this rep for having these mammoth-sized breakthrough moments where you figure out life and everything changes and gets better and it's all sunshine and daisies after that - and it all happens in a 2-minute movie clip.

But it's not always that simple. As a matter of fact, it rarely is. Breakthroughs can straight up SUCK. You're probably making some emotionally charged connection, and it may be unpleasant, unsettling, or just a lot to handle. And that's okay. It can actually be a huge accomplishment to get there. AND THEN.....
....then you figure out what to do with it. You work out the meaning, the application, the moving on. The sunshine and daisies are probably going to happen a lot more subtly than you may think. You're more likely to look up at some point and see how much different things are.

You spend time getting to the moment, and you spend time growing from the moment. Don't pressure yourself to have the movie-style life-changing moment. It's hard to change your life life in the time it takes to snap your fingers.

11/14/2019

It's so easy to look at a teenager who's impulsive or has trouble focusing or getting started on school work and saying "it must be ADHD." So many times trauma, anxiety, and depression are misdiagnosed as ADHD.

For whatever reason, teenagers won't always tell you what they're thinking or feeling - or what they've seen or heard. Take a look at this article that features my friend Dr. Karin Cleary (www.bloompsychmaryland.com) talking about childhood trauma and the misdiagnosis of ADHD.

www.codyhiggs.com

Turns out it's pretty easy to misdiagnose childhood trauma as ADHD. Here's what to look for so you give students what they need.

11/04/2019

A teenager has been telling me how awesome “squishmallows” are. So I had to buy some for the office! Fidgets are more than spinners and stress ball. Stuffed animals can actually be really helpful for some stressful situations. Honestly, these things feel just like marshmallows (it’s so cool 😁).

10/04/2019

I have a 12-year-old (pictured) who just doesn’t want to keep his “whole body in the car.”

Does anyone remember being told repeatedly as a kid to keep all of your body in the vehicle? And do you now say this to your own kids?! 😂😜

www.codyhiggs.com

10/02/2019

A quick thought, after talking to teenagers all day today...
Encourage your kids to be nice to other kids, or at least not to act mean toward them.
When your kid tells you about other kids being mean to them, take that seriously. It can really affect kids.

I know there are ideas all over the board about a "soft generation" and things like that. I've heard from people twice my age who have echoed these same things I hear teens say now. The good thing is that we have lots more info available to us now, and it's so effective to just listen and take those kinds of complaints seriously as a big first step.

www.codyhiggs.com

09/26/2019

I'm excited to get this group started this Fall. It's going to be small, 5-6 participants, and will be starting the 3rd week of October. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share with anyone who may find it useful.
www.codyhiggs.com/teen-group-counseling-franklin

(Young Adult Therapy Group for starting soon, as well - 18-25 years old)