Collaborative Counseling

04/20/2022

Happiness every day for parts of your day? Sure, it’s possible. Happiness every day in conjunction with other emotions? Absolutely. But pure happiness EVERY DAY? 😬🤷‍♀️🥴

When we hold up happiness as the gold standard of human emotion, we (consciously or subconsciously) encourages ourselves, and others, to bypass the feelings and experiences that may result in something other than happiness… allowing emotions that are NOT happiness to become synonymous with UNhappiness. And if happiness is the goal then unhappiness must be failure.

Here’s the (potentially uncomfortable) truth: Happiness is only wonderful because we feel the other things (sadness, anger, frustration, boredom, uncertainty…). Without a full wheel of emotions in our life, happiness is nothing special and without embracing our capacity to hold more than one emotion at a time, joy (the happiness we CHOOSE) is meaningless.

My challenge for you today is this: When the urge to ignore or bury an emotion that isn’t happiness arises, pause and thank yourself (or God, the universe, or whoever feels right for you!) for the emotion and it’s reminder of your humanity. If you feel safe to do so, allow the feeling to move through you and ground you to the present moment. Rest in knowing that this feeling or emotion will allow you to feel happiness, whenever it next comes, more fully than before!

I’m sending love and grace your way💕

04/12/2022

A new way to find support and connection in loss.

Sometimes, sitting around a conference room table or behind a computer screen isn’t what a bereaved heart needs to break free from the isolation of their grief.

At a Loss aims to meet grieving parents where they are through peer support and pressure free community building.

If you or someone you know is grieving, please share! We will meet at Huff Park on Sunday, April 21 at 2pm.

04/10/2022

📣Exciting news!📣

I now have limited availability for in-person appointments!

While telehealth is an amazing and accessible option I know, for some, working together face-to-face is preferable. By partnering with .gr I now have the flexibility to offer both settings to Collaborative Counseling clients.

Want to know more? Send an email to contact@grcollaborativecounseling.com or head to the website for scheduling options!

04/05/2022

Yeah, yeah. You’ve heard it all before, but when you’re burnt out and overwhelmed sometimes playing self care bingo is all we have the energy to do.

My best advice? Don’t skip the small things. They add up to create sustainable self care practices that provide a safety net when life (inevitably) gets busy or hard!

03/28/2022

The moment that you begin to live your life for the “and” instead of the “either/or” is the moment your life becomes bigger - a little bit scarier at times - but so full of truth and authenticity that you cannot go back.

03/28/2022

Local to the GR area? Interested in an alternative to 1:1 therapy or adding a group option to your existing sessions? Check out these amazing groups!

We are now accepting clients for two Equine Assisted Therapy Groups. The first one is for Women learning to navigate wholeness through complicated relationships. The second is for Teens working to overcome challenges in their family and school. Call for more information and to register 616-207-2727

03/27/2022

It’s not all about being brave or strong- vulnerability and rest are seriously overlooked and crucial components to a full and joyful life.

03/23/2022

Disclaimer: I’m a therapist who may, occasionally, cuss 😆✌️

But, when it comes to burn out, there’s no better way to say it! It’s just the truth.

Read up for some signs of burnout and how to counteract them.

03/21/2022

What would a positive step towards personal growth and healing look like for you?

03/18/2022

We live in a world that has plenty of excuses to feel disconnected and alone, but what if those excuses are just merely conveniant cover ups for the real problems? What if, despite a global pandemic, creating authentic connections is possible?

03/18/2022

TGIF! Sending you into the weekend with some - cause no one says it better!

And in the theme of this week around vulnerability and connection- I just published my first blog post for Collaborative Counseling about just that. Head to my website (link in profile) to read!

Sending love and grace 💕