Green Leaf Counseling & Coaching

12/30/2025

This new year isn't about becoming a completely different version of ourselves. It's about nurturing roots we already have and creating a space to grow at our own pace.
In 2026, we're encouraging others to slow down when needed, protect their peace, and honor their emotional capacity. Healing doesn't always happen in big, dramatic moments. Sometimes it shows up quietly in small acts of self-compassion.
Here's to 2026: a year of growth, gentleness, and tending to our mental health one small, meaningful step at a time.

www.greenleafcc.com/contact

12/13/2025

🌿 Managing Holiday Stress 🌿

The holidays can bring joy, connection, and meaningful traditions, but they can also bring pressure, overwhelm, and emotional exhaustion. If you’re feeling stressed this season, you’re not alone.

A few gentle reminders as the holidays approach:

• It’s okay to set boundaries. You don’t have to attend every event or meet every expectation.
• Rest is productive. Slowing down is not a failure. It is a form of care.
• Mixed emotions are normal. Joy, grief, stress, and gratitude can all coexist.
• Routine matters. Eating regularly, sleeping, and staying grounded can help regulate stress.
• Ask for support. Whether from a loved one or a professional, you don’t have to carry it alone.

The holidays don’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Prioritizing your mental health is a gift to yourself and to those around you.

If holiday stress is feeling overwhelming, support is available. 🌱

www.greenleafcc.com/contact

12/01/2025

How Trauma Shows Up in Everyday Life (Even When You Don’t Realize It)

Many adults assume that if something happened “a long time ago,” it shouldn’t affect them anymore. But trauma often shows up in subtle, everyday ways — not just flashbacks or nightmares.

Here are some common signs of unresolved or unrecognized trauma:

• People-pleasing because conflict feels unsafe
• Perfectionism as a way to avoid criticism or disappointment
• Over-explaining or apologizing for things that aren’t your fault
• Difficulty trusting others or always waiting for the “other shoe to drop”
• Shutting down emotionally when feelings feel too big or too risky
• Hyper-independence because relying on others has felt dangerous
• Being easily startled or on edge, even in safe environments
• Feeling responsible for others’ emotions, trying to prevent anyone from getting upset
• Struggling to relax, because your nervous system learned to stay alert
• Strong reactions to certain tones, expressions, or behaviors that others may not understand

None of these signs mean something is “wrong with you.”
They mean your mind and body adapted to survive experiences that were overwhelming.

Healing begins with:
• Awareness — understanding the patterns you developed for protection
• Compassion — recognizing how hard you’ve been working to feel safe
• Support — learning new ways to regulate, connect, and trust again at your own pace

Trauma doesn’t make you broken, it makes you human.
And recovery is absolutely possible.

— Green Leaf Counseling 🌿

www.greenleafcc.com/contact

11/19/2025

✨ Community Food Drive — Madisonville ✨
Green Leaf Counseling & Coaching, Barnett-Strother Funeral Home, and First Presbyterian Church are partnering together to support our community this holiday season.

We’re collecting shelf-stable food items to benefit the Christian Food Bank of Hopkins County.

Your donations help local families who are experiencing food insecurity and make a real difference right here at home.

📍 Drop-Off Locations:
• Barnett-Strother Funeral Home
• Green Leaf Counseling & Coaching
• First Presbyterian Church, Madisonville

🗓️ Now through the holiday season
🛒 Items needed: cookie mixes, canned goods, peanut butter, pasta, rice, boxed meals, soups, and other non-perishables

Thank you for helping us support our neighbors. Every item matters. ❤️🌿

11/19/2025

What Therapy Actually Is vs. Common Misconceptions

A lot of people have ideas about therapy that just aren’t true. Here’s what it really looks like:

Therapy is:
• A safe space to explore thoughts, emotions, and patterns
• Learning skills to cope, regulate, and communicate
• Building insight into why you react the way you do
• Working together toward your goals at your pace
• A nonjudgmental relationship focused on your growth

Therapy is not:
• Someone telling you what to do or “fixing” your life
• Just talking about your childhood every session
• Only for people in crisis
• A quick, one-session solution
• A place where you’ll be judged for your thoughts or feelings

Therapy is a supportive, collaborative process, one that helps you understand yourself, heal, and create meaningful change.🌿

Want to get in touch with us?
www.greenleafcc.com/contact
GetInTouch@greenleafcc.com

11/19/2025

Meet our team 🌿

Rich Evans - Therapist and Owner

Rich is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who founded Green Leaf Counseling & Coaching after a career in retail and financial leadership. Under his leadership, the practice has grown from a solo model into a thriving practice, and he regularly leads workshops infusing each with compassion, strategic vision, and empowerment.

Halie Hemmerle - Therapist
Halie earned her BSW (2020) and MSW (2024) from Western Kentucky University and began her career in foster care before specializing in trauma-informed child, adolescent, and family therapy. She mentors WKU social work students, and recharges through reading, baking, and her love of ’60s–’70s music.

Lauren Adkins - Client Experience Manager

Lauren holds a BS in Occupational Health & Safety and transitioned from heavy-civil construction safety consulting to manage operations at Green Leaf and First Presbyterian Church. With an empathy-driven, human-centered approach, she ensures every interaction makes a difference. Off-duty you’ll find her hiking, kayaking, reading, or chasing trails as a former ultra-trail half-marathoner.

11/17/2025

Welcome to the Green Leaf Counseling and Coaching page. Green Leaf, founded by Rich Evans, is dedicated to providing accessible, compassionate, and effective mental health support to individuals, couples, and families in Madisonville, KY.

Here at Green Leaf, we offer a safe and supportive environment for clients to work through life’s challenges, strengthen relationships, and develop healthier emotional and coping skills. Our services include individual therapy and couples counseling, with a focus on helping clients create meaningful and lasting change.

This page will share helpful mental health resources, coping strategies, community information, and updates about services offered at Green Leaf. We’re committed to supporting the wellbeing of our Madisonville community and providing guidance to anyone seeking support on their healing journey.

Thank you for being here, and we look forward to continuing to grow and serve you. 🌿

www.greenleafcc.com/contact
GetInTouch@greenleafcc.com

06/11/2024

Sit with it. Even though you want to run, even when it is heavy and difficult, even though you are not quite sure of the way through.

Healing happens by feeling.

- Notes from Wanderer

05/24/2024

05/23/2024

05/17/2024

05/03/2024