Nancy Karim, Lpc-Atr

09/25/2023

Are you following me for the latest tea on instagram? This tea is HOT- you really don’t want to let your cup cool down. ☕️🫖

06/15/2023

Autism Families CONNECTicut, Inc.

05/11/2023

New, current, and past clients- they are always popping in my mind and I send them good wishes and thoughts to wherever they are at in their lives. Knowing that they are either thriving, or feeling 100% confident that they know they have the safety of contacting me and re-engaging in therapy with open arms and a cheesy smile to welcome them back.🤍

05/09/2023

03/29/2023

🚨The Reframe is everything! 🚨

03/10/2023

Privacy is so important!!! As a clinician, one must do their due diligence when we are requested to share information with any other provider or professional. This is exactly why it is imperative you understand your privacy rights and HIPPA laws.

12/22/2022

She’s holding a fresh loss, while mine is much more distant, because of this she leans on me for advice from time-to-time. It’s such a delicate honor and responsibility. I know her heart is fragile because years after losing my mother, my heart is still fragile too. Silently I pray for the wisdom and comfort she seeks while she tearfully tells her current ache and asks questions.

We sit side-by-side as she says, “I wish people knew that grief is complicated at the holidays. I wish they knew to be gentle and kind and patient. You’ve lived this longer than me, what do you think? What do you wish people knew about all of this?”

I listen. I think. I wait for the right moment to say…

“Just like you, I wish the world understood the complexities of grief and how they are fueled with greater power and harshness during the holidays.

I wish they knew that even with a smile, I’m hurting and a bit tender.

I wish they knew that even though the room is filled with people and joy and laughter, I’m constantly reminded of the emptiness that it also holds.

I wish they knew that sometimes I say yes to an invite that later becomes unbearable to attend, not because I don’t want to, but because in that moment it simply isn’t the right thing for my healing.

I wish they knew that not all tears signify pain, that some signify love and reminiscence.

I wish they knew that I’m simultaneously grateful for all of the beauty and blessings that remain and also empty from the holes created by an inescapable absence.

I wish they knew that I’m trying and that no matter how much time has passed since her death the holidays will always be void of her magic and beauty, which means that something will always be missing.

I wish they knew a lot of the reasons I do and say and feel like I do, except for them to know means they’ve lived it too– that they’ve experienced grief’s sting and heartbreak. And I don’t want that.

So now, everytime I find myself wishing the world understood grieving hearts, instead I recognize the need to truly understand my own grieving heart. I pay close attention to the things that can change and also the things that cannot.

Instead of wishing others would acknowledge or respect my grief, I advocate for myself and ask for what I need– even when it’s hard and uncomfortable. I speak up and request patience and grace and compassion. I show up to things brave and broken, grateful and grieving, celebrating and mourning, and make sure people know all of that.

I stopped wishing the world knew what grieving hearts needed and instead made sure I knew my own needs and comfort. And one day you will too. But until then, you have me, someone who understands. Someone you don’t need to wish knows, because I do. I truly do.”

We hug because we’re huggers, and we cry because we’re cryers, and we look at each other and smile because we get it. We truly get it.

The holidays are hard for hearts that are grieving.

We’re all holding invisible weight and heartbreak that the holidays seem to illuminate.
Be gentle, friends. Be gentle.

xox, Chels

Written by Chelsea Ohlemiller.
Happiness, Hope & Harsh Realities

12/16/2022

It’s Friday Y’all!!!

Doggyland & Snoop Dogg - Affirmation Song (Lyrics)🎶 Stream - https://open.spotify.com/track/5HLzL5g27XBbSy2qKbCGEk?si=b134d9aa664248feArtist's Socials:https...

12/08/2022

When you are trusted with sacred knowledge and can bear witness to someone’s story in a truly non judgment way, you are giving the other person the ability to unburden themselves. 🤍 Thank you to anyone who has trusted and confided in me. It has truly been an honor.

10/29/2022

i see so many parallels between us and the elements. especially water. i remember writing this poem after i thinking about how powerful water is. how beautiful it is. but also how dangerous. following those thoughts, an image of a woman came to mind and i immediately connected the two- thinking wow just like water women are soft and luscious. and just like water we are rough and determined. we have the power to be everything all at once within us.

page 129 ❤️ ‘milk and honey’

10/25/2022

All the feels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!✨✨✨✨✨

10/06/2022

Remeber Science Class circa 5th grade? Out of no where your teacher pulls out a perfectly painted paper mache volcano. Youre eyes widen—- with every ingredient your excitement grows. Everything stuffed inside that volcano- baking soda, red dye, vinegar!!!!!! Theres an explosion of foam mess- dripping all over the lab tables. The oos and ahhs of astonishment wipes over the classroom..

Well my friends, that is my visual for what happens when you repress emotion. You keep packing the s**t in there. Anger, sadness, stress, any stuffed down feeling really.…. Until the last ingredient is poured in. It could be a crappy discussion with your co-worker or spouce, your kid is on another level of poking the frustration tolerance, you broke your pencil- it could literally be anything, minor to major- but the emotional vomit about to come out isnt going to get the oo’s and ahh’s….

The best way to fight the internal volcano is to allow yourself to vent. Find that trusted person to talk to, write down your feelings, go to the gym to burn off the excess energy… repressing emotion not only hurts you, but also has the power to destruct things around you too.

10/04/2022

I think midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear:

'' I’m not screwing around. It’s time. All of this pretending and performing , these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – has to go.
Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts.
I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy of love and belonging, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever.
Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through you. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen.”

~ Brené Brown ~

Artist Credit : Duong Quoc Dinh