North Collective Counseling

03/20/2023

The world we live in is full of cycles. The birds leave around the same time and come back around the same time. The leaves fall and the leaves grow back at the same time. It goes without saying that there are parts of those cycles that we don’t enjoy. There are those of us that are morning people, some that are night owls. Those who can dance in the rain and those who prefer to bathe in the sun.

Read more Thoughts on the Seasons of Life in the link below.

The world we live in is full of cycles. The birds leave around the same time and come back around the same time. The leaves fall and the leaves grow back at the same time. It goes without saying that there are parts of those cycles that we don’t enjoy. There are those of us that are morning people...

02/19/2023

Thanks to for partnering together for this past week’s Intro to the Enneagram Partners Experience! Thanks to all who came out. Great discussion, insights and fun with all of you.

07/13/2022

When I was in middle school I read the book The Red Badge of Courage. What’s the sign of a courageous soldier? Spoiler Alert – it’s a uniform with a patch of blood from a wound you received in battle – A Red Badge of Courage. That led me to wonder, what does that badge of courage look like today.

I think I’d argue that some prove it through busyness. Nothing seems to reflect our worth or our importance more than telling someone how busy we are. It’s rare that someone is thought to be successful without it also being reflected by how ‘in-demand’ that person must be.

Do we place equal importance on rest, as we do with busyness? As we live it feels like it gets easier and easier for rest to become a byproduct – something we do ‘when we have time.’ The fact is though, rest is important and it is essential to our well-being. If anything, the more we do, the busier we are – the more we need good rest.

A courageous soldier is not made from a Red Badge of Courage, just as a Badge of Busyness does not depict our worth or value.

Want to read more about Rest?

How do we prove our worth? Nothing seems to reflect our worth or our importance more than telling someone how busy we are. Do we place equal importance on rest, as we do with busyness? Rest is essential to optimal performance. When we learn to prioritize rest as much as we prioritize busyness, the

06/22/2022

Why should I go to therapy?

“IF THEY HAD A CHOICE, NO ONE WOULD NECESSARILY WANT TO SIT IN THAT SEAT.”

The above is something I say often as a therapist. Why? Because when it comes to therapy, people typically are apprehensive, anxious and even hesitant to seek help for themselves. I have the unique privilege and honor of sitting with people in really difficult moments. It’s not easy. In fact, I would argue that it would be unnatural in some ways to want to sit down with me, a stranger, and explore the various emotions that you might be feeling during a difficult time in your life.

Brené Brown says “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”

Want to read more about Courage and therapy? Read more here

When it comes to therapy, people typically are apprehensive, anxious and even hesitant to seek help for themselves. Those who choose to sit in THAT seat are the ones who are courageous. Seeking help doesn’t mean weakness, it means being stronger than those that don’t seek it. Strength comes in a...

05/26/2022

I wish I could make sense of all of this. Perhaps some of you are feeling the same.

I've become pretty good at being ok not understanding things. This thing though, i'm just not understanding it and I'm not sure i can be ok not understanding.

For those of you are wrestling with so many feelings and emotions. You're not alone.

The adage from Plato says "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

In this case, a lot of us are fighting and hurting from the same battle.

Be kind.

04/27/2022

As a parent, you become heavily invested in learning about the kids your child spends time with. Why? Because we know the power a sphere of influence can have on each of us. This is a natural tendency while growing up. We dress like our friends and those who influence us. We either bond over the same types of interests or we adapt and pick up similar interests the more time we spend with each other. As kids we don’t really notice this taking place, it just sort of happens.

This leads me to wonder ­– are we equally oblivious to the power of this sphere of influence as adults. Are we aware of the company that we keep and how that influences our thoughts, emotions and our actions? How are we influencing those who chose to spend time with us?

Want to read more about Influence? Read more here

Jim Rohn says “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” How are we influencing those who chose to spend time with us? Are we aware of the company we keep and how they influence our thoughts, emotions and our actions? Take inventory of those you spend your time with a...

03/30/2022

Anxiety and nerves sometimes get a bad connotation in our society. We hear stories of the extremes and we sometimes forget that it’s actually quite natural to have these feelings. They are a part of being human. Another part of being human, though, is we have the ability to choose. The ability to choose to also give our attention to the possibility of success. To choose how much attention and power we give to our emotions. To choose where we intentionally focus our attention.

Give just as much attention to the possibility of ‘what if everything goes right?’

What if everything goes better than you could imagine?

Want to read more about Anxiety.

Anxiety and nerves sometimes get a bad connotation in our society. We hear stories of the extremes and we sometimes forget that it’s actually quite natural to have these feelings. They are a part of being human. Another part of being human, though, is we have the ability to choose. The ability to ...

03/16/2022

How often do we tell ourselves a story of what’s going on in a situation that may not be true?

We judge and we make conclusions, but WHAT IF?

What if we chose to be curious instead? How might that situation look different?

Read more about curiosity.

When I’m curious I not only allow myself to feel the emotion I’m feeling in a more genuine way, but I also get underneath the emotion to the true heart of it all and in that – the emotion doesn’t overwhelm me. We’ve all had situations where people have made judgments about us that were wro...

03/08/2022

For the ones who raised us, lifted us up, taught us, led us and so much more and continue to each day. Thank you is not enough.

For the women who change our world.

Happy International Women's Day!!!

03/07/2022

When people talk about the best experiences of their lives, rarely are they talking about something they experienced by themselves. We are social creatures. We have our moments, some more than others, where we just need to be alone and that’s where we recharge and find our joy. I’m speaking to my Introverted readers – you all hold a special place in my heart.

Ever wonder how counseling can be a collective experience? Checkout the link.

The work done through counseling can have profound effects on your life and your relationships and the lives of your loved ones and their relationships and the ripples continue. So in whatever ways you can, do work for yourself – on yourself and create ripples. That is the collective experience.

03/04/2022

Don't forget to enjoy the journey.