Sierra Blanca Counseling, LLC

Sierra Blanca Counseling, LLC Sierra Blanca Counseling, LLC is a Private Practice nestled in the beautiful mountain town of Ruidoso.

We are a close knit group of providers who strive to offer the very best in mental health counseling and community support services.

The brain responds to trauma the same way regardless of the catalyst. The repeated escalation of the nervous system has ...
09/04/2025

The brain responds to trauma the same way regardless of the catalyst. The repeated escalation of the nervous system has long term implications.

Go to therapy, seek healing. ❤️‍🩹 Break generational chains ⛓️‍💥

Blessings

A groundbreaking study using brain scans has revealed a disturbing parallel: children exposed to intense family conflict show brain changes similar to those found in combat veterans. That’s right — the emotional warfare inside a home can mimic the neurological toll of literal battlefield trauma.

Researchers found that kids who witness chronic yelling, aggressive arguments, or domestic tension have altered brain activity in areas linked to fear, stress, and emotional regulation. These are the same brain regions often affected in soldiers returning from war zones.

The amygdala, a part of the brain responsible for processing threats and fear, becomes hypersensitive, constantly on alert. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex, which helps manage emotions and make rational decisions, often becomes underdeveloped or impaired. This combination can lead to long-term emotional difficulties, anxiety, or even PTSD-like symptoms later in life.

What makes this even more alarming is that many families underestimate the impact of loud fights or emotional tension on children. But the science is clear: a child's brain is shaped by the emotional climate they grow up in.

This discovery highlights the urgent need for family therapy, safe environments, and emotional education to protect developing minds. Just because there are no visible bruises doesn’t mean the damage isn’t real.

Kids may not know it themselves but they thrive off of predictable routines. Calming the nervous system and connecting w...
08/31/2025

Kids may not know it themselves but they thrive off of predictable routines. Calming the nervous system and connecting with your kiddo is the best way to end their day ☀️ 🌙
Blessings

Evenings set the tone for the next day

Simple, consistent routines help children wind down, feel secure, and get the rest they need for a smoother school morning.

Here are 6 tips to make evenings calmer and more predictable.

Of all human beings, kiddos need our co-regulation the most. Even if they are misbehaving or being “disrespectful” - if ...
08/14/2025

Of all human beings, kiddos need our co-regulation the most. Even if they are misbehaving or being “disrespectful” - if a child is dysregulated then the likelihood of them misbehaving and/or being disrespectful is pretty high. Consequences, or even better, processing better ways to cope…that comes later. Co-regulation must come first. It could look like “I can see you are really upset. May I sit next to you? (Child: No!) Okay, would you like a drink of water? (Child: No!). Okay, try take a deep breath, I will be right here to help you when you’re ready.”
We can help you as the parent too!
Call us, we are here when you’re ready ☀️🙏
Blessings

Sarah R. Moore, Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting 🧡

08/08/2025

Absolutely! 💯

All of this, engage them in daily life. Bringing in groceries & putting them away is a family effort. A 7yo can learn how to do laundry, clean a bathroom, wash/dry and fold clothes. It takes time, patience & persistence to teach them how. But they will learn!

And although not often, there are the days I would just prefer to do it myself so it’s done 😆

If you’re interested in getting kids to engage in chores (we call it household contribution), check out this info from a local mom-therapist. We hope it helps. Give us a call for more in depth support with children, families, parenting, etc. We currently have openings.

“I have observed this cycle of emotions when my kids are confronted w chores:
1) intense push back (complaining, crying, frustration, excuses to do them tomorrow etc) 2) mom offers incentive to complete (a bonus privilege) and consequences if they chose not to. Not mad, just stating facts “you will lose screen time if I have to ask you again.” 3) grumbling and mad but engaging and starting chores 4) mom affirms what they did well, gently points out what needs to be done for completion. Continually encouraging and uplifting them. 5) the kids finish and we observe how good it feels to have a clean home 6) this never fails: shortly after chores are complete, kids are in happy moods and have a sense of accomplishment under their belt.

It might take longer in the moment but we are teaching a lifetime of competency.
🥳🥳

Program for Kiddos
07/24/2025

Program for Kiddos

We Are in Daily Prayer Ruidoso ❤️‍🩹Please call us for anything.We are here and ready to help. Blessings of Peace that Su...
07/10/2025

We Are in Daily Prayer Ruidoso ❤️‍🩹
Please call us for anything.We are here and ready to help.
Blessings of Peace that Surpasses Understanding

We are in a chronic state of ghosting and loneliness. Could these two things be related? Absolutely. Walking through the...
06/17/2025

We are in a chronic state of ghosting and loneliness. Could these two things be related? Absolutely.

Walking through the hard stuff and staying regulated while exploring understanding is the glue in relationships. It’s crucial for healthy relationships.
Blessings ☀️

Absolutely 💯 Often, we implement the correction or threaten to consequence in the moment in an attempt to control the me...
05/10/2025

Absolutely 💯
Often, we implement the correction or threaten to consequence in the moment in an attempt to control the meltdown. This will not help the child whatsoever. The goal is to first self regulate, then co-regulate and get back into a calm nervous system. Then, after you’ve had time to process, lovingly implement any necessary consequences as well as identify a plan as to how you can help them avoid the meltdown in the future.

Parenting is hard! We’re here to help

Blessings 🙏

connection must come before correction

You don't teach someone to swim while they're drowning. The same goes for discipline during a meltdown-connection must come before correction.



Grace

Regulate first so you can then help your kiddos 🙏💗
03/01/2025

Regulate first so you can then help your kiddos 🙏💗

When they go high - in the form of a stress response - we go LOW. We tend to our own nervous system first. We calm ourselves. We get quiet. We kneel down to their level...we make ourselves the safe zone.

We need take care of ourselves so we can co-regulate rather than escalate.

A few ideas:

-Say a mantra, such as "my child is having a hard time, not giving me a hard time"
-Try a breathing technique (longer exhales). Then zoom out and try to observe the situation from afar so you can consider your most skillful response.
-Ground yourself by clenching and releasing your fists, pressing your feet into the floor.
-Give yourself a timeout - outside or in another room, if it's safe to walk away.
-Get curious. Ask yourself what might be the reason behind this behavior? And why is it upsetting me?

via Wild Peace for Parents

This is helpful not only for children but for us parents too 😉💓Only 90 seconds and we can better avoid an undesirable ou...
02/20/2025

This is helpful not only for children but for us parents too 😉💓
Only 90 seconds and we can better avoid an undesirable outcome.
B R E A T H E 🙌

Graphic credit:

One of the first steps in decreasing stressful & intrusive thoughts is to start observing them, being curious and thinki...
02/20/2025

One of the first steps in decreasing stressful & intrusive thoughts is to start observing them, being curious and thinking about the patterns and times in which they start to flood our brains. Is it in the morning, evening? When you’re trying to sleep?
Next step: don’t believe everything you think 😉
Blessings 🙏

Almost everyone I know is worried or anxious about something right now. If that’s you, too, I hope these questions might help you a bit.

Children aren’t yet able to identify and verbally express they are stressed out. Often, their stress is presented by phy...
02/20/2025

Children aren’t yet able to identify and verbally express they are stressed out. Often, their stress is presented by physical complaints ‘my tummy hurts’ or ‘my head hurts’ - if this is frequent and no other medical conditions are present, the kiddo might be experiencing higher stress levels. They can learn effective coping skills to help them.
Blessings 🙏💓

Stress can cause:

❤️‍🩹 headaches
❤️‍🩹 neck and shoulder pain
❤️‍🩹 lack of appetite
❤️‍🩹 back pain
❤️‍🩹 a heavy chest
❤️‍🩹 tight muscles
❤️‍🩹 an upset stomach

Pausing, breathing, and reflecting through slow breathing techniques can help to reduce stress.

Address

Ruidoso Downs, NM
88346

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+15754913300

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