Agape Counseling

05/22/2023

12/10/2016

I am interested in finding men and women who are 65 and older who are single and are "dating". If you are willing to be interviewed about your experiences in the senior dating scene I would love to talk to you. You can reach me by email to slcagapecounseling@gmail.com or leave a message on my business phone 8018097941. Thanks.

06/21/2016

THIS IS SCARY! BY AGE 11 MANY CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO P**N!

Did you know the new addiction is Po*******hy? There is a Neurobiological Basis of Po*******hy/Sex Addiction. And the brains of our children are being affected. Facts about our children who are exposed:

* Many children are exposed to p**n by age 11
* And sadly, they are learning about s*x from the internet-
THIS IS SCARY!
* VIOLENT P**N is the leading p**n that teens see when they
first come across it
* P**n does not teach s*x: it teaches violence, objectification, and
disconnection
* This creates a "toxic stew" for a teen, as one authority says;
SHAME AND AROUSAL GET FUSED IN THE BRAIN

But there is hope! Become Educated! EDUCATION IS POWER! *

*Information taken June 24th Free Community Event at:
SLCC Miller Campus, 7-9 PM, 9750 S 300 W, Sandy, UT 84070

06/20/2016

ARE YOU AS HAPPY AS YOU WANT TO BE?

What is happiness anyway? How do you define happiness? In our culture it seems happiness is really not sustainable. But happy people generally have better medical, dental and psychological health and improve the health of people around them. Many are on the hedonic treadmill, pursuing happiness by working just to stay in the same place by trying to improve life circumstances (e.g. income or one's appearance). It take more and more (like addictions) to experience temporary happiness.

True happiness has been defined, not as a temporary pleasure, but as a mental or emotional STATE of well-being, Positive or pleasant emotions of contentment to intense joy are hallmarks of happiness.

In one study of 1500 sets of twins, the researcher concluded that nature vs nurture has influence on our sources of happiness. Happiness is:

50% is genetic
40% is within our power to change
10% is affected by life circumstances

So 40% of our ability to experience true happiness is within our power to change by becoming more self-aware. We can cultivate our state of happiness by cultivating a healthier mindset.

According to Martin Seligman, PhD., resilience, not happiness is the opposite of depression. We often label ourselves as either an optimist or pessimist. But optimisim can by acquired by practicing the habit of optimistic thinking Happy people see problems as temporary, impersonal and solvable. They have built resilience by challenging and changing ANTS, automatic negative thoughts.

They cultivate physical resilience also. Happy people generally have better sleep, lower blood pressure and blood glucose and lower cognitive decline. A healthy diet, appropriate and enjoyable exercise, lowering stress and improving sleep hygiene with positive moods and thoughts result in a better quality of physical health.

Cultivate your life of happiness. We need to be able to prepare for inevitable adversity, or move from being victims to survivors and then to happiness. Reaching the state of happiness is well worth the investment in personal growth necessary. But it definitely is attainable.

11/25/2015

This is going to be a blog, but bear with me. It is my thoughts about depression, su***de and the holidays.

There is a myth that has long been perpetuated that su***de rates increase during the holidays. There are no statistics which support this and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that su***de attempts are actually the lowest in December and rise in the spring and fall. This myth is dangerous, because the suggestion can actually have a self fulfilling prophetic affect when the suggestion that the holidays are supposed to be a hard time becomes a "fact".

Depression and suicidal behavior is driven by the belief that you don't belong or you are a burden to the people closest to you. Worsening depression is a warning sign of increased risk for su***de. Although depression may occur anytime of the year, the added stress and anxiety of the holidays often affects those normally contented to feel lonely and unfulfilled. In one Canadian study of psychiatric emergency services during the Christmas season, the most common stressors were feelings of loneliness and "being without family.

When individuals are already dealing with losses of family and close friends, divorces, job loss, or health issues the added stress of holiday activities and preparations can be overwhelming. Expectations can lead to disappointments. Comparing our current situations with others or even our own situations in the past can easily lead to despair.

Relationships are essential to everyone's healthy psychological well being. Often I think of Job and David in the Bible and the suffering they experienced at the losses of their children. Even David lost his monarchy at the hand of his beloved son, Absalom. I did a study of "hope" in the midst of Job's suffering, and found he was "hopeless". When God spoke to him, he did not condemn him for that, but he did chastise him or questioning his sovereignty.

Empathy is a tool which helps us all extend compassion and love to those who are suffering during the holidays. Only by walking in another man's shoes can any of us understand. We have much to be grateful for. One of the ways to deal with hopelessness is to meditate on or blessings and actually write 5 things down in a journal right before we go to sleep.

If you notice someone close spiralling down with depression, don't ignore it. Encourage them to seek support, through therapy, friends or at the very least call the National Su***de Prevention
Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).

10/21/2015

In order for me to do that I have decided to introduce my new website---agingandhealthy.com. Feel free to contact me at: barbara@agingandhealthy.com with suggestions.

10/21/2015

Hey, I want to expand my counseling influence by sharing information to our generation (give or take a few years!) Geriatric counseling indeed is a field that is expanding, but most of the people who would use my services are only covered by Medicare. Sorry, the government has not yet decided to approve my Mental Health Therapists to get paid by medicare. So, thinking outside the box, I want to share all the aging information