Bethany Gaddis MA RMFTI

03/31/2026

Help us help others and through this giving challenge, every donation will go twice as far!

We are so excited to share with you that Eagle’s Wings Counseling Center will be participating in the 2026 Giving Challenge!

From April 15th at noon to April 16th at noon, every donation you make through the provided link, will be matched - doubling your impact and helping us reach even more individuals, couples, and families in need of support and care.

At EW, we believe that help should be accessible, compassionate, and rooted in hope. Your generosity helps provide counseling services to those who may not otherwise be able to afford it - offering resources, restoration, and a safe place to be seen and heard.

This is a powerful opportunity to make your gift go TWICE as far!

So mark your calendars, spread the word, and join us in making a difference - one story, one life, one step toward healing at a time.

Donate here on April 15th noon - April 16th noon ----> https://www.givingchallenge.org/organizations/eagles-wings-counseling-center-inc

03/12/2026

New wall decor - BAM 💥

02/10/2026

Still creating lots of therapy content, however, I’m posting it more so on the counseling center page so feel free to follow along there too!

Somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that strength looks like pushing through, holding it together, and not letting our emotions slow us down. We are often praised for being “the strong one,” the dependable one, the one who never falls apart. But ignoring, suppressing, or trying to outrun your emotions doesn’t make them disappear - it just sends them inward or sideways.

Unprocessed emotions have a way of showing up in our bodies, our relationships, and our mental health. They can surface as chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, physical tension, irritability, numbness, auto-immune diseases, or feeling disconnected from ourselves and people we care about. What looks like “strength” to those on the outside can often be a nervous system carrying more than it was ever meant to hold.

Real strength isn’t found in silencing your emotions. Real strength is found in learning how to listen to your emotions, getting curious about what they are trying to communicate, and responding with care instead of avoidance.

Emotions are not weakness to overcome - they are signals designed to help guide us, protect us, and tell the story of what truly matters to us.

Counseling can be a place where you don’t have to be performative with your strength. It is a place to slow down, name what you’re feeling, and learn healthier ways to process and carry your experiences.

You deserve support that helps you heal, not just survive.

You don’t have to keep pushing past your emotions to prove you are strong. We know you are! Plus, the strongest and bravest thing one can do is allow yourself to feel them.

01/15/2026

I’m so thankful for this sacred space where I get to partner with God in the work of healing and empowerment that’s taking place in the lives of so many individuals, partners, and families 💚

10/04/2025

STORY TIME !!! Observed an outdated parenting approach on the soccer field today that needed some updating so listen up!

09/12/2025

Some people hesitate to reflect on ways their childhood shaped them because they get stuck thinking they are "blaming" their parents for everything. But naming how you were impacted isn't the same as blaming the people who raised you.

Many of the ways we show up today - our boundaries, our self-worth, our ability to trust, the ways we react to stress etc. - didn’t just appear. They are shaped by years of experiences. Some are helpful and some are hurtful. Some have never even been acknowledged.

Naming is about getting honest with yourself so you can stop living on autopilot and start choosing how you want to move forward.

You can name what was missing.
You can name what hurt.
You can name what has shaped you.
And still hold space for the fact your parents may have been doing the best they could.

This process in therapy isn’t about turning your parents into villains. It’s about understanding the blueprint you were handed, and realizing you don’t have to keep building your life and self in that way.

Eventually healing will become less about what happened back then and more about what you want to do with that awareness now. Because once you understand where a thought, feeling, action, or reaction comes from, you can choose if you want to keep it or let it go; replacing it with something truer to who you are now or who you are working towards becoming.

Thats not blame. That is growth.

08/26/2025

Easy kids are easier to parent. Kids with challenging behavior are really challenging to parent.

A child's behavior is influenced by many complex factors beyond parental control, including their individual personality, genetics, peer influence, and broader environmental factors, suggesting that parents are not solely responsible for a child's actions. While parenting practices significantly impact a child's development and well-being, a child's behavior can also be a reflection of their own struggles or an attempt to communicate needs.

So who is to blame then for challenging behavior? More accurately, WHAT is to blame? Skills deficits – (Pollastri, 2019; Wang, 2018). Tons of research in the neurosciences have shown beyond the shadow of doubt that kids who exhibit challenging behavior struggle with skills in areas like flexibility, frustration tolerance and problem-solving. To be more specific and technical, they have a hard time with things like language and communication skills, attention and working memory skills, emotion and self-regulation skills, cognitive flexibility and social thinking skills.

Let’s learn from past mistakes and stop playing the blame game. Let’s start having empathy for parents whose job is already tough enough. They could use our support, not our judgment.

08/07/2025

Children shouldn’t have to be resilient, they should be protected. But when protection wasn’t available, your brain may do the next best thing and disappear. Not because you want to, because you have to; to survive.

Some people can’t remember their childhood because they were too overwhelmed during it to feel safe enough inside it to even create memories. When you live in survival mode, your brain prioritizes one thing: getting through it. People think memory fades just because of time. But trauma doesn’t steal time, it steals presence.

You stop absorbing moments.
You start scanning for danger.
Even laughter becomes suspicious.
Joy feels temporary, like bait.
Your body stays, but your self hides.
You smile for photos but feel nothing.
You laugh at jokes but you aren’t there.
Survival rewires memory.

So if your childhood feels like static, you’re not broken, you’re a genius. You adapted the only way you could, by disconnecting from what hurt too much to hold.

The blurriness of the past will stay until it’s safe to feel again. Your brain isn’t malfunctioning. It’s waiting for the signal that the war is over. That someone is finally listening. That you are finally ok.

Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to remember. It’s about gently becoming the presence you never had. To sit with yourself, not like a detective looking for clues, but like a parent saying: Im here now. You don’t have to hide.

Your story isn’t lost, it’s waiting. And every time you breathe softer, speak kinder, and give yourself safety, you are giving the child you were something they never had: a chance to be remembered.

08/03/2025

Childhood is changing and we adults better start adapting to the idea to be able to guide the next generation well.

If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or leader who works with kids, we’ve created this resource for you!In Mental Health and Our Kids, we talk with two expert...

07/29/2025

Clear and consistent boundaries provide children with a sense of predictability and structure, allowing them to understand what is expected of them and what is not acceptable. This understanding fosters a sense of security, helping them navigate social situations and develop emotional intelligence as they grow.

Boundaries create a predictable environment where children know what to expect, reducing anxiety and fear. They help children understand their emotions and how to express them appropriately, fostering emotional regulation. When children understand boundaries, they feel more confident in their ability to make decisions and navigate social situations. Boundaries teach children respect for themselves and others, promoting empathy and understanding. Boundaries help children understand what is acceptable in relationships and how to protect themselves from harm. As children learn to respect boundaries, they also develop independence and self-reliance.

In essence, boundaries provide a framework for children to explore, learn, and grow in a safe and supportive environment. They are not about control, but rather about providing structure and guidance to help children develop into confident, secure, and well-adjusted individuals.

07/24/2025

The lessons learned in the family environment set the stage for how we approach all other relationships in our lives, including friendships, romantic relationships, and even our relationship with society.

Just as we benefit from learning the difference between addition and subtraction, society at large can benefit from someone learning the importance of healthy communication, the virtue of listening, and even the art of apology.

Keeping this in mind, parents…be intentional about the subjects your school teaches.

If the school you grew up in didn’t equip you to love yourself and others well and you want to learn a new, healthier way of relating, there is support available.

07/21/2025

Two triggered bodies trying to talk will always miss each other.

So before you reveal anything, regulate yourself.

Pause
Take deep breaths
Feel the emotions that are coming up
Then speak

Because the most powerful tool in conflict isn't language, it's safety.