Soul Strength VT

Soul Strength offers integrative counseling and wellness services focusing on whole person health promotion.

12/12/2025

Yes, that's correct. Walking Thoughts. What started off as a run (really though, it's a good slow jog for me) quickly turned into a walk after I tweaked my ankle for the 100th time.

I felt pi**ed. Annoyed. Frustrated. I had spent time motivating to get outside, putting the gear on, finding my watch, etc. And now I'm out here taking a walk in pain and... googling.

Yep, I admit it. I immediately turned to Dr Google. "WHY does my ankle keep slipping?" As if Google is going to seriously diagnose me. I gave into reading for a minute before I was able to recognize what I was doing as "control".

I'm trying to control my negative feelings by figuring out the "why". (We think if we find out why we're feeling uncomfortable we can solve it and move on.) The problem comes when this effort in control becomes futile. When the problem isn't something we can solve. When It's something we have to be "willing to tolerate".

Do you ask why your car starts before you start it? Do you absolutely need to figure it out before you go anywhere? Of course not! You get in and drive.

Same can true for these emotional and physical discomforts. Sometimes we can go with the flow and simply let them be. The less time we spend trying to control them, the less time we spend attached to this uncomfortable space.

#802

12/10/2025

...this might be a group for you!

💪 Maybe you're someone who wants to exercise, but doesn't know where to begin (I get it!)...

💪 Maybe you're noticing more stress creeping in... Or maybe your mood has been off...or more worries than usual...

💪Maybe you're looking to improve your overall health and well-being...

💪Or maybe you're tired of our "silo" system of care (go here for this, then go there for that...)...

Soul Strength Groups are here for you. And we're just getting started! Come check us out Tuesday nights in Essex. First group is always FREE... More announcements coming soon. Keep those 👀peeled!

#802

12/08/2025

Get your warm and fuzzies on with me tomorrow night in Essex! 5:15pm.

Get some exercise AND learn a new skill to manage stress. Why not?!?

🔗 To sign up in BIO!

#802

12/07/2025

Hi, I'm Kate. I'm a licensed mental health counselor, health educator and group exercise instructor expanding my practice to offering movement based stress management groups. Why?

✅Because I am someone who has loved experience with anxiety.

✅Because I have been working in mental health world for over 20 years.

✅And because these experiences have taught me there is more we can do for our mental wellness beyond talk therapy and medication. We need more tools, alternatives and services because life gets hard and we could ALL use some support.

Mental health services in the US have been receiving criticism for a long time, often relying on an outdated biomedical model of disease with not enough providers or programs to serve the vast need. The Covid-19 pandemic not only exacerbated this problem, but brought to light the critical need of providing more therapeutic and accessible options to EVERYONE.

Yes, that's right- EVERYONE. We all experience stress. We all experience transition and loss. We all experience ups and downs. We all have hard days. And we could all use more mental wellness support. Let's cut the crap and end the stigma together.

Soul Strength VT is on a mission to bring a new set of tools your way. Be on the lookout for group updates as they roll out this winter. Therapeutic movement, social connections and health promotion groups are coming VT. Let's be well- mentally and physically- together.

#802

12/05/2025

-Charlotte Witvliet, PhD

is so incredibly important to our health. Sometimes I talk to folks who are having trouble finding it, and so I ask, is there anything that you might appreciate? Or anything that doesn't stink?

Our brains are hardwired to trend towards the negative. It's a survival mechanism (if I can anticipate the bad, I can stay safe). Unfortunately, this safety feature isn't very helpful in current times.

Next time you find yourself focusing on the negative, the crap, the yuck... Try to bring to mind one thing that you can appreciate ..or one thing that doesn't stink!

#802

12/01/2025

Who's in? Link to sign up in bio!

#802

11/25/2025

Ever wonder about the psychology behind that last rep? As in, why does it always feel so hard, no matter how many reps you plan to do?

This is a brain/body phenomenon- part psychological, part nervous system. As your muscles fatigue, they carry stress signals to your brain, which increases your perception of discomfort. Once your brain perceives the discomfort, it believes you've reached the end of your workload and it applies a "safety break". This break communicates to motor units to slow down to protect you from threat or harm as you near the end of the set. Not only are your muscles fatigued, but your brain is working harder to maintain the same movement.

Here's the psychological part- and why no matter how many reps we do, it's always that last one that feels so challenging. Simply anticipating that last rep increases perceived difficulty. Not only that, but that perception of threat also increases resistance.

All this to say, that last rep is not only physically harder but also perceptually amplified. The weight didn't change but your nervous system's interpretation of the situation did

Psychology meets sport- BOOM. 💪

#802

11/23/2025

Spin & Spill? Soul Strength for Teens coming 2026. What do we think of this name?? 👍👎?

#802

11/21/2025

Yasssssss! Flow state= a mental State of complete absorption and an activity leading to a loss of self-consciousness altered time perception, intense focus and a feeling of effortless engagement. It occurs when challenges match a person's skills resulting in peak performance and a profoundly positive, optimal experience.

Every Soul Strength group features a five minute "flow". Why? It's important! Not only does this state give our brains a little meditative action, this flow state can be applied to real life too.

It's all about finding that sweet spot. That space where you're not overdoing it (Control!!!), yet not underdoing it (Avoid!!!!). Sometimes chronic stress and/or trauma experiences can cause us to enter into overdoing/underdoing when things feel hard, and we don't even realize it.

Practice flow! Find your sweet spot. Enjoy!

#802

11/19/2025

Wait, did you say THANK the inner critic?!? YES! Did you know the critic is really there to protect you? It's one of our oldest survival mechanisms. Back when we were cave people, if we did something silly (Something we could be shamed for) we'd get kicked out of our tribe. That would be bad. We would die. So enter the inner critic. It's really just there to keep you safe and help you not die.

Thanking it is also a way to make space between you and the thought. Remind yourself you're not the thought or the critic. You are you, and you are capable of being kind to you! ❤️

#802

11/15/2025

Coming January 2026...! 💪🏾💪💪🏼 Curious? Hit me up- soulstrengthvt@gmail.com

#802

11/13/2025

Sometimes self awareness goes a long way. Just knowing the "why" behind our behaviors can be enough to motivate change towards our goals.
💪🏼💪💪🏾

#802

Address

South Burlington, VT
05403

Telephone

+18027349153

Website

http://www.soulstrengthvt.com/

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Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds.

Soul Strength VT believes in a whole person approach to better health and well-being. To that end, Soul Strength VT provides integrative counseling and wellness programming via individual, group and workshop formats. Soul Strength services may be helpful for those looking to improve mental/physical health, capacity for stress management, as well as those feeling burnt out and in need of a boost.

Hi, I’m Kate, founder of Soul Strength VT. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Health Education Specialist, and Certified Personal Trainer/Group Exercise Instructor. I specialize in the crossover between mental and physical health.

I became interested in this “crossover” work shortly after graduating from college. On a whim, I decided to take up jogging. After a few days, I noticed how good I felt- not only in my body, but in my head as well. Exercise led to better eating habits, which led to better sleep, and on and on. I loved how these habits provided me with a sense of overall well being, on top of boosting my self esteem and confidence. Additionally, I found fitness to be a perfect outlet for mindfulness practice, and therefore, it became my “therapy”. Not to mention the benefits to my physical health.

I loved learning about the connections between mental, physical and social health. Having already started my career in community mental health, I thought, why not focus on “all” instead of focusing on “one”? I decided to pursue two graduate degrees- 1 in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine, and the other in Health Sciences-as well as training in exercise science, allowing me to better understand the biopsychosocial connection, and work with people to achieve greater health and well being.