Alethia Family Counseling Center

12/13/2025

Get your Christmas shopping done early!

December 6-14, Chris Legg's book, S*x and Marriage, will be on sale for $14.45 on Amazon.

Purchase the book at https://a.co/d/9KEES0a

12/11/2025

It’s and we’re excited to introduce Reid James.

Reid takes great joy in helping people clarify their goals and values, using genuine conversations to help people process through the things in life that are most important to them.

Want to schedule an appointment with Reid? Call our office at 903-561-8955.

12/10/2025

Merry Christmas from Alethia!

12/09/2025

Alethia Christmas party!

12/08/2025

What to do about holiday depression:

In addition to medical advice, check out these four non-medical ways to fight depression (as well as just the blues!):

Search for fun – get out and play, do things you enjoy, etc. This is a tough, though. What does the depressed person enjoy, if you ask them? Of course, “nothing.” That’s what depression is! Better to think about what you used to enjoy before. Then, make yourself schedule time to do them. If you can’t think of anything, I have two for you: one, find a swing set and climb on. two, buy a box of crayons (think 50+ colors) and start coloring. Draw what you used to when you were a kid: a house, rainbows, trees, rocket ships bombing the moon (or was that just me?). Finger painting, molding clay and mud puddles are good ones too – anything that requires you to throw away what you are wearing is good!

Work – do something productive with your hands, garden, build something, etc. It needs to feel meaningful and like you have accomplished something.

Exercise – walk, run, swim, whatever. Consistent exercise is one of the best ways to stave off depression, and it will help your sleep patterns. Get out and breathe.

Religious activity – pray, sing, sit still, read, get involved in Church! Isolation is dangerous – join in with a community of faith. Get alone, or in a group, with God and talk – laying down all your burdens. Grab a Bible and check out Philippians 4:6-9 for a reminder of how prayer is a great solution for anxiety.

Obviously, these are great habits for life, regardless of depression. Therefore, develop good habits and avoid bad habits like isolating yourself and rumination.

Too much isolation is a sure path to holiday depression. Also avoid “rumination.” Rumination is the word for animals chewing their cud; we may not do that with food, but we do chew, swallow and regurgitate our thoughts. When we do, our thoughts tend to grow negative.

It is not uncommon for people to feel stressed, anxious, numb, or even depressed as this time of the year approaches… but honestly, a couple of good decisions… get out, work, play, worship… can create a better chance for focusing on the Good News… faith, and of course, family and friends, during this season – which is what living well is really all about!

By the way, even if you don’t deal with depression, if you know how to help yourself, you will be better at helping others in the same ways.

Read more on our blog.

Walking through depression during the holidays can feel overwhelming. Perhaps you feel alone, like the one person out of the loop.

12/04/2025

We are honored to get the 2025/26 Locals Love Us award for counseling services!

12/04/2025

It’s and we’re excited to introduce Jill Bounds.

Jill looks forward to walking alongside you as you journey towards all God has for you!

Want to schedule an appointment with Jill? Call our office at 903-561-8955.

12/01/2025

Which Christmas character are you?

During this holiday month we find ourselves experiencing more stress, more family, more expenses, more parties, more food and just plain MORE of anything and everything. We also can feel more love, more hurt, more gratitude and yet more sadness. More can be hard. More of anything in our life demands adaptation skills. Adaptation skills require extra emotional energy. And extra emotional energy is hard to find as “more” is heaped on us!!! A season filled with more is a difficult maze to navigate! When we add grief, depression, anxiety and loneliness to all of this “more” you can begin to feel like the holidays are an emotional avalanche ready to bury you!

These feelings are common during the season from Thanksgiving to New Years. One of my favorite quotes that sums up how a lot of us feel is “Home for the Holidays, Therapy by New Year’s”! These feelings are so universal we find them throughout Christmas themed movies, songs, and literature. Who hasn’t felt Elvis’ pain of a “Blue Christmas” or let our mind drift to a place we long for while listening to Bing Crosby sing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. Movies often times represent our shared psyche as a culture. We see ourselves in these characters and the more they hold up a mirror to us individually and collectively the more the movies become part of tradition. Christmas movies hold a special place in our Christmas culture because we feel what these beloved characters feel and we watch as their “humanness” is displayed for all to see on the big screen.

So, which character reflects your feelings this Christmas?

Read more by clicking the blog link.

Christmas characters. Learn what Christmas character you feel like this holiday season. Which Christmas character am I?

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from Alethia!

11/25/2025

11/20/2025

It’s and we’re excited to introduce Liz Lowry Wyatt.

Liz looks forward to witnessing healthy growth in her clients as they overcome obstacles and flourish into the best version of themselves.

Want to schedule an appointment with Liz? Call our office at 903-561-8955.