Space to Heal Counseling and Wellness, PLLC

07/06/2024

When you’re grieving a loss, it can be difficult to put into words what you are feeling.

Grief is a profound, whole-body experience that encompasses a wide spectrum of emotions that can often feel overwhelming—even confusing. It can be hard to sort through and make sense of what you are feeling and scary to allow yourself to feel your emotional pain.

On June 22, I will be facilitating a workshop called Collaging Your Grief, in which we’ll be using collage to explore and get to know your unique grief experience.

There are many therapeutic benefits to making art. Art gives our emotions an outlet, a way to feel and release what our bodies and hearts are holding, as well as be with and accept our feelings instead of denying them or pushing them away. The art you create can be a powerful form of self-expression and a meaningful way to honor yourself, your grief, and all the parts of your journey.

This workshop honors all types of grief across the landscape of loss. Some examples may include: Death of a loved one, illness or loss of health, loss of pet, loss of a relationship (e.g., family member, parent, partner, divorce), miscarriage, losing a job, retirement, moving to a new home.

Click for more details.

Collaging Your Grief Explore and get to know your unique grief experience. “The right way to grieve is your way.” – David Kessler When you’re grieving a loss, it can be difficult to put into words what you are feeling. Grief is a profound, whole-body experience that encompasses a wide spec....

01/05/2024

I’m sitting with so many feelings this morning reflecting on yesterday’s The Courage to Write workshop. I’m not sure I have all the words to capture what yesterday meant to me. I’m always astounded by the courage participants have to confront that which feels painful, scary, vulnerable, and then share those truths with people they just met. It’s out of a lot of people’s comfort zones, but the fact that they did it anyway feels so inspiring and so brave to me.

Writing gave them a safe place to feel emotions they haven’t allowed themselves to feel. It gave them the freedom to voice their truths and have honest conversations with each other about the challenges they face living with chronic illness. Uncensored. Unfiltered. The support for each other was a moving and beautiful thing to witness. I just want to say thank you to the participants.

Each time I’ve facilitated this workshop, it has become more apparent to me that many people with chronic illness don’t have a space or a community to be able to honestly talk about their experiences. As someone living with chronic illness, I feel this too.

After seeing the impact of yesterday’s workshop, I feel compelled to create more safe spaces and help build more community for people with chronic illness. I’m considering expanding The Courage to Write into a 4-week series—weekly 60-minute gatherings where we delve into one writing prompt centered on a particular topic relevant to chronic illness. That means more time for writing, more time for sharing and discussion, and continued, consistent support over a longer period of time.

If this is something that would interest you, drop a heart 💜 in the comments below or feel free to email me at carla@spacetohealcounseling.com to share your thoughts and feelings or to offer other suggestions of what type of support would be most helpful to you in your chronic illness journey.

I’ll be offering The Courage to Write again this summer, so stay tuned for details in the coming weeks.

28/04/2024

Spending my afternoon finalizing the writing prompts and grounding exercises for the Courage to Write workshop on Tuesday. So grateful (and so excited!) to be offering this.

There’s still time to register. https://spacetohealcounseling.com/the-courage-to-write/

What You Will Explore and Discover:

📝 How chronic illness impacts and has impacted you and your life
📝 Space to process and express your feelings about your chronic illness
📝 Emotional release and freedom of writing and telling your story
📝 Physical benefits of decreased tension and stress in the body
📝 A safe and supportive space
📝 Connection and validation from others on a similar journey and who truly understand your experience

26/04/2024

Writing to me is like breathing. It has been my trusted companion throughout my journey living with chronic illness and a safe place where I can process my feelings and try to make sense of my experiences.

Two years ago, I designed The Courage to Write, a workshop to help people with chronic health conditions use writing as a tool for processing and expressing their feelings, experiences and beliefs about themselves. Chronic illness can feel isolating and lonely. So I also wanted to create a safe place where people could tell their story to other individuals who hold similar experiences and who truly understand what it’s like to live with chronic illness.

I’m hosting The Courage to Write again on April 30, and there’s still a few days left to sign up. If you are looking for a tool to help you express all that you are holding inside and are longing for a community of people who “get it,” I hope you’ll consider joining us.

Throughout our time together, I will guide you through writing prompts, as well as various grounding and calming exercises to take care of ourselves as we explore and share.

You don’t have to be a writer to take this workshop. All you need is a curious mind and an open heart.

To learn more or register, click here:
https://spacetohealcounseling.com/the-courage-to-write/