Mt. Norris Counseling & Wellness, LLC. Jenna Donohue, LCMHC

04/23/2026

Gen X childhood=

We left the house and didn't come back until the streetlights came on. No phone. No check-ins. Nothing.

Hungry? Good luck.
Late for dinner? You didn't eat.
Didn't like what was on your plate? You didn't eat or were made to sit at the table until you did eat—everything.

Thirsty? Every house had a hose.

You ran outta hairspray? You called every girl on the block to borrow some. Flat hair wasn’t a look—it was a death sentence.

We didn’t have playdates—we had roaming packs. We were like street rats and feral cats. We roamed miles
for hours (no money in our pockets btw). We didn’t have any supervision. Supervision? What the hell was that?!

Classrooms looked like a triage unit—casts, crutches, slings—because we weren’t “active,” we were out there climbing anything that could collapse, sliding down hot metal slides and riding bikes without helmets, elbow and knee pads. Gear was around but
using it was optional at best, mocked at worst.

You memorized phone numbers. All of them.

You got locked out of your house and just… waited. Or broke back in like it was normal.

"I’m bored” got you a chore.

If you got in trouble at school, you bet your ass your parents already knew about it and you got it twice.

Sleeping at a friends house was a gift to your folks. And they never made a point of meeting your friend's parents first.

We weren’t raised—we were like free ranged chickens that were released into the wild.

04/23/2026

What's for dinner? Sweet Italian Sausage served with roasted Red, Orange and Yellow Peppers over Basmati Rice.



04/22/2026

Took a continuing education class this morning on cyberbullying, and one point stood out that’s backed by public health research from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

A child’s sense of belonging is one of the strongest protective factors against the impact of cyberbullying.

Not popularity. Belonging.

When kids feel connected (to peers, to school, to even one consistent adult), they are more likely to speak up, less likely to be repeatedly targeted, and significantly less likely to experience long-term psychological harm.

We tend to focus on stopping the behavior. Assisting in the aftermath. And we should, but that’s only half the equation.

The other half is preventative: building a child’s internal stability and sense of self so the gap between the bullying and its impact stays small. When that foundation is there, the experience is less likely to take hold, escalate, or turn into something that lingers.

That’s how you reduce harm before it starts.

04/19/2026

04/19/2026

"The most powerful people are the ones who know how to use what they’ve got. They’re the ones who move with strategy and protect their energy. They show up for their goals."

-J. Donohue
The Donohue Approach

04/15/2026

MAYBELL EEQUAY author of The Little Frogs Guide to Self-Care

04/15/2026

Throwback THOR photo. My therapy practice partner—always jumped in my chair when I brought him to the office. Miss you!

04/14/2026

"We are remarkably talented at standing in our own way. It shows up as procrastination. We're scrolling when we should be starting the thing we know we need to do. It shows up as perfectionism. We wait until it’s perfect, which means—it never gets done. It shows up in relationships. We pick fights, pull away, ghost, or assume the worst because that somehow feels safer than being vulnerable.”

-J. Donohue

The Donohue Approach

04/14/2026

"Predictability equals survival. That’s how the primitive brain works. If it knows the pattern, it thinks you’ll survive it again even if that pattern is toxic, exhausting, or potentially harmful. This is why healing feels so damn uncomfortable at first. You're not just choosing new behavior you're actively betraying what your nervous system has labeled safe."

-J.Donohue
The Donohue Approach

04/12/2026

"If you are parenting a teenager and experiencing conflict—here's why: because teens are doing exactly what they’re biologically wired to do: push away from you in order to become themselves. And you’re doing exactly what you’re wired to do— protect them from becoming cautionary tales. The tension between autonomy and authority is unavoidable. They want freedom and identity. You want safety and structure. Neither of you is wrong. You’re just speaking different dialects of love while standing on opposite sides of a developmental canyon."

-J. Donohue
The Donohue Approach

04/12/2026

Yes!!!! This!!!!!