Fall-ing Apart
Summer’s over, and as the days begin to get shorter our list of activities gets longer. Kids are back to school, with homework, and PTA fundraisers, teachers’ nights, and school programs. Fall sports are back too, with practices during the week and games on Saturday and Sunday. If you attend church there’s fall carnivals […]
The Terrible Secret of Too Much Counseling
Let me get right to the point: Too much counseling can drive you crazy. Settle down, let me explain. Emotional Excavation That’s weird. I wonder why I did that? Why did what s/he said hurt my feelings so much? Why am I so mad about this? Why do I always seem to assume the worst? […]
The Benefit of Being an Active Listener
Did you know that there are levels of listening? Listening should be a whole body experience. When I worked in an elementary school I taught social and emotional classroom lessons to kindergarteners. Is your whole body showing me that you are listening? Your eyes? Ears? Hands? Brain? Heart? While this might sound juvenile and […]
Difficult Conversations: Balancing Truth & Love
One of my favorite commercials is for car insurance. The scene opens with three elderly women facing a wall covered with pictures. While one woman explains that she’s posted all of her vacation photos to the wall in front of them, another says, “I like that one!” And the other tells them both, “That’s not […]
Jon’s Rules for Being Miserable
[Sarcasm font on] I’ve worked in the mental health field for 16 years. I’ve been a triage counselor at a psychiatric hospital, a school counselor and the past several years I’ve spent as a counselor and director of Peace Partnership. I’ve seen a lot of, ahem, stuff. I’ve been spit on, hit, kicked, and […]