Grief

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Repairing Heartache: How to Heal After Relationship Grief

By | | Christian Counseling, Family, Grief, Relationships

Now what do I do? What happens when the people closest to you break your heart? What happens when your spouse betrays you? What do you do when your children ignore or demean you? What do you do when your friends forget about you? What happens when your life derails from the careful way you’ve worked, planned, and built it? Relationships of all types can grieve without anyone dying. Grief is loss, not necessarily death. “Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the […]

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Considerations for Growing in Gratitude & Grace

By | | Christian Counseling, Depression, Grief, Mental Health, Personal Growth

“Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift.  It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.” – John Ortberg (2009)   Life is a tapestry.  A work of art which has been bestowed upon us by our loving creator with intricate design and eternal purpose.  What a joyful truth!  There is much to behold in this tapestry of life, and we are instructed in Colossians 3:14 “…be thankful” (NIV).  This can be easier said than done amid the trials and tribulations of life as undoubtedly life can be quite a mixed bag.  What can be supportive in favor

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Coping Skills for a Joyous Season: Protecting Your Peace When It Matters Most

By | | Anxiety, Family, Grief, Mental Health, Stress

The festive season often brings moments of celebration, connection, and tradition. It can also stir up stress, grief, shifting expectations, and complicated family dynamics. Many people experience a mixture of joy and emotional strain during this time of year, and it is completely normal to feel both excitement and heaviness as it unfolds. Here are supportive strategies to help you move through the season with more peace, grounding, and emotional clarity. Prioritizing Self Care: A Foundation for Emotional Well Being Self-care is not an add-on during the festive season. It is the foundation that helps you stay balanced while managing

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You Are Not Alone: Using Faith and Mental Health to Draw Strength

By | | Christian Counseling, Depression, Grief, Mental Health

“Lonely” is defined as being without company or cut off from others. “Alone” means being separated from others—without aid or support. (Webster’s Dictionary) At different points in my life, I have felt both of these things deeply. I’ve sat in rooms filled with people—family, friends, coworkers—and still felt like no one truly saw me. I’ve walked through seasons where I was surrounded but still felt isolated, like I was in a fog that no one else could penetrate. If you’re feeling that way right now, I want you to know: you are not alone. I know what it’s like to be in

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Self- Harm Behavior and the Importance of Building Relationships as a Coping Skill

By | | Depression, Grief, Mental Health, Pre-Teen and Teen Counseling

“I just want the pain to stop.” This phrase has been said by those in not only physical pain, but mental and emotional pain as well. With physical pain, it can be easier to seek help from a medical professional, but what do people do when they are in mental and emotional pain? When those that are in this place feel hopeless and worthless, they may also feel another emotion such as numbness. When people get to this level of feelings, they may engage in self- harm or self-injurious behaviors. While engaging in these behaviors may relieve stress or anxiety

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Reflections and Insights into the Realm of Loss and Grief

By | | Depression, Grief

“Death puts Life into perspective.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Loss and grief are close companions.  The former is an event or occurrence in which one’s world is altered by the removal of and subsequent absence of something or someone, and the latter is our experience of or reaction to it.  These words connect deeply with what it is to be human; to live, to be engaged, to be vulnerable, to connect meaningfully in life and to be open to life’s possibilities.  Existence invites us to explore these avenues as we grow and progress throughout a lifetime.  Opening of oneself to possibility and

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