self-care

  • Yours truly has been on an acceptance and commitment therapy kick lately. I like that it does not cause you to gaslight yourself like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Nor does it carry all of the technical psychobabble that dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) has. Instead, it gives us a realistic way to handle life’s problems as…

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  • Helpful Reminders

    Helpful Reminders

    I do love my work. As challenging as counseling can be, it really does ignite my passion. As a young man working towards my career, there was one by-product I never considered. In my interactions with my clients,  I am constantly being served reminders. Professionally, this is known as countertransference. I see myself in my…

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  • Pebbles, Rocks, Boulders…Oh My!

    Take a look at your to-do list. I dare you. Look at it. Stare at it. Think about it. It’s so much fun, isn’t it? Wondering about all those tasks. Just sitting there. Waiting for you. Looming in the shadows. Living rent-free in your head. Task paralysis haunts us all. Often, it occurs when our…

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  • The Caring Counselor Year in Review 2025

    A year full of trials and tribulations. I am so damn happy that this year is over. 2026 couldn’t come fast enough. In what has become an annual tradition, it is time for my annual reflection. Let’s look back at what I set out to do this year, see how I did, and outline my…

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  • Gratitude Goes A Long Way

    Gratitude Goes A Long Way

    2025 has been a bitch. I wish you understood how excited I am that we are entering the last month of the year. Around every corner stands a metaphorical Mike Tyson ready to punch me in the face and bite off my ear. Every goddamn time though, I get back up. It ain’t easy, but…

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  • It’s Been Five Years…

    It’s Been Five Years…

    I am having a hard time picking a place to start with writing this post. Over the last week, I reflected on what I want to say, but it gets jumbled up every time. I am more in amazement that it has been five years. It sure as hell doesn’t feel like it. Driving to…

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  • My Story- Suicide Prevention Month

    As a clinician and a client, I offer my unique perspective on suicide. I’ve been there, and I don’t mind sharing my story if it will help someone else. Also, as a suicide prevention advocate, I am starting a new program in conjunction with the Dillan Hardt Foundation- the Heart2Hardt program. For every $50 raised,…

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  • On the Brink of Failure

    On the Brink of Failure

    You guys seem to like it when I keep it real on here. Well, it’s been a while since I even posted here. Let alone let you in on the deep thought. Lately, that’s all I have been bathing in. All the deep thought. Unfortunately, not the good vibe kind of deep thought. More like…

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  • Toilet Vs. Mirror

    Toilet Vs. Mirror

    Perseverating takes the mind places it never thought it could go. Just like my one client of over two years. This is easily her brain’s favorite pastime. Some anxiety-provoking thought will cross her mind, and her consciousness latches onto it. Only for it never to be let go. She and I refer to this as…

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  • Even With The Anticipation

    My poor medicine cabinet looks like a back alley pharmacy. On a typical day, I take 8-9 medications and/or vitamins. That’s a good amount for a younger guy like me. I don’t like it.  Following a couple of recent medical appointments, the topic arose of lowering my psych meds. At the time, I was on…

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