By Chief Lekhiket of The Waynedale News Heavenly Father, help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children. Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can’t make change … [Read more...]
Trichotillomania and Excoriation
July 24, 2020 by
With the heightened anxiety of late, people are manifesting all sorts of coping skills, some of which are self-destructive. A couple I've seen more than once are trichotillomania, which is also known as hair-pulling disorder, and excoriation, which involves picking at one's skin, blemishes or scabs. Together, I'll refer to these as pulling and picking (P&P) disorders. Why do people do these … [Read more...]
On The Death of George Floyd
June 7, 2020 by
In the past couple of weeks since the tragic and unnecessary death of George Floyd on 25 May, I’ve been both talking race in my therapy practice and researching race more often than usual. I’m trying to be informed, trying not to be naive. I have greatly enjoyed the respectful interchanges and the willingness of people of color to answer my questions. I can’t speak to what it’s like to be anything … [Read more...]
Up-Level Your Covid-19 Anxiety Management Game
April 27, 2020 by
Last time, we discussed anxiety management via creating greater control in your life by using scheduling. If that's working for you, skip this video. If you're feeling overwhelmed, take an honest look at your schedule and see what's really necessary in a given day. Let other things go. It's ok. If you're struggling to stick with your schedule, it's time to up-level your anxiety management game: … [Read more...]
Controlling Quarantine Anxiety
April 18, 2020 by
To watch a quick video of the article below, click here. Anxiety is a reaction to a perception of a loss of control. Read that again. The antidote for anxiety, then, is control. I want you to look at life as a continuum with acceptance on one end and change on the other. Some things we can’t do anything about and have to just accept. Other things, we can do something about, make a change in … [Read more...]
Truth vs. Transparency
January 26, 2020 by
In my office, when it comes to truth, I always say that there are at least 3 sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth (which is generally somewhere in the middle). Over the years, I’ve come to see truth as a largely cognitive concept, an intellectual pursuit. That is, your truth comes out of your perception, which is based on a set of cognitions, or thoughts, that you have in your mind … [Read more...]
School Shootings and Other Entitlement Fallout
August 16, 2019 by
After the school shooting in Florida awhile back, my husband became engaged in a discussion on social media about gun control. He responded to a post a man made noting how frustrated the man was with the “thoughts and prayers” sentiments he kept seeing on social media in response to these senseless acts of violence. The implication in his post was that faith has nothing to do with the solution to … [Read more...]
PVC Podcast: Trauma, Part 2
May 7, 2019 by
So, Pastor Mark Grochocki of Palm Valley Church and I kept talking after Trauma, Part 1. He's a marriage and family therapist, so we ended up with a lot to talk about! Turns out, it was being recorded, so the team decided to post it. Hope you find it informative and helpful. Listen to "Episode 103 pt. 2: Mend the Mind" on Spreaker. … [Read more...]
PVC Podcast: Trauma
April 19, 2019 by
Check out this podcast I did with PVC's Pastor Mark Grochocki on trauma and its physical and psychological effects. The actual podcast has more than what's below. Listen to "Episode 103: Mend the Mind" on Spreaker. What’s your background and area of study? I went to the University of Texas at Austin for my undergraduate education and then Baylor University in Waco for my … [Read more...]
SPIRITUAL WARFARE: Why are some children born into suffering with terminal illnesses and/or taken away from their parents before they even see their first birthday?
January 6, 2019 by
Pastor Ryan of Palm Valley Church: There are some questions that can never be fully answered. This is one of them. There is no reason or logic that we, as humans, can discern for sick children. There is not an answer of which we are aware, as humans, that will make us feel better about sick children. There is not a simple Bible verse for us to quote, as humans, that explains the suffering of sick … [Read more...]
