I specialize in mindfulness and therefore I do a variety of mindfulness exercise with my clients. In particular I like the exercise on sub personalities , or how I become to name it, “Befriending the many aspects of ourselves ” We all have a story we tell ourselves and believe it. Sometimes we go through…
Many kids, despite what they say, really enjoy school. They like seeing their friends, their teacher and learning. However, some kids are not as excited and even worried about going to school. Many of these kids were bullied last year and they are afraid of being bullied again this year. Often when a child is…
Many parents of high school athletes are aware of the dangers of concussions. Even one concussion can cause permanent damage according to recent research studies. However, there is another condition that parents need to be aware of when their child plays sports. This disorder is CTE. CTE is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) it is a…
I have been seeing more and more teenagers who are complaining of anxiety and depression. Many of these teenagers are also afraid to go to school too. I have also been seeing more teenagers being placed on home/hospital for school. This means a teacher comes to the house once a week instead of the teenager…
Practice-base studies show that cognitive-behavioral techniques are effective in the treatment of children’s mental health problems such as depression, generalized anxiety, school refusal, social phobias, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma and sexual abuse, and eating disorders. Two phases of CBT treatment in children includes: 1) Psycho-education, where children learn to recognize…
Today is two days before Christmas. I’m not sure how that happened. One minute it’s summer, and the next Christmas carols are wafting up the stairs at work. Frankly, the weather hasn’t been very cooperative in this venture. It’s in the sixties outside and raining… not what you’d ordinarily expect from Georgia in December. If…
For the first 20 or so years of my life, I knew I was going to be an elementary school teacher. I could envision writing on the chalkboard, decorating the room, and being the person holding the big book up front with all the answers in it. I had my own little chalkboard, and I…
My 8th grade algebra teacher was a very kind and patient woman named Mrs. Collier. Math has never been my thing, and I found myself totally at sea in her class. She never embarrassed or shamed me, and she was available if I wanted help in solving the problems at hand. Somehow, I scraped by…
People may question or wonder how the presence of a pet in a counseling office aids in the therapeutic process. Many animals are currently being used in a multitude of settings but I will speak only of the one I work with, my dog! Prior to introducing my golden retriever as a “therapy-assist” dog, I…
By Randy Brazzel MA, LPC, LMFT Unfortunately, traumatic experiences are a relatively common event. Current estimates are that as many as 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes. Given the number of veterans who have experienced combat, the frequency and intensity of recent natural disasters, and…