Category: Mindfullness

            Well it is almost here.  That time of year where we have waited all winter long for. To get out and enjoy this beautiful area we call West Michigan.  Schools are out and the kids are just itching to get outside (not itching from the poison ivy like me.)  Summer is the time of year our kids get rejuvenated, they get their batteries charged up from being cooped up in a school, drained from all the academia, the sports, the homework, dance lessons, and anything else they have on their plate to keep them occupied and well rounded through out the year. 

            Parents you have this great opportunity to let your kid be a kid and enjoy this time of year together.  Some of a child’s fondest memories are the times spent with parents camping.  Whether it is at a camp ground, the rented cottage at the lake, or just a ...

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This past weekend my husband and I planted some flowers in our yard.  I am not terribly experienced with planting things (though I do have an indoor geranium that I cherish) and felt slightly apprehensive about this task.  My husband, however, assured me that we would be just fine and reminded me how lovely it would be to come home to such beauty and color.  And so, we set off to make our selections before putting them in the ground.

After browsing the outdoor section at Lowe’s, we came home with petunias, marigolds, begonias, and a bunch of other pretty things I do not know the names for.  I had to admit, seeing the colorful flowers all together on my porch made my heart smile.  As we began to plant, we had to make some decisions about where each flower should go.  The “full sun” petunias and marigolds near the front, the “partial shade” begonias in the back, and so on.  We looked at what the flowers needed and t ...

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Working with teens is very eye opening and for me it is incredibly rewarding. Teens bring so much intelligence and youthful spirit into my every day counseling experience. When teens come into the practice, they are usually coming in to please their parents because their parents want their teen to either behave differently or work on an issue that is causing conflict. On top of this, the teen often does not even know why they are acting in the way that they are. That is why the form of therapy I use with teens is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This form of therapy focuses on why a specific behavior is happening and what is happening in the brain that creates this reaction/response/behavior.

            When a reaction/response/behavior is happening there is a process that has occurred that has created this response. This starts with an event. An event happens that triggers cer ...

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