Room to Grow Therapy and Consulting LLC

11/27/2025

11/22/2025

NAMI Minnesota’s Parent Warmline offers support for parents and caregivers who need guidance, encouragement, or help navigating children’s mental health concerns. Connect with our Family Peer Education Coordinator, a compassionate peer with lived experience supporting families and navigating complex mental health systems. They can answer questions, offer support, discuss strategies to help you reach your goals, and connect you with helpful resources. If you or someone you know could use support, email parent.resources@namimn.org

11/20/2025

Understanding Cognitive Distortions

Our brains are powerful—but sometimes they take shortcuts that don’t actually help us. Cognitive distortions are habitual thinking patterns that can amplify anxiety, depression, shame, and stress. We all fall into them at times, especially when we’re overwhelmed or emotionally activated.

Here are a few signs a distortion might be sneaking in:

💭 “I messed up once—so I’ll probably fail again.” (Overgeneralizing)
💭 “If they’re upset, it must be because of me.” (Personalization)
💭 “I should be doing better.” (Should statements)
💭 “Everything is either a total success or a total disaster.” (Black-and-white thinking)

Noticing these patterns isn’t about judging yourself—it’s about increasing awareness. When you can name the distortion, you can challenge it, reframe it, or soften its impact.

You don’t have to believe every thought your brain throws at you.
Awareness creates choice—and choice creates change.

11/16/2025

Family-to-Family is an 8-session educational program for family, loved ones, and friends of a teen or adult living with a mental illness; it is not intended for individuals who are living with a mental illness themselves. It is an evidenced-based program that improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person living with a mental illness. Led by trained family members who have been there, this program provides information and strategies for taking care of the person you love, includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises, as well as support and connection among peers.

Date: Thursdays, January 8, 2026 - February 26, 2026

Time: 6:30-9:00 PM

Zoom Registration Link: To register, contact the class leader Cecelia at calaurie78@gmail.com or 205-292-5242 to ensure the class is a good fit. You will receive the Zoom link to join the class upon being accepted into the class.

11/12/2025

The northern lights remind us that beauty can emerge from turbulence.

Even in the darkest seasons, energy shifts and storms can create something breathtaking.

Healing can look like chaos before it glows.

11/09/2025

Feeling stuck in the anxiety cycle?
You’re not alone—and you don’t have to stay trapped in it.

At Room to Grow Therapy, we help clients:
• Understand their anxiety triggers
• Learn evidence-based tools to calm the body and mind
• Break free from avoidance and reassurance-seeking patterns
• Build confidence in handling uncertainty and discomfort

With approaches like CBT, exposure-based strategies, and mindfulness, you can learn to step out of the short-term relief trap and move toward long-term freedom.

11/08/2025

App Highlight: Virtual Hope Box

If you’ve ever wished you had quick access to coping tools when life feels overwhelming, this app might be worth trying.

What it is:
The Virtual Hope Box is a free app designed to help manage stress, anxiety, and difficult emotions. It was created by the VA and Department of Defense to support well-being and safety.

What it offers:

Guided breathing and relaxation exercises

A place to store photos, quotes, or songs that give you hope

Space to write and organize your personal coping strategies

Simple games and activities for distraction when emotions feel intense

Quick access to supportive contacts or crisis resources

Why people find it helpful:
It’s like carrying a small “toolbox” of grounding and calming resources in your pocket—available anytime you need support.

How to get it:
Free on both iOS and Android. Search “Virtual Hope Box” in your app store.

You can personalize it to make it truly yours—fill it with reminders of what helps you stay grounded, connected, and safe.

11/04/2025

As mental health professionals, we want to encourage you to vote YES to the levy TODAY.

Why does this involve mental health? When schools can retain staff and have smaller class sizes, teachers have more ability to notice early warning signs of distress, build supportive relationships, and individualize help. Teachers are less stressed and regulated, and guess what? Regulated adults regulate children. Kids rely on co-regulation. Levy funds often help provide direct mental health support and social-emotional learning. Avoiding program cuts helps maintain predictable routines, provides access to trusted adults, and gives a sense of purpose to students who may get engaged in unhealthy behavior without the structure of extra-curriculars. Elective and extracurricular programs are huge protective factors for mental health and losing them increases isolation and disengagement. Financial stability reduces uncertainty and fear of layoffs, improving the overall mental health culture in school. When we invest in our schools, we invest in the mental health and future of our community. Let's give teachers and students the support and stability they need to thrive! The polls are open until 8, so there is plenty of time.