Thrive Counseling and Workshops

03/21/2024

New Office Checklist:
Fresh carpet - ✅
Filling in all the holes in the walls - ✅
MUCH needed fresh paint - ✅
Getting over COVID 🦠 and a 101 degree fever - ✅✅
Having our first baby - June 15th, ✅
Completing everything to become a LPC-MHSP Supervisor- ✅
Some of the new counselor getting settled into their new spaces - ✅✅✅✅
That new space smell and a place to do incredible work- PRICELESS!

Whew!!! To say this has been a lot is an understatement, but I am so glad to see the progress here and excited to continue building this space out over the next months for more therapist to join us. We’ve still got a ways to but I am so excited for the start of this practice and the community I want to build here. 😁

If you know of anyone looking for full- or part-time space along with a community of skilled and seasoned therapist that want to support one another, please let them know I would love to talk with them more and see how we might be able to assist them in growing their practices. Coffee provided! Food offered! 😉

10/03/2021

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03/24/2021

Greetings, fellow wounded healers and travelers,
I hope you all are doing well! I wanted to share a group that I'll be starting for our area in APRIL, 2021. My first group is already full for Tuesday evenings, but I wanted to get the word out as I am developing a morning and afternoon groups as well.
For the last three plus months it has been an honor to work closely with Jay Stringer of the book Unwanted and Tapper Luukart from the Allender Center in Seattle, WA to better understanding why men and women struggle with unwanted s*xual behaviors; to really dig down into the narrative of why we return time and again to our struggles like we do. The Journey finally does that and begs the question: What is your lust trying to tell you? I'm firm believer in not bastardizing the behaviors but approach them with curiosity, gentleness and openness. If we can do that, then, we can better understand the underpinnings of it and care for our desires with much more diligence. Being an ACA kid myself, understanding the whole story really makes for great recovery and that is what I want to offer with this new group, The Journey
If you can think of anyone that could benefit from a group like this, please send them to the PT page: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/37027/288542?sid=605b9868de178&ref=13&rec_next=41&tr=ResultsName
If you wanted to know more about Jay Stringer and The Journey Work I'll be using or to know more about his book Unwanted, please check him out here:
https://www.thejourneycourse.com
and here:
https://www.amazon.com/Unwanted-Sexual-Brokenness-Reveals-Healing/dp/1631466720/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PWYMZS2T6NZH&dchild=1&keywords=unwanted+by+jay+stringer&qid=1616615698&s=books&sprefix=unwanted+%2Cstripbooks%2C189&sr=1-1
Thank you, and warm regard,
Nick

WHAT IS YOUR LUST SAYING? The Journey is a 30-week group walking with men to help them understand why they are battling po*******hy, affairs, buying s*x or struggling with other unwanted s*xual behaviors. The Journey invites men on quest to truly understand your lust: How did I get here, why do I stay, how do I get out? You will have three tools to help you on your journey: Unwanted the book by Jay Stringer, your own personalized Unwanted Sexual Behaviors (USB) Inventory, and The Heart of Man movie. Ready to start your Journey? OPENINGS FOR APRIL, 2021 GROUPS.

Free Trial Watch our signature episode Preview Now Why Us? Our approach identifies the unique reasons behind your triggers. Most approaches to s*xual integrity involve accountability and lust management. Get Started Enroll Now $24.99 per month for 5 months.

03/17/2021

Great conversation on Narcissism. Unfortunately, it is a trait and a problem for nearly 40% of men that struggle with a p**n or s*x addiction.
What are your thoughts or experiences with narcissism?

02/28/2021

Consider something with me...have you ever thought about what your s*xual fantasies might say about you?
A questions that I have been asking my men when they come to me for help with unwanted s*xual behaviors. This article by Jay Stringer is a great introduction to the work I help my men do when they are ready to overcome unwanted behaviors. Let me know you thoughts on this article.

If you take a closer look at your s*xual fantasies, you may find they're not random at all. Counselor Jay Stringer shares his latest research.

12/06/2020

07/05/2020

Terry Crews talks about what it takes to be a “real man” in today’s world. I couldn’t agree with him more.

05/26/2020

PATHOS: is a short screening that I use at THRIVE to help men begin to discuss if they believe they might have a problem with s*x or p**n. 3-6%of the population are afflicted. Throw in a pandemic, social isolation and quarantine with job, financial and family stress AND you have a trifecta...that number now jumps to 25-30% of the population.

So, what can you look for:
Preoccupation - do I find myself preoccupied with s*xual thoughts? Let’s be honest, I can hear some you all saying, “When am I not thinking about s*x!” Fair enough.

Ashamed - do you find you hide some of your s*xual behaviors from others?

Treatment - have you ever sought treatment for s*xual behavior you didn’t like? Maybe it started out as anxiety or depression but you never talked about your reliance or use.

Hurt others - has anyone been hurt emotionally because of your behavior?

Out of control - do you feel controlled by your desires? Like have you tried to stop, cease and desist with no luck?

Sad - when you look at, act out or perform do you feel sad afterwards?

If you answered YES to just one of these questions it might indicate there could problem. Now, after reading this, all I want you to do is to just sit with your responses. If you feel you’re ready to take another step and work on this problem give me a call. If you’re not, let me encourage you to look into a local recovery group (i.e. SAA, SA, SLAA, Adult Children of Alcoholics) to help you begin to heal. PM me if you have questions or thoughts. Glad to hear your comments!

05/26/2020

MEN, let’s have a candid conversation for sec, okey? How many of you out there watched p**n today? When was the last time watched it? How long would you say you searched for that perfect video or image? Could you stop or decrease if you needed to? Does it interfere with your relationship? Your work? Your finances? Your daily activities?

LADIES: do you know a man, teenager, young or adult male, that has talked with you about p**n, struggles with his p**n viewing, or you’ve caught viewing p**n and now he keeps it a secret from you?

❌ What this isn’t:
❌ This isn’t a post about the need to do away with p**n;
❌ An agenda telling you what to watch or not watch;
❌ Or way to control or shame you and your s*x life.

That is not my aim or goal, nor is it really any of my business!

✅ What it is:
✅ Asking you to check yourself and see if you still have control and power over something that changes your behavior and brain chemistry;
✅ Is this becoming a daily, weekly, monthly habit causing you problems (i.e. are you able to be intimate, can you get an 🍾, do you feel ashamed when you view p**n?);
✅ Do you want or need to stop or decrease your use?

This is what THRIVE specialize in! Helping MEN get their lives back, get their hearts back and get their relationships back! We want to help men be in relationship and help couples to remain strong and together.

If we can help or you have any questions, give me a shout. There is nothing I haven’t been asked 😉

05/24/2020

Now we eat! Thanks for the brisket taco!

05/18/2020

Patiences. It's commonly not a word we like to hear. "Sir/Ma'am, just be patient." ...Eww! I can feel the hairs bristling on the back of my neck just hearing that. And, why do you think that is? Well, for me, and probably many of you, it takes us back to days when we were under the watchful eyes of our parents. All we wanted to do was, well, what we wanted to do: go play, be with our friends, watch our shows, eat what we wanted. And, kids are like that? They’re Impulsive! It's all the about THIS or THAT moment for them or avoiding feeling a particular way. And, for some us it was because of those experiences that we STILL struggle today with patience. FOMO much? Not so long ago, I would guess. In her book, Mirror of Intimacy, Dr. Katehakis reminds us when we experience "patience" as a relational skill we are able to connect with others in deeper, "non-reactive and emotionally sobering" ways, (i.e. we don't react to stress with stress). You see when we practice patience we learn to strengthen our inner qualities to develop not react to the things that happen in our lives; "rather than chasing a specific situation, mentally or emotionally, we think we want [or needs our attention], we develop our capacity to 'BE' in right relationship to any life situation." What have you felt you couldn’t be patient with? What choice have you made recently that felt reactive rather than sitting back and considering them?