Monica Yost Kiss - Monz Counseling LLC

12/21/2025

👏

12/17/2025

Ha! Accurate.

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How to Host Inclusive Holiday Celebrations

12/10/2025

A Timeline of Acceptance: When your child receives a diagnosis

A big thank you to Laura for asking for this series 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Long before a diagnosis is given, most parents have already been walking a difficult road.
There are the waitlists, the endless evidence gathering, the feeling of being dismissed or not believed, and the quiet worry that grows when you know something isn’t being understood. By the time a diagnosis arrives, parents are often already exhausted, stretched thin, and carrying months — sometimes years — of emotional weight.

A diagnosis doesn’t start the journey; it simply changes its shape.
For many, it brings a mixture of relief and grief, clarity and confusion. It can feel like a doorway finally opening while another quietly closes. The moment of diagnosis often lands on top of everything that came before it, which is why emotions can feel so big and so conflicting.

The timeline I’m sharing today recognises that this process is layered and deeply human.
It reflects the shock of hearing things formally acknowledged, the turbulence that can follow, and the steady, gradual movement toward understanding and confidence. These stages aren’t neat or linear — they reflect the lived experience of parents doing their best.

It’s important to remember that nothing about your reaction is wrong.
Parents often worry that they should feel only relief or only sadness, but the truth is that most feel both — and much more. You may grieve the time lost to waiting. You may feel anger at systems that made you fight so hard. You may also feel clarity, connection, and hope.

This timeline is here to help you make sense of that inner landscape.
Whatever stage you’re in — whether you’re still processing the past, navigating the heavy middle, or beginning to see the path ahead — your experience is valid, and you are not alone in it.

There will be more to come in The Diagnosis Series over the coming days — deeper reflections, practical tools, and guidance for each stage.
If this resonates, follow along and share with someone who might need to feel seen today.

12/06/2025

Gratitude

12/03/2025

Protective Factors of Choosing Hope

12/03/2025

Bypassing or processing your emotions?

12/02/2025

You know who has a valid viewpoint on how traumatic your experiences or memories “really” are?

12/01/2025

Everybody dance now!

11/23/2025

So many of my clients realize they have ADHD after their child is diagnosed. Remember, neurodiversity is highly genetic 🙃

11/21/2025

Protective Factors of Gratitude