Kara Williams Counseling

03/08/2023

Precious Mr. Rogers. Yes. As one of the most tearful people I know, for whom tears indicate everything from joy to anger to holy awe to deep grief to just profound awareness of the gift of life in any given moment ... Yes.

And also, Yes. Being present with someone else's deep feelings can be uncomfortable, even painful. Lean into that - it's your God-given empathy, the superpower that allows for intimacy and connection. And remember that emotions that are not expressed and shown, (in a healthy, mindful way), _always_ squeak out sideways in other, far less healthy ways.

😘💜

01/18/2023

Yes to all. So inspired, humble and grateful to get to partner with my brave, amazing clients.

❤️🙏

04/18/2022

Inevitable. Our culture blinds us to this, but it's a huge part of what marriage is actually for - helping us grow up.

01/24/2022

Also why it so challenging/painful to turn our gaze upon our own need for growth and not just project our 'stuff' onto our partner.

It can seem/feel hopeless, friends. The good news is that it is not.

01/17/2022

Might be worth pondering today what character means to you?

01/01/2022

So good! For those not regularly engaging with children, a lot of great tips for being present with your own inner child. Please don't hesitate to reach out for help from from supportive family, friends, community members, or your therapist if you find yourself in need of support - that's all of us right now. Love and grace to all.

12/13/2021

Ooof.

“People tend to criticize their spouse most loudly in the area where they themselves have the deepest emotional need.”
-- Gary Chapman

10/08/2021

And maybe also notice what the resistance may be to allowing another's difference into your experience.

Listening is a fundamental ingredient in relational intelligence. Every time we practice listening first, we become a better partner, friend, lover, or coworker. Love is, after all, an exercise in selective perception. How are you becoming a better listener?

09/08/2021

Amen and amen. So true.

Also… a tall order. I am not capable of any kind of faithfulness that challenges my comfort or selfishness without the felt presence of God’s perfect faithfulness, experienced within daily relationship with him.

👉 Our notion of faithfulness in marriage is too often shallow. We generally think of it only in the physical realm. Yet, in many marriages spouses are physically faithful but not emotionally faithful. They are faithful with their bodies but not with their hearts. The partners can’t depend on each other in the ways listed above. There is little trust, little certainty, little safety. Especially in religious circles, people think that if they are not sleeping with someone other than their spouse, they are being faithful.

But faithfulness means to be trusted in all areas, not just the sexual, trusted in matters of the heart as well as those of the body. Being faithful to your spouse means that you can be depended upon to do what you have promised, to follow through on what your spouse has entrusted to you. It means that your spouse can be certain that you will deliver on what you have promised. It could mean being sexually faithful, but it could also mean doing chores faithfully! It could mean staying within the monthly budget and coming home when you say you will. It could mean sharing without fear of reprisal or condemnation.

➡️ Learn more at https://www.boundariesbooks.com/.

08/23/2021

Amen and amen.

07/27/2021

So grateful for steps along this path.