Journey of Hope Counseling

02/17/2026

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02/13/2026

It is common for individuals to wonder why they have not yet experienced the level of healing they hoped for, even after years of therapy. Historically, much of the mental health field has emphasized a primarily “top-down” approach, focusing on thoughts and cognition. Cognitive-behavioral strategies have provided meaningful benefits for many people and continue to play an important role in treatment. However, when working with trauma, these approaches alone may not be sufficient.

Advances in neuroscience continue to highlight the importance of addressing the nervous system and the body as part of the healing process. Healing often involves not only understanding our experiences cognitively, but also helping the body experience a sense of safety. In this way, integrating work with both the brain and the body can be essential in supporting lasting recovery and well-being.

02/07/2026

Stop running from your feelings is one of the hardest things to do, if you weren’t taught what to do with your feelings. The feeling of discomfort quickly tells your brain that there is danger, which generally leads to avoidance or numbing, thus reinforcing that the feeling of discomfort is dangerous. Learning to sit with them and experience them is the way through them.

02/04/2026

Such a powerful post to meet self with grace, tenderness, and patience while engaging in the healing journey.

Healing isn’t one voice.
It’s a negotiation.

Your inner child is terrified and just wants to feel safe again.
Your inner teenager is furious and wants someone—anyone—to be held accountable.
And your adult self is exhausted and just wants some damn peace.

So when healing feels messy…
When you’re crying one day, rage-texting in your head the next, and numb the day after—
you’re not “regressing.”
You’re integrating.

Healing isn’t linear because you’re not one person.
You’re a whole system trying to come back into balance.

The work isn’t silencing the scared part.
It isn’t shaming the angry part.
And it isn’t bypassing everything just to “be mature.”

Real healing is learning how to hold all of you at once—
to create safety without self-abandonment,
to honor your anger without letting it run your life,
and to choose peace without pretending nothing hurt.

If you’re tired, it doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’ve been doing deep work.
And deep work is heavy before it’s freeing.

02/03/2026

I hear this from so many people, “I’m broken” or “what’s wrong with me?” Sentences like these are often stated when they feel overwhelmed or “too sensitive” in their body. My response is, “You’re not broke or too sensitive.” The fact is you’re appropriately sensitive given what you’ve experienced in your life. Please give yourself grace and meet yourself with curiosity instead of judgment. Be kind to yourself.

05/13/2025

I'm helping my bonus daughter who is seeking a Crisis Prevention Intervention specialist that would be willing to volunteer some time to an organization called Life Center in Minneapolis, "an inner city ministry center that helps people with their basic needs and walks with them on their journey to becoming fully developed members of the body of Christ. Our goal is to equip each member to live a life free from addiction and to become positive parents, role models, and productive citizens."

They're in need of receiving some training on how to best approach high risk children with some behavior problems. The volunteers are frequently students from area colleges that have a heart for at risk youth, however they also have limited training or experience in working with this population and are in need of some expert training.

If you're someone who would be willing to volunteer some time to assist in training or educating those who are serving this population, please reach out to me and I will give you additional contact information. Thank you in advance for your time.

04/22/2025

I often hear people, especially women say that they have a hard time with self compassion. Let’s be intentionally kind to ourselves the way we would with a best friend or our child and see what changes can occur within. Try this affirmation for starters: “I’m worthy of love and belonging or “I’m learnjng to love myself everyday”. Even if you don’t feel it entirely right now. Lean into this. See your younger self craving for love and belonging.

04/21/2025

Helping our children to accurately recognize and verbalize their emotions is a way to assist them in regulation.

When big feelings hit, kids often get swept up in the overwhelm.
But here’s the magic: simply recognising and naming the emotion helps calm their nervous system.

It’s like saying, “Ah, this is anger,” or “I feel sad right now.” That moment of awareness slows the storm.

Once the emotion is named, there’s space to choose what to do next.
That’s where regulation begins — and emotional growth follows.

Let’s raise kids who know their feelings don’t have to control them.

I dive deeper into tools like this in my book Guidance from The Therapist Parent — available now on my website www.thetherapistparent.com and on Amazon.

04/03/2025

I wanted to take a moment to say "thank you" to those who have left positive reviews about Journey of Hope Counseling and myself on any platform. It truly is an honor to be entrusted to walk alongside you during some difficult times in your life and to see the determination and dedication to your healing journey. Your feedback inspires me to continue to grow as a clinician to continue to serve the community around me. Thank you again!

11/21/2022

Anxiety is on the rise and greatly impacting our children's mental health. Research indicates that untreated anxiety is the leading predictor of depression. We need to recognize the symptoms in our youth and address the problem. Anxious Nation is a documentary that is coming out talking about the anxiety crisis in our youth. Take a look at their website:

Kathy Ireland enjoys a global platform as a result of proven leadership in human rights advocacy, the support of millions of women, as well as families, who embrace her designs, products and services...

11/02/2022

Reading Jennie Allen’s “Get out of your Head”. One statement that has captivated me was “the danger of toxic thinking is it produces an alternate reality, one in which distorted reasoning actually seems to make sense.” Our mind and thought life are so very powerful. Grateful that we have the ability to positively affect our thought life by challenging the lies we tell ourselves, which can have a positive impact on our emotions+behaviors+relationships

06/21/2022

Fear is meant to stop us from moving forward and achieving things. Let's move forward towards the uncomfortable even if we feel fear. The goal isn't to do things in the absence of fear but in the face of it.