Awaken Counseling

02/08/2026

Is Your Child Struggling Emotionally, but Can’t Find the Words?

Anxiety, big emotional outbursts, school struggles, or sudden changes in mood or sleep can leave parents feeling worried and unsure how to help. You may have tried talking it through, only to find your child shuts down or doesn’t know how to explain what they’re feeling.

This is where play therapy can help. 🧸

🔷 What Is Play Therapy?
Play therapy allows children to express themselves through play rather than words. Using toys, games, art, and movement, children communicate in the language they know best. Through guided play, therapists help kids process emotions, build coping skills, and improve emotional regulation.

🔷 Who Can Benefit?
Play therapy is often helpful for children ages 3–12 struggling with anxiety, ADHD, trauma, OCD, grief, behavioral challenges, or big life transitions.

🔷 What Parents Notice
Over time, many parents see fewer outbursts, better communication, and increased confidence, especially when talk-based approaches haven’t worked.

At Awaken Counseling, we believe children show us their inner world through play. With the right support, healing happens naturally. 💗

Curious if play therapy could help your child?

📲 Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to learn more.

02/06/2026

Coping with Uncertainty

Uncertainty is one of the hardest things for our nervous systems to tolerate.
Whether you’re waiting on test results or a diagnosis, waiting to hear back about a job, or waiting to find out if your child made a team. The waiting can feel all-consuming.

If you’re in a season of not knowing, here are a few ways to cope that actually help:

1️⃣ Focus on what you can control
When the outcome is out of your hands, anchor yourself in what is in your control: daily routines, food, sleep, showing up to work, caring for your body, or handling logistics. Taking small, concrete actions helps calm the nervous system when the bigger picture feels uncertain.

2️⃣ Limit your thinking time
Uncertainty can take over every moment of the day if we let it. Try setting aside a short, specific window to think about the situation, and when the thoughts pop up outside of that time, gently remind yourself: “Not right now.” This helps keep worry from running the entire day.

3️⃣ Reduce information overload
Constantly re-hashing, researching, or replaying “what ifs” often increases anxiety rather than relieving it. More information doesn’t always bring more clarity, rather it sometimes just adds fuel to the stress.

💛 If you’re struggling with uncertainty, know that you’re not doing anything wrong. Waiting is genuinely hard, but you don’t have to navigate it alone.

At Awaken Counseling, we help clients learn how to cope during these in-between seasons when answers haven’t arrived yet.

02/05/2026

We were proud to be represented by Megan Heller-Foley, LCSW at the Cobb Collaborative end-of-year meeting!

Awaken Counseling is grateful to be a partner with Cobb Collaborative, an organization dedicated to strengthening our community by connecting schools, families, and local organizations to support the mental health, well-being, and success of children and families across Cobb County.

We value the collaboration, shared resources, and community-wide impact that partnerships like this make possible, and we’re honored to be part of this important work.

02/03/2026

📚 Book of the Month: Month Four!
We’re starting of the month with a powerful reminder: you don’t need to be harder on yourself to grow, you need to be kinder.

🌟 This month's pick is Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff, recommended by our therapist Tuesday Brown, LPC

💬 “I recommend this book because it relies on evidence-based research showing that practicing kindness toward ourselves actually builds greater well-being. It offers an alternative to self-esteem and provides a more effective path to happiness.”

About the Book:
This is a research-backed guide to replacing self-criticism with self-kindness. Kristin Neff introduces three core components of self-compassion: self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity and offers practical tools to help readers build resilience, improve emotional well-being, and respond to challenges with greater care and understanding.

This book invites readers to step out of self-criticism and into a more supportive, grounded relationship with themselves. Rooted in research and rich with practical tools, it offers a meaningful alternative to chasing self-esteem and instead focuses on cultivating compassion, presence, and connection.

A perfect read for the start of the year if you’re hoping to build resilience, reduce burnout, and practice treating yourself with the same kindness you offer others.

Let this be the year you notice what’s 𝑛𝑜𝑡 broken. 💗

01/29/2026

We’re thrilled to share that Jordan Gross, MSW, is leading a DBT Skills Group for Teens (ages 14–17) on Monday evenings at Awaken Counseling.

Teens will learn evidence-based skills in:
▪Mindfulness
▪Emotion Regulation
▪Distress Tolerance
▪Interpersonal Effectiveness

This group is highly recommended for teens who could benefit from extra support in a safe, encouraging group setting.

Awaken Counseling has 19 therapists specializing in stress, anxiety, OCD, and related concerns, committed to helping clients build resilience and feel more in control.

📩To register or learn more, email us at
hello@awakencounseling.com

01/28/2026

If your child has ADHD, you might notice they seem more anxious than other kids their age. This isn’t just a coincidence—ADHD and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. It can also be hard to distinguish between one and the other, since the relationship is so intertwined. Understanding this connection can help you better support your child through these issues and build their resilience.

Read more about this connection in our latest blog.

Remember, managing ADHD and anxiety is a journey, not a destination. With the right support, understanding, and strategies in place, your child can learn to

01/26/2026

🔹Post-Holiday Blues Are More Common Than You Think 🔹

If you’re feeling a little low as you head back to work, school, and routines after the holidays—you’re not alone.
The shift from rest, connection, and flexibility back into structure can feel heavy, and for many people it brings a dip in mood or motivation.

A few gentle ways to support yourself during this transition:

🥗 Ease back into healthy habits
The holidays often come with lots of sugar, rich foods, and irregular meals. Gently returning to nourishing foods and regular meals can make a noticeable difference in energy and mood—no extremes needed.

📅 Plan something to look forward to
Having something on the calendar lifts our mood. It can be a long weekend, a future vacation, a concert, or even a simple coffee date.

☕ Reward yourself on hard days
Mondays—especially post-holiday Mondays—can be tough. Small rewards help:
• Your favorite cup of tea or coffee
• Planning a cozy dinner for the end of the day
• Giving yourself permission to turn everything off and read a good book

⬇ Lower the pressure
You don’t have to be “back at 100%” immediately. Transitions take time, and it’s okay to move slowly.

If the heaviness lingers or starts to feel overwhelming, therapy can be a helpful place to process the shift and get support. You don’t have to navigate it alone.

01/23/2026

❄️ Snow might be in the forecast, Atlanta… ❄️
If you’re staying in this weekend, our therapists are leaning into cozy movies & shows that also carry powerful mental health themes 🍿

⚽Ted Lasso
An all-time favorite around here. Anxiety, panic attacks, grief, relationships, therapy which all are wrapped in humor, heart, and hope.

🧠 Inside Out
Perfect for kids and adults. A beautiful reminder that every emotion has a role — even the uncomfortable ones.

🎥 Girl, Interrupted
A raw, humanizing look at mental illness. One quote we love:
“Crazy isn't being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me amplified…”
Stories like this help foster empathy and understanding.

🍂 The Holdovers
A quiet, tender film about loneliness, connection, and what it means to feel seen — especially during the winter months.

🌱 Garden State
A gentle exploration of numbness, grief, and the slow return to feeling. Sometimes healing starts with allowing yourself to feel again.

🐎 The Horse Whisperer
A powerful reminder that healing takes patience and gentle trust. Connection is medicine and so much healing happens through relationship.

Whether it snows or not, this is your permission slip to slow down, stay in, and take care of your nervous system this weekend

What are you watching? 📺

01/22/2026

Therapist Spotlight: Candra Garrett, a compassionate and empowering Graduate Intern at Awaken Counseling.

Candra works with children, teens, and adults, supporting clients through:
▪ Anxiety
▪ Depression
▪ Stress
▪ Life transitions
▪ Grief
▪ Chronic pain & chronic illness

Candra brings a gentle, strengths‑based approach to therapy, helping clients feel in charge of their healing and confident in their next steps. She believes deeply in each person’s resilience and capacity to grow and walks alongside them with warmth and encouragement.

She also offers:
▪ Somatic & wellness practices
▪ Faith‑based counseling (upon request)
▪ Low‑cost sessions
▪ Support navigating chronic illness, medical systems, and big life decisions

Candra hopes every client feels seen, understood, and supported because no one should have to navigate life’s challenges alone.

01/19/2026

Awaken Counseling is currently delivering a 12-part workplace mental health webinar series for a company, focused on practical tools employees can use to support their mental health both at work and at home.

Our licensed therapists provide engaging, evidence-based trainings that address stress, burnout, anxiety, work-life balance, and emotional well-being in today’s workplace.

These webinars are designed to support employee wellness, improve morale, and create healthier, more resilient teams.

📩 Interested in bringing mental health webinars or trainings to your organization?
We offer customizable webinar series and individual workshops for companies, schools, and organizations.

01/16/2026

Did you know the way you talk to yourself can literally transform your mood and boost your mental health? It's true! The language we use, both internally and externally, has a huge impact on how we feel about ourselves and the world around us.

Positive self-talk isn’t just about repeating feel-good mantras. It’s about changing the way you think, even in tough situations. When you begin to speak more kindly to yourself, it can lead to:

◾Reduced stress and anxiety
◾Increased self-esteem and confidence
◾Greater resilience in the face of challenges
◾ Improved overall well-being

One powerful tool is reframing which changes the way you interpret a situation or thought. Instead of letting negative thoughts keep you stuck, you can shift them to something more empowering.

Here are a few examples:

Reframe:
⛔ "This is too hard."
✅ To: "This is a challenge, but I’ve handled tough things before. I can figure this out."

Reframe:
⛔"I’m a failure because I didn’t get the job or make the team."
✅To: "I’m disappointed I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, but I can learn from this experience and improve for next time."

Reframe:
⛔"I’ll never be good at this."
✅To: "I’m still learning, and every step is progress. I’ll get better with practice."

Your inner dialogue is your most frequent conversation—so make it an uplifting one! Every time a negative thought pops up, you have the power to change it. By carefully choosing your words, you can transform your mindset.

01/15/2026

✨ New Year, Healthier Habits ✨

The start of a new year often inspires us to reset, not by becoming a “new” version of ourselves, but by creating healthier, more supportive habits that actually last.

As you think about your goals for the year, consider habits like:
• Prioritizing your mental health
• Setting healthier boundaries
• Learning to manage stress and anxiety
• Asking for support instead of pushing through alone

One of the most impactful habits you can start in the new year is therapy. Therapy isn’t just for crisis moments. It’s a proactive investment in your emotional well-being, relationships, and overall quality of life.

At Awaken Counseling, we currently have openings for new clients and a team of 20 compassionate, highly trained therapists. This allows us to thoughtfully match you (or your child/teen) with the therapist who is truly the best fit for your needs.

If creating healthier habits is on your 2025 list, we’d be honored to support you along the way.