Balanced Life Counseling

10/21/2025

https://youtu.be/49mfPFTZsHs

It’s not always easy to tell others that your child has challenges managing their thoughts or feelings. And it might not be easy for your child to express th...

07/01/2023

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12/21/2022

The holiday season is here. Here are a few infographics to help you make it through the holidays successfully! :)

03/20/2021

02/26/2021

This video is a great animation of how an addiction begins and unintentionally creates a lot of darkness that is hard to escape.

Kiwi tastes a golden nugget. It's delicious.Script, direction, animation: Andreas HykadeAnimation, artwork: Angela SteffenMusic, sound design: Heiko MailePos...

01/07/2021

In response to news exposure on recent events; resources for you and your family:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/2021/01/talking-to-your-kids-about-chaos/

Often the first thing kids think about in the wake of chaotic news is whether they’re safe. O’Brien advises reiterating that your role as caregiver is to protect them, and that you’ll always do that.

It’s also appropriate to tell kids that it’s OK to feel scared, which models how you handle anxiety as well. “Normalize and validate how they’re feeling,” she says. “You can say, ‘You’re feeling scared about this. Me, too. This is scary and it’s normal to feel that way.’”

“Follow up with how they’re feeling and what they’re thinking to validate their natural responses. To answer questions, say, ‘That’s a really good question and I don’t know the answer, but we can try to find out together.’”

“You can say that when people feel not in control of certain things, their feelings get really big and their behavior gets out of control,” she says. “When that happens it can look really scary.”

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2013/when-bad-things-happen

Children and teens who live in neighborhoods plagued by chronic community violence face emotional consequences that are equally serious, but distinct from those associated with nonrecurring, acute incidents.

Multiple and ongoing exposures to violence can lead to what the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child describes as “toxic stress.” Like a disease attacking the immune system, toxic stress erodes resiliency and, without adequate relief, may cause enduring harm. It can translate into internalized mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, or externalized behaviors such as disobedience, aggression or relational hypersensitivity.

“Children will always have visions and flashbacks that can’t be erased,” she adds. “It’s a matter of learning how to integrate the experiences and return to being functional.”

***Advise students and families to avoid news coverage, violent films and other stimuli that may trigger children.*** This is the first line of defense!!!

Help kids navigate our sometimes-violent world.

12/08/2020

https://youtu.be/50dWNWb3WoQ