A Place To Heal Counseling, LLC

02/07/2025

Feb 2025: New Facebook rule (aka... new name, META) where they can use your photos.

I do not authorize META, Facebook or any entity associated with Facebook to use my photos, information, messages or posts, past or future.

With this statement, I notify Facebook/META that it is strictly prohibited to disclose, copy, distribute or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. Violation of privacy may be punishable by law.

He who does nothing consents!

According to the show 60 Minutes:
Just in case you missed it: a lawyer advised us to post this. The violation of privacy can be punished by law NOTE: Facebook Meta is now a public entity. Every member must post a note like this. If you do not publish a statement at least once, it will be technically understood that you are allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in your profile status updates.

I HEREBY DECLARE THAT I DO NOT GIVE MY PERMISSION TO USE ANY OF MY PERSONAL DATA.

Send a message to learn more

02/25/2023

If you find yourself relating to some (or all) of the following character traits, you might be interested in reading Adult Children of Alcoholics (Dr. Janet Woititz) for further education. Adult children of alcoholics, also known ACoAs, have the following traits in common, they:

(1) guess at what normal behavior is,
(2) have difficulty following a project through from beginning to end,
(3) lie when it would be just as easy to tell the truth,
(4) judge themselves without mercy,
(5) have difficulty having fun,
(6) take themselves very seriously,
(7) have difficulty with intimate relationships,
(8) over-react to changes over which they have no control,
(9) constantly seek approval and affirmation,
(10) usually feel that they are different from other people,
(11) are super responsible or super irresponsible,
(12) are extremely loyal, even in the face of evidence that the loyalty is underserved, and
(13) are impulsive, and tend to lock themselves into a course of action without giving serious consideration to alternative behaviors or possible consequences. This impulsivity leads to confusion, self-loathing and loss of control over their environment, forcing them to spend an excessive amount of energy cleaning up the mess.

If this sounds (a bit) like you, you might want to seek counseling, begin reading the Big Red Book (ACA Fellowship Text), or search online for an ACoA (or ACA) meeting near you or one that is offered virtually. You do not have to take this journey alone!

12/31/2022

A great way to start out the New Year is with gratitude! Practice it daily, aloud or by writing it down, and watch how things "shift" around you. Happy 2023!

12/21/2022

Merry Christmas! Wishing everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday!

11/20/2022

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

10/11/2022

It's that time of year again - October! Halloween, pumpkins and Breast Cancer Awareness!

Gender and the aging process continue to be major breast cancer risk factors. Although simply being female puts all women at risk for this disease, breast cancer risks are individual. Approximately 1% of all breast cancer cases occur in men.

Symptoms of breast cancer in women include: a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area; a change in size or shape of the breast; a ni**le discharge; or a change in the color or feel of the skin of the breast, ar**la, or ni**le. Symptoms of male breast cancer include: abnormal lumps or swelling in either the breast, ni**le or chest muscle, skin puckering or dimpling, ni**le retraction (turning inward), ni**le discharge, and/or a redness or scaling of the ni**le or breast skin.

Taking an active role in the early detection of breast cancer: The breast self-exam is the first line of defense! Women ages 20 - 39 should have a monthly breast self-exam, and a clinical breast exam every 3 years. Women ages 40+ should have a mammogram each year, a monthly breast self-exam, and an annual clinical breast exam (performed by a doctor or a nurse). Men can prompt their doctors to perform a breast exam.

Breast cancer is still a leading cause of death among women and men! Everyone is at risk! Call a friend, go for a check-up together, create a “pink” pumpkin, and pass this information on to others!

09/17/2022

Learning to laugh can help you change your life and greatly increase your physical and emotional well-being. It's been proven that humor is therapeutically beneficial! Laughter reduces stress hormones (cortisol), boosts immunity (raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells), lowers blood pressure, increases muscle flexion, relieves pain, decreases anxiety, stabilizes mood, enhances communication, inspires creativity and maintains hope.

Humor is a self-care tool that can be used as a powerful antidote to stress. Even in the face of adversity, having a sense of humor is a quality of perception that allows us to experience joy, hope, and confidence. Laughter appears to be the perfect antidote for anxiety because it stimulates the immune system, balancing the negative impact stress creates in our lives giving us an opportunity to release harmful feelings and providing a release for emotional tension.

Think of humor as an empowerment tool! We cannot always control events in our lives, but we can control how we perceive them. We can control whether we react or respond to them. Humor gives us an opportunity to “reframe” the way we see things; a different perspective. Using laughter as a coping mechanism, we can view our problems with a sense of detachment.

One of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal to enhance your mental and emotional well-being is your sense of humor. Remember: Laughter is free, infectious and has no known side effects! Don't leave home without it!

08/21/2022

Journaling is an affordable method of self-help. It will improve your mental and emotional health. Research has shown that people who journal have increased T-cell production, lower doctor visits, less sick days and improved physical health. Journaling reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, promotes healing, builds self-esteem, and enhances personal growth while capturing your life story.

Journaling is simple! There are no special tools or skills. Any notebook or paper will do! You write whatever you feel however you want to write it. No tests! No one will be checking your spelling, grammar, or penmanship. It's a therapeutic way to sort out what's going on when you don't understand things or cannot readily recognize your own emotions. And, it's private!

You can write reflectively as an observer of life, writing about things going on around you. You can write cathartically, writing about your own feelings by putting your emotions down in your own words. Your journal is a safe place. No one is going to criticize or judge you for what you write. There is no right or wrong way to keep a journal!

For a Gratitude Journal, list 5 things daily for which you are grateful. The “silver lining” is there!

Journaling can help you solve problems. It empowers, balances and harmonizes the inner self by allowing for the emotional release needed for physical well-being. It clarifies thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and enhances self-expression. Journaling is an investment in yourself!

07/21/2022

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) occurs within 1 month of an event and lasts from 2 days up to 4 weeks.

Physical Stress Symptoms include: low energy, insomnia; muscle tension, aches, pains, headaches, chest pain; digestive problems (upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, nausea); rapid breathing or heartbeat; low immunity (frequent colds, infections); loss of s*xual desire and/or ability to perform.

Emotional Stress Symptoms include: anxiety, restlessness, hyper-vigilance; sadness, general unhappiness or moodiness, irritability, anger; feeling confused, lonely, overwhelmed; isolating from others.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can occur at any time after an event, but symptoms must be experienced for at least 1 month for a PTSD diagnosis.

Anxiety Symptoms: fear, panic, general uneasiness; restlessness, inability to stay calm; shortness of breath, heart palpitations; dry mouth, headaches, nausea; cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet; loss of appetite, and/or lack of interest in s*x.

Extreme Anxiety (Panic Attack): a sense of terror or impending danger or doom; feelings of loss of control; trembling, shaking, tingling or numbness in hands and fingers; dizziness, weakness; feeling faint, feeling extremely cold or overheated; shortness of breath, racing heart, and/or chest pain.

Left untreated, anxiety may lead to a risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and/or cognitive impairment (memory issues, difficulty concentrating, poor decision-making).

06/20/2022

Stigma is having false beliefs and/or negative attitudes and behaviors toward someone or something, and is often associated with disgrace. The stigma of mental health includes blaming that person for the illness, when the illness is NOT within their control. Stigmatizing mental health causes people to experience shame and to devalue their self-worth. It leads people to isolate when they need to be seeking help, creates poor social support, subjects people to an inferior quality of life, and negatively compounds low self-esteem. Mental health stigma also allows for an unhealthy space where people are identified, and where they identify themselves, by their illness, rather than as an individual. Stigma is really a form of discrimination and prejudice and, within the context of mental health, adds to the burden of already unwelcome pain!

Let's end the stigma of mental health! Get it out into the open and talk about it. (We talk about everything else!) And, while we're at it, let's reframe mental health as mental wellness!

05/08/2022

A caregiver is someone who helps to care for someone who is chronically ill or disabled. The caregiving experience can be profoundly rewarding by providing opportunities for personal growth and family closeness. However, caregiving also carries with it many responsibilities that can be both physically and emotionally exhausting. It's not unusual for caregivers to experience feelings of anger, frustration, grief, loss, guilt and/or hopelessness. Please know that these feelings are normal.

Caregivers are often overlooked as the focus of attention is on the unhealthy person. This may lead to the caregiver feeling left out, neglected or even isolated. If you're a caregiver, try not to do everything yourself. Know your own limits and ask for help; it's okay. Try not to withdraw from family or friends. You need a break now and then, and you deserve a life, too. Being with others allows for social interaction, leaving you open to suggestions and help, and to a reduction in stress.

03/20/2022

Ralph Waldo Emerson is purported to have said, “All my hurts my garden spade can heal.” Emerson, like so many others of his day and ours, realized that digging in the soil and growing plants relieves tension and promotes [good] mental health. As a hobby, gardening can lower blood pressure, reduce oxygen consumption, increase alpha brain wave activity, and engender a feeling of calm (Doherty, 2009). Other benefits of therapeutic horticulture include: a reduction in stress, anxiety and other stress-related symptoms, as well as decreased depression and an elevation in mood. Gardening can enhance the ability to focus and to concentrate, offering improvement in attention span, and helps to diminish self-harming behavior(s) and a reliance on medication. Cultivating a garden area promotes exercise and reduces time spent indoors (and on electronics!). Gardening can add years to your life and life to your years!