Rise & Thrive Counseling, PLLC, 8801 Fast Park Drive Ste 211, Raleigh, NC (2026)

12/15/2025

"As the year comes to a close, many people feel pulled toward resolutions, productivity checklists, or self-critique disguised as reflection. But for those of us seeking steadiness, healing, and genuine alignment, there’s a gentler doorway into year-end processing: coming home to your values. Values reflection isn’t about what you achieved; instead, it’s about what mattered, what felt true, and where you noticed yourself moving toward or away from the life you want to build.

When we shift the lens from “Did I do enough?” to “Did I live in a way that honored who I am?” something softens. Reflection becomes less about measurement and more about meaning. This is the heart of mental health in a holistic lens: recognizing that your year wasn’t defined by productivity, but by the moments when you acted in alignment with what feels most important to you in all areas of your life.

So, how can you do a values reflection to end 2025? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read on, find the rest of our blog post here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/a-values-check-in-ending-the-year-with-clarity-instead-of-pressure

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11/14/2025

"Every year on November 13th, people around the world celebrate World Kindness Day. World Kindness Day was first launched in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement to encourage empathy, generosity, and connection across communities. It’s a day that reminds us how small acts (like smiles, notes of gratitude, simple moments of care) can ripple outward in powerful ways. We’re invited to see that kindness isn’t only a feeling; it’s a choice, a practice, and a shared language that softens the edges of being human.

But in the midst of giving, it’s easy to forget that we ourselves also deserve that same gentle treatment! The kindness we extend to others can lose its meaning if we don’t offer it to ourselves, too. Self-kindness isn’t indulgence or conceit - it’s how we refill the well from which we keep giving. On this World Kindness Day, let’s shift the lens inward and explore what it means to treat yourself with the same compassion, grace, and understanding you so freely offer others.

So, what are some self-love activities you can do to show yourself kindness on World Kindness Day? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read on, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/world-kindness-day-turning-compassion-inward

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10/15/2025

"Grounding and regulation are all about helping your nervous system feel safe, supported, and present in the moment. They’re not about forcing calm or stopping thoughts; they’re tangible skills that help you notice your body, reconnect with your senses, and respond to stress in ways that feel manageable.

When you think of grounding exercises, you may imagine the most common and popular ones: deep breathing in a quiet room, long meditations, or trying to “calm down” on command. However, regulation doesn’t always come from stillness or silence. For a lot of people, especially those with trauma histories, busy minds, or neurodivergent brains and nervous systems, grounding works best when it’s practical, sensory, and body-based, giving a concrete way to shift your state when life feels overwhelming.

There is hardly a better time to incorporate the season into our grounding exercise than fall! Autumn offers textures, temperatures, and sensory cues that can support nervous system regulation without forcing anything. Instead of relying on abstract mindfulness, fall-inspired somatic practices give people something to hold, feel, smell, or move with, making grounding more accessible.

So, what are some ways we can incorporate Autumn into our grounding exercises this season? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read more, find the whole blog post here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/grounding-in-the-body-fall-inspired-somatic-mindfulness-practices

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09/16/2025

"September often feels like a time of shifting: the air begins to cool, days shorten, and changes in nature remind us that another season is turning. It’s a time that invites reflection. September, and Autumn as a whole, is a chance to slow down, notice what has been growing in our lives, and consider what we want to carry forward. Just as a harvest is not about planting but about gathering, September can be about collecting our lessons, honoring our efforts, and acknowledging the ways we’ve evolved since the year began.

Keeping in the spirit of the wheel of the year turning and “harvesting” our wins, we’ll be talking about reflection using prompts and using our dear friend the Wellness Wheel to do so!

If you’ve been a long-time reader of our blogs (hi, and thanks!), you may remember our series on the Wellness Wheel way back in 2022. As a reminder, the Wellness Wheel is a common way to assess our holistic health. It incorporates 8 different aspects of health, which are:

Emotional: how well do we know our emotions? What coping skills do we use?

🍂Environmental: what are our surroundings like?
💰Financial: what is our financial situation like?
🧠Intellectual: what have we done to stimulate our minds recently?
💼Occupational: what is our vocation, job, or career like?
💪Physical: how do we connect with our bodies?
💬Social: what is our social life like - our friends, family, and community?
🧘‍♀️Spiritual: what are our spiritual beliefs and practices?

So, how can you use the Wellness Wheel to reflect on your holistic harvest this September? Read on for journal prompts from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read on, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/harvesting-what-you-ve-learned-this-year-a-wellness-wheel-reflection

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08/15/2025

When August arrives, children, teens, young adults, and parents often are thinking about the same thing: the start of school! The slow stretch of summer begins to fold into the structure of the school year, and with that shift can come anticipation, dread, excitement, or all three at once. For young adults returning to campus or restarting online, heading back to college can bring up a mix of feelings that deserve space, compassion, and planning.

The transition doesn’t have to be abrupt. In fact, giving yourself time to emotionally and practically prepare can make all the difference in how supported and steady you feel once the semester begins. This isn’t about doing everything perfectly; rather, it’s about creating anchors for yourself as routines restart and responsibilities increase.

So, what are some tips for young adults heading back to college for the fall semester? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!

To read on, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/easing-into-the-college-groove-a-gentle-august-transition

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07/15/2025

"Summer is often framed as the season of bodies: think bathing suits, beaches, and social media asking if your “summer body” is ready yet. This pressure isn't just annoying; it's harmful, especially for those in marginalized bodies. And yet, body image struggles are so normalized that it can be hard to imagine another way to relate to our bodies.

Enter: body neutrality. Body neutrality offers a path towards compassion for our bodies without the requirement to adore all of our parts. It invites us to care for our bodies without having to feel constant admiration for how they look. It’s a perspective grounded in function, dignity, and enough-ness, not appearance.

This approach aligns beautifully with the Health at Every Size (HAES) framework, a social justice movement rooted in the belief that health is multifaceted and not dependent on body weight. HAES encourages intuitive eating, joyful movement, and respectful healthcare. It challenges the evidence-light assumption that weight loss improves health outcomes and instead centers equitable, compassionate care for all bodies.

So, what do you need to know about body neutrality this summer? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read on, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/body-image-bathing-suits-and-body-neutrality.

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06/16/2025

"In the therapy room, we talk a lot about identity. Who we are, where we come from, what has shaped us, and what stories we’ve had to carry to survive. These conversations aren’t just clinical - they’re personal, layered, and intimate. And for many people, the challenge isn’t simply naming one part of themselves, but learning how to hold all of who they are with compassion.

That’s where intersectionality comes in. Coined by professor and civil rights theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw, the term describes how systems of oppression (like racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia) interact and overlap. For example, a Black q***r woman may face discrimination that’s not just racist or sexist, but uniquely shaped by both. Intersectionality helps us understand how these layered experiences impact a person’s mental health, safety, and access to care.

We’re talking about this now because June brings two powerful reminders of identity and liberation: Pride Month and Juneteenth. Both celebrate freedom, community, and resistance, but they’re often held in separate conversations. For those who are Black and q***r, or who hold other intersecting identities, that separation can feel like a split within the self. This post is an invitation to hold the full complexity of who people are and to explore what that means for healing.

So, what do you need to know about intersectionality in the mental health realm? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read on, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/what-intersectionality-actually-means-in-mental-health

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05/30/2025

"May brings blooming flowers, longer days - and both Maternal Mental Health Month and Mental Health Awareness Month! Maternal Mental Health Month isn’t just about awareness - it’s about truth-telling, validation, and support for those who are quietly struggling while doing one of the most life-altering things a person can do: become a mother.

While we celebrate new life, we also need space to acknowledge what’s hard. Up to 1 in 5 mothers experience a maternal mental health disorder, making it the most common complication of childbirth. And yet, many suffer in silence, wondering if what they’re feeling is just part of the process - or something more. This month is a call to change that narrative.

So, what do you need to know about maternal mental health this May? Read on for more info from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read more, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/when-motherhood-feels-heavier-than-expected-honoring-maternal-mental-health-month

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05/15/2025

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness, advocate for access, and remind ourselves that mental health is essential health. But this year, many of us aren’t just navigating our own stress. We’re holding a kind of collective exhaustion. The state of America — and the world — feels fragile. The attacks on human rights, the gutting of systems meant to protect us, the normalization of burnout ... it’s no wonder so many are running on empty.

We can often feel like we are alone, and all we can do is look out for ourselves. As if individual resilience is the cure for systemic harm. As clinicians, advocates, and humans, we know better. We know that healing is relational — that a regulated nervous system thrives in co-regulation. And that in times like these, community care is more than a luxury — it’s a lifeline.

This is where community care comes in. Community care means relying on our fellow humans to meet our needs, rather than institutions, especially when those institutions are actively harming us. This is a common practice in Q***r and BIPOC communities - two populations generally harmed by institutions at large.

So, how can you lean into community care this May? Read on for tips from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!

To read more, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/community-care-is-mental-health-care

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04/15/2025

"As the world around us awakens from the stillness of winter, there’s an invitation to do the same within ourselves. Spring offers a natural moment to pause, stretch, and reawaken—to shake off emotional heaviness and step into lightness, joy, and new possibilities. But after months of cold and stagnation (and during a time we feel incredibly unstable in our societal circumstances), reconnecting with joy may not always come easily. It takes intention, gentle curiosity, and a willingness to invite playfulness and presence back into our lives.

Reawakening joy isn’t about forcing happiness or denying life’s difficulties. It’s about making space for delight, wonder, and self-expression, even in the midst of challenges. By tuning into the rhythms of nature and engaging the senses, we can cultivate renewal in a way that feels both grounding and freeing.

So, how can you invite joy back into your routine this spring? Read on for tips from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read more, find the latest blog post here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/reawakening-joy-a-holistic-approach-to-seasonal-renewal

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03/14/2025

March is Women’s History Month—a time to honor the strength, resilience, and progress of the women who came before us. Our foremothers (and gender non-conforming ancestors!) fought tirelessly to break cycles of oppression, paving the way for the freedoms and opportunities we have today. They challenged societal norms, demanded their voices be heard, and laid the foundation for us to continue this work.

Just like the women+ who came before us working to break cycles of oppression, today many of us are working to break generational cycles from our own family lines.

Generational cycles are patterns passed down by our ancestors that influence our relationship patterns, cultural expression, our conflict patterns, how we view the world, financial status, and even our nervous systems. Sometimes generational cycles can be uplifting - think of how you can connect with your cultural traditions in a fulfilling way - and other times, cycles can feel more like curses - think of how every time you get into a conflict, you handle it exactly how your not-so-happy parents would.

Healing generational cycles is not just about ourselves; it is a gift we give to future generations. The work we do today has the power to shift the emotional and relational patterns that have existed in our families for centuries. By recognizing, ending, and replacing these cycles with healthier ones, we become the ancestors our descendants will thank.

So, how can you recognize and repair generational cycles? Read on for tips from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!

To read more, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/breaking-generational-cycles-healing-for-yourself-and-future-generations

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02/14/2025

"Conflict is a natural part of any relationship, but how we approach it determines whether it brings us closer or creates distance. Too often, arguments escalate into defensiveness, resentment, or disconnection, leaving both partners feeling unheard. A holistic approach to conflict resolution considers not just words and actions, but the mental, emotional, and physical states that influence how we communicate and heal.

By addressing conflicts with mindfulness, nervous system awareness, and intentional repair, couples can strengthen their bond rather than weaken it. When we approach conflict holistically, we create space for growth, deeper understanding, and long-term relational health.

So, how can you resolve conflicts in your relationships in a safe and satisfying way? Read on for tips from the holistic healers at Rise and Thrive Counseling!"

To read more, find it here: https://www.riseandthrivecounseling.com/post/healing-together-a-holistic-approach-to-conflict-resolution-in-relationships

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Rise & Thrive Counseling, PLLC

12/15/2025

11/14/2025

10/15/2025

09/16/2025

08/15/2025

07/15/2025

06/16/2025

05/30/2025

05/15/2025

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03/14/2025

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