Redwood Counseling

12/10/2023

An astronaut spending the holidays aboard the International Space Station shared a sweet Hanukkah message from 250 miles above Earth.

09/07/2023

Over the past few years, I've really worked a lot on my relationship with the emotion of envy. It's transformed from an emotion inspiring a spiral of sadness, FOMO, and shame to a window into my hopes and longings. Kind of a guide to help me direct my compass for my future growth and direction. In this vein, I've tried to shift my initial reaction around envy from pain and resentment to curiosity and learning. Rather than asking "why can't I have / do / be what this person does," I try to ask "what can I learn about this person and how they got there." Some painful twinges are still there, and I want to hold and honor those. Some situations require this question to be asked very creatively, as things like lost time and some limited realities must be acknowledged. Yet, overall, it's been a really good transition - not only for my heart and relationships, but also for my future goals.

07/13/2023

Today I was in a group that starts each meeting with an Affirmation Card. Today's card was "The thing that is causing you stress may be the thing that someone else is praying for." This really resonated for me. I tend to be very careful with this line of thinking , as it runs the risk of being shaming - "just be grateful, and shove down your difficult feelings!!" However, I realized that a lot of the things that can be stressful for me are things that a past version of myself was deeply longing for -balancing a child, a relationship, and a practice. It's a helpful reminder to myself to welcome both the difficult emotions AND the gratitude. Both can be true - living a full life brings both challenge and fullness.

06/19/2023

Wishing everyone a meaningful Juneteenth today! It's been meaningful for me to read more about this event's history through the Smithsonian's digital Juneteenth Toolkit: https://nmaahc.si.edu/juneteenth-digital-toolkit

06/16/2023

Hear Rose explain how EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy works), including her "dorky" analogy of therapy being like physical therapy for our feelings!

This video describes the inner workings of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and how it can help couples untangle and reshape negative communication patterns.

06/08/2023

Did you know that Rose used to do ballet as a child, and a little bit in college? Though sadly, not with her dog. Thank you to Dancers and Dogs for your beautiful work, and for helping us celebrate Pride month!

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

06/06/2023

2019 may feel like worlds away, but my commitment to creating safety and a welcoming environment for my LGBTQ+ clients has not changed! During Pride month and always!

Had a great time volunteering at Cincinnati Pride with some amazing fellow therapists and female business owners. Redwood Counseling is proud to be LGBTQ+ affirming - Love is Love!

03/02/2023

What does the longest-running study on happiness find is the secret to a happy and healthy life? It's not about wealth, fame, or even the number of social connections we have. It's the QUALITY of our relationships! It's the security of knowing we can depend on the people in our lives. If you have this with your partner - hooray! If you feel on shaky ground, and you think you've got some work to do, find a therapist who can help you get there!

What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness an...

09/15/2022

Listening to The Moth Radio Hour, and feeling my heart pierced by this beautiful line by Becca Stevens: “We don’t get to choose what we grieve. The heart will grieve what it will. And that grieving-it is this beautiful way of saying, “Thank you! I loved you!” - Goldie the Goldfish by Becca Stevens.

07/12/2021

Doesn’t this feel like the situation for so many of us?! One of the greatest benefits to working on ourselves and our relationship patterns is that we can help shift old patterns to create something new and different for our children. AND- you don’t have to be Spider (Wo)Man to pull it off! Just a human on a couch with your therapist- No radioactive spider bites required!

08/12/2020

Words of wisdom.

“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”

06/30/2020

Redwood Counseling is offering an Expressive Arts Group for women! Meeting virtually every other Monday beginning 7/20/20 from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. E-mail me at rose@redwoodcounselingcincinnati.com for more info!

06/20/2020

As we are learning and growing together:

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

06/07/2020

I was lucky enough to meet Dr. Kellie Kirksey a couple years ago at a Dancing Mindfulness facilitator's training. Her warmth, wisdom, and courage struck me deeply then, and I see it again here. In this video, she speaks to immense grief and trauma - "Being black in America is exhausting." She asks all of us to look inward, and if we have privileged, are we ready to examine our role in maintaining the status quo? Are we "ready be uncomfortable for change" and take action? It can be hard to know where to start when things are so overwhelming, and we're so worried about getting it wrong. I am posting a list of anti-racism resources in the comments to serve as a starting point. As a white healthcare provider, I've found the book White Fragility to be immensely helpful. We can help build a safer and more compassionate world.

05/27/2020

As we're all trying to hang in there, the idea of "Happiness" may feel like the last thing on your mind. Yet, I've found myself talking with a lot of my clients about things I'm learning on the Happiness Lab podcast. Despite the difficult nature of COVID-19, I'm finding the content in these podcasts is really helping me to weather the ups and downs of the pandemic. AND it's based on research, which helps motivate me to stick with it when it's tough. Take a listen, and let me know what you think! https://www.happinesslab.fm/

A podcast from Dr Laurie Santos examining the latest scientific research on happiness and sharing practical takeaways that will forever alter the way you think about happiness. Brought to you by Pushkin Industries.

04/06/2020

I was recently interviewed for a blog about how COVID-19 is impacting mental health. Thanks for a great article, and happy I could help. https://onlinecounselingprograms.com/blog/mental-health-covid-19/

The COVID-19 outbreak has left many feeling isolated, especially those with mental illness. Here’s how individuals can maintain their mental health during difficult times.

03/18/2020

Strategies for dealing with corona anxiety by understanding human evolution:

03/02/2020