Carman - Wagner Consulting

07/06/2025

I am so grateful to have been able to provide support and knowledge to the Rush County Sheriff’s Office, especially when it comes to mental health emergencies and su***de prevention. Thanks for having me out here in Kansas!

03/24/2024

Popcorn brain is not a diagnosable mental health condition, but it impacts the quality of life. And excessive screen time contributes to it. Psychologists explain what it is and how to get your focus back on track.

06/12/2023

Now a Brigham Young University junior, Rooks bests the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas.

06/12/2023

Union-Bulletin - Thank you for finally posting about this fine world-class athlete! He is a very humble man and true hometown hero.

Now a Brigham Young University junior, Rooks bests the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas.

03/21/2023

By Dustin Wendelin, MSW Intern -- I wanted to share a phrase I learned today. “Energy Is Currency.” So, what does this mean to me?
After pondering, I came up with a logical meaning. One’s core beliefs fuel energy. If you have an endless supply of it, you can utilize it to your advantage when tackling anything. To take advantage of this, you need to focus on yourself first. This is, unfortunately, usually placed on the back burner or permanently placed on our to-do lists. It starts with self-reflection and examining what your circle consists of. Examine your own life and who your acquaintance, friend, romantic partner, or family are. Analyze who is benefiting you and occupying negative space in your mind. If any of these individuals don’t enhance or contribute to your energy levels, cut them out. So, in closing, if our energy is the currency, it is valuable. Pay attention and invest or spend it wisely.

02/15/2023

You Are Not Alone - by Dustin Wendelin, MSW Intern

Resilience is defined as the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties or toughness. So, what does that look like? What emotions or feelings are activated during these difficult or challenging times? Could it be getting arrested and having your name dragged through the media? Or it is your children becoming teenagers, and you, as a parent, try absorbing their life struggles to lighten the weight on their shoulders. You could be dealing with losing your family pet or financial issues. You may decide to make a sudden career change at age 41, or you are dealing with your partner facing medical issues. Everyone is affected and responds differently, no matter the difficulties or toughness.

I heard the same thing from the same people. We are here for you, or I know it's hard, but you got to stay positive. But how do you know if those people truly know what you are feeling? The world will not stop and mourn for you because you have encountered a devastating time in your life. You are the captain of your ship, and It's you who is left to dig deep and create the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back and grow.

So how do you bounce back? I always kept my feeling suppressed or bottled up. I wanted to appear strong and not be judged. I learned quickly that ignoring my feelings did not make them disappear. Instead, my emotions would creep up out of nowhere, causing anxiety to take over my thoughts. My mind became overwhelmed with irrational thoughts, which soon became what I believed was factual reality. I started assuming situational outcomes and others' emotions, thoughts, and motives. The world was out to get me, and I was beginning to be imprisoned by my irrational thoughts.

Through cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), I learned that it is not the traumatic event itself that necessarily cripples us, but rather when you relive or think about the event is what is most damaging. CBT taught me to identify my thinking patterns, which at the time were causing painful emotions and other problems. Every situation creates a thought, and every thought produces an emotion. Everyone has core beliefs and or thoughts that drive them. By identifying my thoughts and separating irrational from rational, over time, I learned how to develop new thoughts, and, in a way, I was able to reset and update my core thoughts and beliefs.

But believe me, it's not that black and white. I did not just learn to do something and change my thought processes. I was fortunate to have a strong family support system consisting of my wife, mother, and grandparents. I also had a nonjudgmental and compassionate therapist who walked by my side through my difficult times. Keep in mind that my therapist did not fix me. My therapist introduced me to the tools to help me regain control of my life. I am the captain of my ship. By taking advantage of these tools, I started slowly seeing results, making me feel better. I stayed the course through consistency and eventually overcame it. Even though I have recovered, I will never forget my dark times. I soon learned I was not alone, and many others are struggling. I have learned that through my own experiences and struggles, I can become an effective tool and can relate to others and guide them through life difficulties or toughness that they are facing. I am working on my Master of Social Work degree and am on track to start my doctorate in 18 months. Firsthand experience, combined with education, will allow me to give a devastating blow to irrational thoughts and assist others by providing the tools to help them regain control of their ships and help guide them towards a positive planned change process.

Professionally experienced in mental health and addictions therapy. After more than 35 years of exp

01/27/2023

Preparing And Coping With The Loss Of Your Pet, by Dustin Wendelin, MSW Intern

Ottis is an 11-year-old Boxer-Pit mix and is undoubtedly the most loyal and loving animal that anyone could only hope or dream of. Ottis has been an emotional support animal for me and has provided an overwhelming amount of love, support, and comfort during the most troubling times. Without question, over the years we have formed a symbiotic relationship filled with joy, affection, and companionship that I believe truly has benefited both of us.

My worst fear became a reality when it was discovered that Ottis has cancer in his nasal cavity that has advanced to his brain. As a result, it is aggressively attacking his neurological functions which is negatively impacting his quality of life. In this situation, I am forced to make a choice between keeping Otis around for another year with the help of a combination of pain management, and chemotherapy or ending his pain and suffering immediately.
So many feelings and thoughts are racing through my head that is triggering many different emotions that are affecting my judgment and decision-making. I am reminded of the benefits of having a strong emotional support system in place. My wife Mellissa has been supportive during my time of grief and understands my pain through her own experiences with loss. She reminds me every day that she is here to help me get through this and allows me to express my feelings and emotions. This experience has strengthened our relationship and has bound us together in a whole new way which has brought us closer than ever despite the loss we are facing.

Emotional support is needed throughout the grieving process and can be the key to acceptance and recovery from the loss. A strong support system will assist you to work through the grieving process, find new meaning and eventually move on with your life. Open communication and surrounding yourself with people that allow you to express your emotions will limit the effects of anxiety, and depression as well as create a barrier that can lessen the effects of other stress-related illnesses.

I am focused on making this final week with Ottis memorable. The advantage of knowing when your pet’s last day will be is that you can shower them with love. Ottis has felt like a king this week. He is being fed whip cream, steak, and cheeseburgers. He gets to sleep next to us in bed every night and gets belly rubs constantly throughout the day. I am allowed to take as many pictures as I wish and record the happiness he experienced during his final days. I hope sharing my experience will provide some tools to help navigate others through the grieving process, and help others overcome the emotional challenges associated with facing the loss of a family pet.

Professionally experienced in mental health and addictions therapy. After more than 35 years of exp

01/17/2023

If you can relate to this picture, don’t hesitate to call Dr. Todd at 509-529-1496 or Dustin Wendelin, MSW Intern at 509-308-4989. We can help.

01/12/2023

By Dustin Wendelin, MSW Intern

Recently I have been hit with the reality that my children are beginning to grow up. It seemed to happen almost overnight. One minute you feel like you and your children are best friends. Your
children look up to you and always want to spend time with you. They always appreciate your silliness and laugh at your jokes. As a parent, you are confident you have built a close and strong
bond with your children. You feel life is good, and nothing can weaken the connection you worked so hard on establishing and maintaining. Then in a blink of an eye, your children hit their
teens.

Now I am noticing my jokes are no longer funny, and the much-loved quality time spent together is rapidly decreasing. You start to see that your children are becoming independent, and the only time you are acknowledged is when they want or need something. I have found myself feeling unappreciated and no longer important. I have begun questioning my parenting skills and asking myself if I did something wrong to cause this behavior and detachment.
After digging into this issue, combined with exploring my emotions, I learned that during the adolescence stage, teens are trying to figure out who they are apart from you. As adolescents get older, they tend to want more privacy and begin to share less information with you than they did before. As a parent, it is easy to become overwhelmed with questions, emotions, and even frustration. I will have to keep my personal feelings in check and try not to take my children’s actions too personally. I must remember that raging hormones play a huge part, one of many phases of the development process they are going through. I must focus on the future and embrace their independence. I will step back and let them come to me.

In this situation, setting some emotional boundaries would be appropriate so they know how you wish to be treated while searching for their identity. Teens need the freedom to
make their plans, choose their friends, and think their thoughts. This all comes along with entering adulthood. Their bodies are changing and they also have a lot of other challenges to deal with like social pressures, and academic challenges. I will embrace and acknowledge their efforts. I will continue to cook their favorite meals and learn their new interests and likes. I will adapt and continue to provide an open line of communication with them. I will continue to reinforce our bond and let them know I am and will always be their father.

01/05/2023

Creating Memories and Focusing on Family Time - by Dustin Wendelin

Over the Christmas break spending time with my children was a great experience. However, sometimes great experiences can also present some challenges. How we approach and address the challenges makes us successful as parents and role models. I wanted to create a train table as a family and have each child contribute their way. I found this challenging because I quickly realized my children have become obsessed with electronics, which seems to consume most of their time. Even though they individually contributed some time helping with the train table, it was apparent that they were more interested in electronics.

I decided to educate myself about teens and electronics and how I can approach detoxing my children from electronics or limiting their use. I was surprised when I explored the subject and learned that so much information is available, and many parents share my concerns. I learned numerous terms like tech-dependent and technology withdrawal syndrome. I discovered that there are multiple studies on this topic and the effects that too much gaming and electronics can have on children, and teens. This is extremely overwhelming, and the bottom line is I want to spend more family time. So how do I do this? How do I find common ground? How do I limit something my children are interested in without being the bad guy? If I play video games with my kids, am I contributing to their addiction?

I have decided not to force my children to quit electronics cold turkey. Times have changed, and society today, including adults and teens, depending on electronics to entertain and function in their daily lives. I will address this issue by discussing this as a family. I will verbalize my feelings and concerns and allow my children the same opportunity. I will empower my children and take their suggestions on setting some boundaries—for example, no electronics at the dinner table and no electronics after bedtime. I will find some games my children play and learn to play with, so I can interact with them on their level. This, of course, will be on a limited basis. I am also going to find activities that don’t require the use of electronics that my children are interested in, and that we can enjoy together.

Professionally experienced in mental health and addictions therapy. After more than 35 years of exp

12/21/2022

Christmas Week Family Project - by Dustin Wendelin, MSW Intern

On December 26th, I pick up my children to spend Christmas with them. I have always considered creating a train table complete with mountain landscapes, streets, roads, buildings, etc. Over the last couple of weeks, I discussed this idea of mine with the children. To my surprise, they were all excited about the idea, and we were anxious about getting started.

I became anxious as I started buying the needed supplies to complete this project. The biggest challenge for me so far is to begin after the children are here. I must remind myself of the importance of waiting and how completing this as a family will strengthen the bond. Families who share everyday activities form strong emotional ties.

The truth is all sorts of activities, like playing board games or outdoor activities, can make everyone involved feel closer to each other. When it comes to teens, it may be challenging to get them interested in family activities. They may be withdrawn and would rather spend time in their rooms; this can be frustrating, especially for a parent. I found my teens excited about the idea of a train table because I involved them in the whole planning process. I also incorporated my children's strengths and interests into the project. For example, my boys like to build things, so I bought buildings you have to put together. My daughters enjoy art and creating things, so I purchased Styrofoam and paint to make mountains and paint the scenery.

As we all know, our children grow up fast, and they become adults in a blink of an eye. Creating memories with your children will give them a sense of purpose outside their extracurriculars. This family activity will also give them positive things to look back on and remember when they enter their adult lives. It will also contribute to your children being able to deal with all sides of life, good and evil, and having a sense of self-worth and a feeling of reassurance.

12/13/2022

Now Accepting Premera Blue Cross for Mental Health and/or Chemical Dependency Treatment Services