For adults and teenagers, we have language to explore our feelings and our experiences in a meaningful way, this is not the case for young children. Children can lack the emotional vocabulary and the capacity for a fifty minute session where they are forced to talk to an adult with no other engaging stimulation, so we use play as in intermediary to the therapeutic work.

I have never been one to do New Year’s resolutions, as the word “resolution” always seemed intimidating to me, and it felt daunting to make a list of goals for myself at the beginning of the year, already putting pressure on myself to “do better”.

It is important to allow yourself to feel all the feelings that arise during this time of year. Take time for yourself and remember to check in with yourself regularly. Here are some tips to make the holidays more manageable:

The differences between Sadness, Major Depressive Disorder, and Season Affective Disorder. Key differences and ways to manage symptoms.

Attachment theory is a psychological framework that helps us understand how our early relationships with caregivers shape our emotional and social development throughout our lives.

Recently, I have been reflecting on how my identity as a dancer can transition to my work as a therapist and how I can use these explorations to help clients. I continue to learn about new connections and overlaps between the two professions every day. Stay tuned as I continue through my counseling program and client contact experiences to gain more concrete tools and suggestions for finding holistic health.

Last year, I was asked to read adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy. In it, brown draws from the writings of Octavia Butler, observations of the natural world, poetry, and more to create a model that allows us to align ourselves with the constant changes in the world in a transformative way. I have revisited this book many times over the past year and reflected on how I can practice what I learned in my personal and professional life. In this post, I will address her chapter titled “nonlinear and iterative: the pace and pathways of change” and consider how it informs my understanding of therapeutic change.