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Thankfulness in November: Focus on What You are Grateful For Let's say that today was the absolute perfect day.  Anything that could go your way did.  You wore your favorite outfit. Work (or school) went exceptionally well with someone even commenting on how they've noticed all of your hard work. Several friends and family members reached out via social media,...[ read more ]

Complicated Grief and the Holidays 5 tips for dealing with memories of a loved one's suicide or traumatic death during the holiday season By Jennie Bedsworth, LCSW Do you dread the holidays? You're not alone. For many who have lost loved ones to suicide or other type of unexpected death, this can obviously be a very difficult time. It's normal...[ read more ]

A Tradition of Gratitude: Being Thankful In November [caption id="attachment_6023" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash[/caption] Imagine with me for just a moment that you were a pilgrim back in the Spring of 1621.  It's been a difficult Winter and over half of those you cross the ocean with have perished.  What started out as an exciting adventure...[ read more ]

Short Trips or Vacations as Self Care   This past weekend was my birthday, so my husband and I took loaded up the car, went (mostly) radio silence with our phones, grabbed our children to Southern Missouri to visit my in-laws.  The first two nights we all stayed at my in laws and had fun enjoying small town life-going to...[ read more ]

How to Support Your Transgender Teenager Your teenager just told you that they don't think they are the gender you thought they were.  Your teenager is transgender. Or Gender Fluid.  Or something else altogether. Your child was born looking one way.  Male.  Female.  It looked pretty obvious to you, so you chose a name for him/her that fit the gender...[ read more ]

What Causes Insomnia?  15 Common Causes of Insomnia If you frequently struggle with falling asleep at night, you’re not alone. According to the National Institutes of Health, close to 20% of Americans suffer from some kind of sleep disorder. Not getting enough sleep can leave a person feeling tired, cranky and overall have a negative impact on mental health. Symptoms...[ read more ]

Gender Vocabulary: How do I talk about my teen's gender? Gender has always been a pretty basic topic in most households.  There are boys and girls. Males and Females.  But it's not always been "basic" in how individuals experience their own gender identity.  More and more young people are becoming more vocal and "coming out" to their parents.  If your...[ read more ]

From College to Career: 3 Tips for this Life Transition You were finally figuring the college thing out.  You knew your way around campus and had made a group of close knit friends that you may stay in touch with for the rest of your life.  The last couple of years the classes were more interesting, and that final practicum...[ read more ]

Help! I was sexually assaulted at a frat party! You recently had a sexual encounter you did not want. Maybe you were drunk.  Maybe you were sober.  You may have been all dressed up for going out or perhaps you were wearing your oldest sweats.  Maybe it was an unwanted touch, or it could have been rape.  Despite the title,...[ read more ]

How to Help Your Child or Teenage  Athlete Through a Loss Teenagers love playing sports. And parents love that their teenagers can get all of that excess energy out while learning the benefits of hard work and comradery. But with the thrill of competition comes the hard reality: sometimes you lose. Some teenagers are barely affected by a loss. They...[ read more ]