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Written by Karen Loethen, LCSW This month I’ve been noticing something extremely common. People apologizing for just being. Sorry my purse is on the table. Sorry for taking a moment of your time. Sorry for making a sound. Sorry for occupying this space. Sorry. Some men apologize often. And women? Wow, many of us apologize

Written by Karen Loethen, LCSW So many of us work hard to improve our self-esteem and self-confidence and one common strategy for making improvements is to use affirmations. Affirmations are statements that we can use as a form of positive self-talk in order to get into the habit of substituting negative thoughts about ourselves for

Written by Karen Loethen, LCSW The other day my client lamented, “I need validation. I shouldn’t.” I asked him to sit back a moment and listen. The baddest people on the planet need validation. Military officers get amazing arrays of pins across their chests, medals, awards, bars, patches, salutes, statues, commemorations, and accolades of all

Written by Karen Loethen, LCSW You’re taking calls on the weekend, working late, working harder than the next person, and still…what if they find out? What if they find out that you’re flying by the seat of your pants much of the time? What if your mask slips and they discover that, inside, you’re a

Written by Alissa Becker, LPC Vicarious trauma, also known as secondary trauma, burnout, compassion fatigue or empathic strain, can be defined as indirect or direct exposure to another’s trauma through witnessing or hearing the narrative of that event. Signs of a trauma exposure response may include diminished creativity, an inability to listen or be present, chronic

Written by Laurel Edinburgh, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner When a child or teen runs away from home, parents struggle with a range of emotions. Parents are often scared, mad, exhausted, or feel hopeless or ashamed. About ten percent of teens will run away from home at least once. Teens run away in urban, suburban and rural

Written by Kelly Couture, MEd, LPC-S “When words are inadequate, have a ritual.”  — Author Unknown There are important rituals, rites of passage and causes for celebration in all cultures.  Some of these, such as graduation from high school or college took years of preparation and hard work.  Other sacred rituals, such as confirmation, baptism

Written by Laurel Edinburgh, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner It’s normal for teens to experience depression at some point during their adolescence. But remember that depression in teens is treatable. The symptoms of depression in adolescents may be different than those in adults. Recognizing the full range of symptoms of depression is an important first step. Depression