August 6, 2018 Over the years, I have been met with significant resistance when mentioning to clients that events don’t make us angry but the way we think about the event causes the anger. Anger is usually a secondary emotion. Unfortunately, we...
MoreAnger and Growing Up
July 30, 2018 I come from a passionate, Irish heritage. We said what was on our minds. It wasn’t until later that I learned that not all families were like that, but I also learned that many of my clients struggled with similar issues. Over...
MoreAnger Gets a Bum Rap
July 16, 2018 If anger is an emotion like happy, sad and glad, why does it have such a bad reputation? Before answering that we need a definition. Like all emotions, it is a response to a person or event that involves our thinking, feeling and...
MoreHow to Respond to Blame
“You screwed up.” “Where were you? You didn’t do what you were supposed to do!” “This is your fault. I need you to take responsibility.” These are the types of phrases we hear when we get blamed for something...
MoreTaking Care of Yourself
May 21, 2018 According to NAMI, nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. That’s about 46.6 million people. As common as it is, not many people know how to to take care of their mental health, or their rights. As part of...
MoreFighting Mental Health Stigma
May 14, 2018 Mental health struggles are hard enough. But the stigma that comes with them can make it unbearable. This well-written article breaks down the effects of mental health stigma, and offer concrete solutions to help deflect it...
MoreMental Health Awareness Month
May 7, 2018 Nearly one in six adults (44.7 million people) in the US experiences mental illness each year. That’s a lot of people, but you don’t hear a lot of people talking about it. These struggles include many different conditions that vary in...
MoreNCC Community Block Party!
April 26, 2018 On April 6, The Northwest Catholic Counseling Center (NCC) hosted its annual spring fundraiser at the Lagunitas Community Brewing Room. Around 160 of NCC’s friends, both new and old, gathered for the NCC Community Block Party in NE...
MoreOne Size Does Not Fit All
April 20, 2018 One of the tools available to people trying to learn how to be happy – or how not to be unhappy – is self-help books, articles, podcasts, etc. Such resources can be very helpful. It is useful, however, to understand that humans...
MoreFeeding the Wolves
April 10, 2018 At one time or another, we have all struggled with trying to let go of ruminating thoughts about an injustice or insult we have experienced. What was said and how we could have/should have responded starts a negative, harmful loop...
MoreAttacking from a Victim Perspective
March 28, 2018 Sometimes people find themselves in a position where they feel like a victim, where the cards are stacked against them and they are guaranteed to lose no matter how good or right they are. This can happen in any number of life...
MoreSelf-Compassion
March 2, 2018 Not too many of us would see compassion as negative. Hopefully it is something we all desire to give and receive. But, what about self-compassion? Do we have the same positive reaction or do we slip into thinking we’re selfish? If...
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