Inspired Life Counseling Chico, CA
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  • Home
  • Book a Session!
  • Clinicians
    • Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT
    • Marti Tourville, AMFT
    • Jennifer Barzey, LCSW
    • Dan Katz, LCSW
    • Emily Emmerman, AMFT
    • Deborah Duell-Stephens, LMFT
    • Joe Acciaioli, LCSW
    • Tasha Crljenica-Moad, AMFT
    • Lauren Heinrich, AMFT
  • EMDR
  • Blog
  • Telehealth California
    • Telehealth Sacramento
    • Telehealth Bay Area
    • Telehealth NorCal
  • Therapy for Teens
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    • Part-Time Opening
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1/9/2023 0 Comments

Hunger, Nutrition, and Mental Health

by Jennifer Barzey, LCSW

​Despite having studied nutrition and having developed an understanding of the impact that food can have on our physical and mental health, I still love chocolate. After a stressful experience or difficult day, I still sometimes find myself more enticed by chips or sweets. There are many reasons for this. I grew up associating food with both a way to feel better when sad and a way to celebrate when happy. Turning down food prepared for me was rude and having more was seen as a compliment to the chef. When I didn’t yet have the skills needed to cope with my feelings, food was there.

​Our relationship with food can be quite complicated!

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1/2/2023 0 Comments

Cutting, burning, self harm... what is it all about?

by Lauren Heinrich, AMFT
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Cutting is a sign of anxiety, not just thoughts of suicide.

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Self-harm is a scary topic. It’s not a common point of conversation, and is often misunderstood.
It might be natural to think that a person hurting themselves in such an extreme way must be
contemplating suicide, but that is not always the case. It is hard to think that a person can be in
so much emotional pain that they want to harm themselves, but it happens more often than we
think.

Many people who experience chronic, high stress or intense anxiety find a sense of relief and
release by triggering a strong physiological response. This might express itself in a more mild
behavior like a nervous jitter or tic, or in extreme cases, self-harm. Controlling how and what the
body feels physically can feel like a way to control something when the rest of life is spinning out
of control.

Teens navigating new phases of life are particularly at risk.

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12/12/2022 0 Comments

How To Let It Be: Even the “Bad” Stuff.

By Joe Acciaioli, LCSW
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Mindfulness vs. Worry: How to let it be... even the “bad” stuff.
A good short definition of mindfulness is: nonjudgmental noticing of our thoughts, feelings, and
body sensations in this present moment. When I share this definition with my clients, the word
they almost always get hung up on is “nonjudgmental.” How on earth are we supposed to not
judge as BAD the challenges we face? “My spouse is really sick.” “I let my child down again.”
“That plumbing repair is going to be expensive.” These are not pleasant thoughts. We do not
want them. And this is where the work of mindfulness comes into play. To say to yourself, in
those tough moments, “I can just let this thought be as it is, without judgment”--that is not easy
to do!

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12/5/2022 0 Comments

Boost Your Confidence in One Easy Mindshift

By Dan Katz, LCSW
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​So, what are you going to do............
Get up and get some exercise, or grab the remote and head for the couch?

We've all asked ourselves this question lots of times. If you're one of the people that usually gets up and gets going, that's great for your physical health, as well as for your mental health.  If you're one of the people that too often chooses the couch, I've got some interesting information for you.
 

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11/28/2022 0 Comments

EMDR & Me

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11/21/2022 0 Comments

The observing self, and why to make friends with it.

By Joe Acciaioli, LCSW
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​Ever notice how good your dog or cat is at being fully in the moment? Not a care in the world. Just lying around, enjoying a sunbeam or special toy. Not worrying about what comes next, or what happened last week. Just enjoying what is happening. Right. Now. So simple!
We humans, however, are much more complicated than our pets. We are both blessed and cursed with what is sometimes called the observing self. The observing self means our ability to step back from thoughts and feelings, in a way animals can't. This is due to our big brains. The trouble is, we often race around letting our thoughts and feelings rule us. When that happens, we're not so much observing our thoughts and feelings as we are buying into them, as if they were our identity.

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11/11/2022 0 Comments

My Second Job is a "Fire Fighter"

by Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT
Yes, I'm a psychotherapist, an entrepreneur, a wife, mom, sister, friend... and... I'm also constantly putting out little smoldering fires all around me.  Sometimes I feel like I'm about to be engulfed in the flames.  Other times it's calm and peaceful, and I wonder to myself, "when is the next natural disaster?" or "Is this really just the eye of the storm? Am I safe to feel safe right now?"

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11/4/2022 0 Comments

When Kids Lash Out

by Tasha Crljenica-Moad, AMFT
I think the biggest conundrum for parents is when kids lash out/ yell at parents or when they completely shut down. Parents can get super frustrated and think the kids just trying to be "bad" or oppositional. But really most of the time kids just want to be heard. 

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10/24/2022 0 Comments

Adults & Eye Rolling

By Emily Emmerman, MSW, ASW
I've noticed that sometimes grown women still engage in eye rolling behavior - but it would make sense since that they do it more whet home with their families. Unfortunately, my partner used to get his fair share of eye rolls, too - not always directed at him though - sometimes it's with the information he presented about others, or about situations we somehow found ourselves in that I then have to take control over and fix.

Just like the teenage eye-roll, one could assume that adult eye-rolls are still a form of both communication, dominance, and aggression (although not as soft as when they were a teenager - because as an adult we should know better).

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10/17/2022 0 Comments

Gottman Couples Therapy

By Deborah Duell-Stephens, LMFT

T​he Gottman Method of for couple’s work is an empirically proven process that is the result of research that began in the 1970’s by psychologist, Dr. John Gottman, which focused on what makes marriages succeed or fail. In studying how couples argued, Dr’s John & Julie Gottman fashioned a method for therapy that accentuates a brass-tacks approach to improving clients’ relationships.

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10/12/2022 1 Comment

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

by Joe Acciaioli, LCSW
For me, what is appealing is ACT’s combination of mindfulness, values-based action, and a healthy questioning of the power language holds over us (in terms of our thought process). ACT resonates for me in a way that CBT does not. I love that ACT is a bit counter-intuitive, saying, essentially, that we need to accept that pain that inevitably goes with life while moving toward a rich, meaningful life that is based on our values.

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10/6/2022 0 Comments

Teens & Eye Rolling

by Emily Emmerman, MSW, ASW
It might be annoying to be on the receiving end of, but eye rolling is a form of communication for teenage girls. I myself was an extreme eye-roller my intermediate/high school years and it drove my parents WILD because it was "disrespectful" and oftentimes hurtful. As I have become a more mature adult, I've also noticed when teenage girls roll their eyes it's usually in response to a few things:
  • a sore spot statement/question,
  • things they think are dumb,
  • or a defense mechanism against someone asking them to do things they don't want to do (but know they probably should) but may not know how to verbally express this.

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7/29/2022 0 Comments

Too Much of a Good Thing

by Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT
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We often talk about boundaries as keeping the bad out and the good in.  But what if there's an abundance of good?  It can feel selfish or rude to tell someone to stop giving.  But on the contrary, it's kind.  When you are at your max and you allow yourself to acknowledge that, the abundance is still available.

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7/5/2022 0 Comments

EMDR Intensives

Introducing EMDR Intensives with Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT

What are the various options for EMDR?

Many EMDR sessions are provided during a typical 50 minute therapy session.  When we schedule to engage EMDR during a client's usual appointment time, we hit the ground running and we get a lot of healing done during that hour.

When EMDR was created, it was implemented in 90 minute sessions.  I still believe this is the most effective form, but in today's fast paced world it can be difficult for clients to carve out the extra time during their work day.  

EMDR Intensives are multiple EMDR sessions within the period of one or more days.  These are specialty sessions that are full days of healing the traumatic experiences of a person's distant or more current past. 

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12/17/2021 0 Comments

Spanish Therapy Sessions in Chico

​​Hola, mi nombre es Eric Jimenez y soy un Trabajador Social Clínico Licenciado # 105644.

Soy bilingüe (español) y he trabajado en una variedad de entornos, más recientemente en salud mental del condado. Espero poder ayudar a las personas, las parejas, los adultos jóvenes y los adolescentes a sanar.


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12/6/2021 0 Comments

Waiting for the Right Fit

by Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT 104464

Waiting can be excruciating!

When you know what you want, you want it. 

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11/29/2021 0 Comments

Confidence is a Virtue!

Karen grew up in a family who was very loving and affirming.  They told her she was beautiful, creative, talented, and smart.  However, if Karen ever stated any of these character traits aloud then her family would tell her she's boastful, conceited, and full of herself.  It was very confusing to be Karen and not really understand who she is.  Is she all these good things or by believing them does that make her all those bad ones?

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11/22/2021 0 Comments

A Thankful Heart Can Be Harder Said Than Done

by Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT 104464

​Studies have shown that the main driver toward joy is gratitude.  In surveying people who describe themselves as happy these studies also see a correlation with thankfulness.  But when it feels like life has been throwing you curveballs and like you're out of alignment with where you want to be in life right now, finding that grateful heart can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack and gratitude feels like a generic cliche.

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11/15/2021 0 Comments

The Boundary Power Struggle

by Jessica Wilkerson, LMFT 104464

Honoring your own boundaries can feel tricky when others with a misunderstanding of boundaries try to cross them.  It can sometimes feel like a tug-of-war or power struggle.

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6/8/2021 0 Comments

Teen suicide is a tough subject to talk about

by staff contribution at Inspired Life Counseling
​Teen suicide is a tough subject to talk about. It is complex in its development and it is never caused by just one thing. As a former flight paramedic, I have had to treat this type emergency in a medical environment. As a therapist, I have kind of a different pulse on the community. These unintended consequences of the pandemic have had a dramatic effect on the mental health of our children and teens At the end of last year, not only was I hearing there was an increase in teen suicide in Butte county I was seeng the effects of pandemic restrictions on one of our most vulnerable populations.

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    The various therapists at Inspired Life Counseling contribute to this blog.  Please look for the author of each individual blog to be listed at the bottom of the page for each post.  Thank you.

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(530) 809-1702  -  info@inspiredlifechico.com

Inspired Life Counseling is not a crisis center and is not equipt with the necessary tools to help in an emergency.  Please click below for more information if you or your loved one is in crisis: Crisis Information.  
Inspired Life Counseling
Inspired Life Counseling is owned and directed by ​Jessica Wilkerson, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #104464. ​​
Office Hours: By Appointment                                            Contact us!
MISSION: To provide a tranquil and healing space in which people in our community can find calmness internally through the relaxing atmosphere along with respectful and engaging therapy conversations.  To contribute to happier and more secure families by helping individuals, couples, and teens heal within and thereby creating different ways of engaging with themselves, the world, and those they love.

VISION: Creating a new kind of therapy experience in the Chico area in which therapists have smaller caseloads, giving them the flexibility to spend more time with clients as needed - longer sessions, phone calls, client centered advocacy.  Creating a space in our community where clients can go between sessions just to sit, linger, and re-center themselves when they're having difficult days.  A place to belong while they heal their hearts and relationships.  A therapy office that embodies the unconditional love of Christ no matter what a person's gender identity, romantic disposition, or previous life hardships, experiences, or actions might have been.  To be a safe place.
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