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1/12/2026 0 Comments

How to Grieve Well: Healing After Loss (A Therapist's Guide for Trauma Survivors)

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Grief is one of the most difficult human experiences to navigate, and when you're a trauma survivor, it can feel nearly impossible. I've spent years working with clients who've faced this exact struggle, people who feel stuck, numb, or overwhelmed when loss enters their already complicated emotional landscape. If you're reading this, you might be one of them.

Let me start by saying this: there's nothing wrong with you if grief feels different or harder than what others describe. Your nervous system has been through things. Your attachment patterns have been shaped by difficult experiences. The way you grieve will be uniquely yours, and that's not just okay, it's expected.

When Trauma and Grief Collide

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1/5/2026 0 Comments

Creating Safety to Feel Again: How Trauma-Informed Self-Care Rebuilds Confidence from the Inside Out

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Divorce recovery is tough terrain to navigate. I've been working with trauma survivors for years, and I can tell you that rebuilding confidence after a marriage ends isn't just about positive thinking or "moving on." It's about creating safety in your nervous system so you can actually feel again, without panic, without that constant knot in your stomach, without your mind racing through worst-case scenarios.

The truth is, divorce often triggers our deepest attachment wounds. Your nervous system doesn't distinguish between physical danger and emotional threat. When your primary relationship dissolves, your brain interprets this as a survival crisis. That's why you might feel like you're losing your mind, even when you know logically that you're going to be okay.

What Happens to Your Nervous System During Divorce

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1/1/2026 0 Comments

Part-Time Jobs for Therapists: 10 Things You Should Know Before You Apply (2026 Edition)

Looking for part-time therapy work can feel overwhelming. Trust me, I get it. As someone who's navigated both sides of the hiring equation in mental health, I've seen how the landscape has shifted dramatically: especially post-pandemic. The good news? Part-time opportunities for therapists are more abundant than ever in 2026. The challenging news? There are some crucial things you need to know before you apply that could save you from frustration, financial stress, or career missteps.

Let me walk you through the ten most important considerations I wish every therapist knew before pursuing part-time work.

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12/29/2025 0 Comments

The Letdown After the Big Plan: What Happens When the Excitement is Over

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The post-achievement crash is a tough topic to talk about because it catches us so off-guard. You've just accomplished something meaningful, maybe you graduated, got married, finished a big project, or survived a challenging life transition, and instead of feeling triumphant, you feel... empty. Deflated. Like the air has been let out of your balloon.

As a therapist, I see this pattern constantly in my office. Clients come in confused and sometimes ashamed, wondering what's wrong with them that they can't just enjoy their success. "I should be happy," they tell me. "I worked so hard for this, so why do I feel so low?"
Let me start by saying this: there is nothing wrong with you. What you're experiencing is not only normal but actually shows your nervous system is working exactly as it should.

Your Brain on Achievement: The Neuroscience of Letdown

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12/22/2025 0 Comments

Emotions Series Part 1: What's the Difference Between Feeling and Showing an Emotion?

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Emotions can feel like a mystery, even to those of us who work with them every day. You might notice your heart racing during a difficult conversation, but your face remains completely neutral. Or maybe you've had the experience of someone asking "Are you okay?" when you thought you were hiding your frustration perfectly well. This disconnect between what we feel inside and what others see on the outside is more common than you might think, and it's rooted in fascinating neuroscience.

As a therapist, I see this emotional complexity play out in my office daily. The difference between feeling an emotion and showing an emotion shapes how we connect with others, how we heal, and how we navigate our relationships. That's why I'm excited to start this four-part series exploring the intricate world of emotions and expression.

The Neuroscience Behind Feeling vs. Showing

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12/17/2025 0 Comments

Part-Time AMFT Jobs: Your Complete Guide to Finding Flexible Therapy Work in 2026

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Finding meaningful part-time work as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist can feel overwhelming. I get it: you're trying to balance your need for flexibility with your desire to do impactful work, all while navigating licensing requirements and building your clinical hours. The job market has changed dramatically, especially post-pandemic, and figuring out where you fit can be tough.

As someone who's worked in this field for years and employs associate therapists, I've watched countless AMFTs struggle to find positions that honor both their professional goals and their personal needs. The good news? The landscape for part-time therapy work has never been more promising. Let me walk you through what I've learned about finding flexible, meaningful positions in 2026.

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12/15/2025 0 Comments

Adolescence and Identity Formation: Why Teens Need Space to Explore and Mess Up

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Watching teenagers navigate identity formation can feel terrifying for parents. I see it in my office every day, parents who are genuinely confused and scared when their previously compliant child suddenly dyes their hair purple, starts hanging out with new friends, or announces they're questioning everything they once believed. It's natural to want to pull them back, to keep them safe, to guide every step. But here's what I've learned in my years as a therapist: healthy adolescent development actually requires space for exploration and, yes, making mistakes.

As someone who works extensively with teens and families, I want to share why this messy, sometimes chaotic process isn't just normal: it's absolutely necessary for your teenager to become a healthy, well-adjusted adult.

The Adolescent Brain: A Work in Progress

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12/8/2025 0 Comments

A How-To Guide if Your Loved One Is in the Hospital for Long-Term Care

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Long-term hospitalization is one of those life experiences that nobody prepares you for. As a therapist who has walked alongside families through these challenging seasons, I've witnessed firsthand how overwhelming it can feel when someone you love requires extended medical care. The uncertainty, the disrupted routines, the financial stress, the emotional roller coaster, it's a lot to navigate, and it's completely normal to feel lost.

In my practice, I've learned that families often focus so intensely on the medical aspects of their loved one's care that they forget to tend to their own emotional well-being and the relationship dynamics that inevitably shift during these times. Today, I want to share what I've discovered about supporting both your loved one and yourself through this journey, drawing from attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and the wisdom of caring for the caregiver.

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12/1/2025 0 Comments

Self-Care or Avoidance? Why Isolation Isn't Always Healing (Especially for Trauma Survivors)

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Isolation versus self-care, it's one of the trickiest distinctions I encounter in my practice. As a therapist, I've sat across from countless trauma survivors who genuinely believe they're taking care of themselves by pulling away from others. And I get it. After experiencing betrayal, abuse, or overwhelming loss, the world can feel unsafe. People can feel unsafe. So naturally, we retreat.

But here's what I've learned in my years of practice: there's a profound difference between the solitude that heals and the isolation that keeps us stuck. And for trauma survivors especially, this distinction can mean the difference between recovery and remaining trapped in cycles of pain.

When "Self-Care" Becomes Self-Sabotage

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11/24/2025 0 Comments

How to Add More Laughs to Your Day (Even When Life Is a Hot Mess)

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Let's be real – life can feel like a complete dumpster fire sometimes. Between work stress, family drama, financial pressures, and whatever fresh chaos the universe decides to serve up, finding reasons to laugh might seem about as realistic as finding a unicorn in your backyard.

But here's the thing: humor isn't a luxury you can only afford when everything's going perfectly. It's actually one of your most powerful tools for getting through the tough stuff. And the best part? You don't need a comedy special or a perfect life to add more laughs to your day.

Why Your Brain Craves Laughter (Even When Everything Sucks)

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11/19/2025 0 Comments

Hidden Struggles: Why Depression Can Be Harder to Spot in High-Achievers

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Depression in high-achievers is a tough subject to talk about. It might be natural to think that successful people, those climbing the career ladder, excelling in school, or managing multiple responsibilities with apparent ease, have it all figured out. But that's not always the case.

As therapists, we see this pattern regularly: accomplished individuals who appear to thrive externally while experiencing significant emotional distress internally. This phenomenon, often called "high-functioning depression," represents one of the most misunderstood forms of mental health struggles.

The Neuroscience Behind High-Functioning Depression

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11/19/2025 0 Comments

When Trauma Mimics Bipolar or Borderline Personality Disorders: Why Differential Diagnosis Matters

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Mental health diagnosis isn't always straightforward. Sometimes what looks like one condition is actually something completely different underneath. This is especially true when it comes to trauma and how it can masquerade as bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder (BPD).

As someone who's worked in mental health for years, I've seen this mix-up happen more times than I can count. A person comes in thinking they have bipolar disorder because of their intense mood swings, or they've been told they have BPD because of their emotional struggles. But when we dig deeper, we often find that trauma is the real culprit behind their symptoms.

The Great Imitator: How Trauma Masks Itself

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11/17/2025 0 Comments

Why Do We Cry When We're Not Sad? The Surprising Science Behind Tears of Anger and Joy

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You know that feeling when you're watching your favorite team win the championship and suddenly tears are streaming down your face? Or when you're so frustrated with your boss that you find yourself crying in the bathroom stall? If you've ever wondered why your body seems to have its emotional wires crossed, you're definitely not alone.

It might be natural to think that tears only come from sadness, but that's not always the case. The truth is, crying is way more complicated than we give it credit for, and understanding why can actually help us make sense of our own emotional responses.

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11/3/2025 0 Comments

Is Eye Rolling Really That Disrespectful? What Couples Need to Know

There is a man and a woman sitting on a sofa. The woman has her arms crossed and the man has an open posture. They seem to be in a deep discussion.

Eye rolling in relationships is one of those behaviors that seems almost harmless on the surface. We've all done it – that automatic response when our partner says something that frustrates us or when we feel overwhelmed by an argument. But here's the thing: what feels like a small, instinctive reaction is actually one of the most damaging things you can do to your relationship.

As a therapist, I've seen countless couples where eye rolling has become a toxic pattern that slowly erodes their connection. The truth is, eye rolling isn't just annoying – it's a form of contempt that relationship experts consider a serious red flag.

What Eye Rolling Really CommunicatesWhen you roll your eyes at your partner, you're not just showing frustration. You're communicating something much deeper and more hurtful: "I don't respect you, and what you're saying is stupid."

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10/9/2025 0 Comments

Tips to Move Toward Secure Attachment: Practical Strategies

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Changing your attachment style as an adult is challenging work. I won't sugarcoat that. The patterns we developed in childhood run deep, and they've been our go-to strategies for navigating relationships for years, maybe decades. But here's what I want you to know: it's absolutely possible to move toward more secure attachment, no matter where you're starting from.
Whether you tend toward anxious attachment (constantly seeking reassurance), avoidant attachment (keeping people at arm's length), or disorganized attachment (swinging between the two), you can develop the skills that securely attached people seem to naturally have. It just takes intentional practice and a lot of self-compassion along the way.

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9/15/2025 0 Comments

Your expectations are too high! The difference between a standard and an expectation

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I hear this phrase a lot in my therapy office: "My partner says my expectations are too high!" And honestly? Sometimes they're right. But here's the thing: when someone tells you your expectations are too high, they might actually be pointing to something much deeper than what you think you're asking for.

As a therapist who's spent years working with couples and individuals struggling with relationship dynamics, I've learned that the real issue isn't usually about lowering your standards. It's about understanding the crucial difference between standards and expectations: and how confusing the two can actually damage the very relationships we're trying to protect.

What's Really Going On in Your Brain

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9/8/2025 0 Comments

When Life Gets Messy: How Interdependence Helps Couples Survive Stress, Change, & Crisis

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Crisis is scary. Whether it's a job loss that hits out of nowhere, a health scare that changes everything, or one of those curveball life transitions that leaves you feeling completely off-balance: these moments test every relationship. And if I'm being honest, they don't always bring out the best in us.

But here's what I've learned working with couples: the difference between relationships that crumble under pressure and those that actually grow stronger isn't about avoiding stress. It's about how partners choose to face it together.

That's where interdependence becomes your secret weapon.

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8/29/2025 0 Comments

Coping With Loss Together: How Couples Therapy Supports Shared Grief

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Losing someone you love is one of life's most difficult experiences. When you're part of a couple, that grief becomes even more complex because you're not just dealing with your own pain, you're watching your partner hurt too, and somehow you need to support each other when you both feel broken.

Here's what I've learned after years of working with couples through loss: grief doesn't follow a playbook, and it definitely doesn't affect two people the same way, even when they've lost the same person. But here's the thing, couples therapy can transform this painful journey from one that drives partners apart into one that actually deepens their connection.

Your Brain on Grief: Why Everything Feels So Hard

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8/18/2025 0 Comments

Reframing Stress with a Smile: How Humor Changes Your Perspective

Stress is tough. I get it. Whether it's work deadlines, family drama, or that pile of laundry that seems to multiply when you're not looking, life has a way of throwing curveballs that can leave us feeling overwhelmed and defeated.

But here's something that might surprise you: one of the most powerful tools for managing stress isn't found in a prescription bottle or a meditation app. It's something you already have – your ability to laugh.

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8/4/2025 0 Comments

Does Journaling Actually Help With Anxiety?

Anxiety is tough. Really tough. If you're reading this, chances are you've felt that familiar tightness in your chest, the racing thoughts that won't quit, or that constant feeling like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. You might have heard people suggest journaling as a way to help with anxiety, but you're probably wondering: does it actually work, or is it just another feel-good suggestion that doesn't really make a difference?

Here's the thing – journaling does help with anxiety, and there's solid science behind why it works. As a therapist, I've seen it make a real difference for my clients, and the research backs up what we see in therapy rooms every day.

What's Actually Happening in Your Brain When You Journal

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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 and Redding areas 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 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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How to Grieve Well: Healing After Loss (A Therapist's Guide for Trauma Survivors)

Creating Safety to Feel Again: How Trauma-Informed Self-Care Rebuilds Confidence from the Inside Out

Part-Time Jobs for Therapists: 10 Things You Should Know Before You Apply (2026 Edition)

The Letdown After the Big Plan: What Happens When the Excitement is Over

Emotions Series Part 1: What's the Difference Between Feeling and Showing an Emotion?

Part-Time AMFT Jobs: Your Complete Guide to Finding Flexible Therapy Work in 2026

Adolescence and Identity Formation: Why Teens Need Space to Explore and Mess Up

A How-To Guide if Your Loved One Is in the Hospital for Long-Term Care

Self-Care or Avoidance? Why Isolation Isn't Always Healing (Especially for Trauma Survivors)

How to Add More Laughs to Your Day (Even When Life Is a Hot Mess)

Hidden Struggles: Why Depression Can Be Harder to Spot in High-Achievers

When Trauma Mimics Bipolar or Borderline Personality Disorders: Why Differential Diagnosis Matters

Why Do We Cry When We're Not Sad? The Surprising Science Behind Tears of Anger and Joy

Is Eye Rolling Really That Disrespectful? What Couples Need to Know

Tips to Move Toward Secure Attachment: Practical Strategies

Your expectations are too high! The difference between a standard and an expectation

When Life Gets Messy: How Interdependence Helps Couples Survive Stress, Change, & Crisis

Coping With Loss Together: How Couples Therapy Supports Shared Grief

Reframing Stress with a Smile: How Humor Changes Your Perspective

Does Journaling Actually Help With Anxiety?

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