Many times, when I am counseling people, I often hear the statements like the following. “He makes me so mad.” “If she would just stop talking so much, I could have peace.” “He makes me yell because he never says anything. He acts like I’m not there.” This is something I've heard a time or two in counseling. The statements...[ read more ]
Gaining Personal Awareness When attending therapy sessions, one of the first and most important skills you will learn is personal awareness. Personal awareness is the ability to understand who you are, including your values, thoughts, emotions feelings, and spirituality. It is the ability to understand how you react and live in the world. Personal awareness is vital in individual counseling...[ read more ]
When the Voice Keeps Spinning In My Head One of the biggest challenges of anxiety is dealing with the voice that keeps spinning in our heads. It is the fear that something- perceived or real – is going to happen to us that we will be unable to handle. That fear can paralyze us and keep us from moving forward...[ read more ]
One of the biggest challenges in a relationship occurs after the discovery of the affair. The reason that it is so challenging is that the betrayed partner and the involved partner are in two different places concerning the affair. The betrayed partner is usually in a state of grief. That can include shock, denial, and anger concerning the involved partner....[ read more ]
As a black male therapist and a pastor, I have been very disturbed by the events in our country. We are suffering from a COVID pandemic. It has affected us on a physical, economic, mental, and emotional level. The scars of racial division have also reared their ugly heads again. Protests after the death of George Floyd are occurring all...[ read more ]
During this crazy season in our lives, there will be times when many of us feel an unexplainable sadness. There will be times that we do not feel like doing anything and will shut away. Some of us will have difficulty sleeping. We will experience some times where we have unexplainable anger. And we will wonder what is going on?...[ read more ]
One of the biggest issues that is showing up in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic is isolation. Or, the inability to see loved ones. Due to social distancing for health protections, people are unable to visit their loved ones in nursing homes and hospitals. Eventually, these restrictions might expand to assisted livings. Not to mention that people exposed to...[ read more ]
As a pastoral therapist, I like to work with clients who have faith backgrounds. One of my biggest challenges was finding a personal therapist who would work with my own mental health while not disavowing the importance of my faith. As someone who has been a part of a church background since my youth, I have also been concerned when...[ read more ]
Imagine talking to your potential spouse about your future. In your discussions, you talk about where you will live, what kind of home you will have, your spiritual life, vacation, and so forth. In the midst of those discussions, you talk about children. Do you want sons or daughters? How many children do you want to have? What are your...[ read more ]
I was listening to a broadcast where a man was in a church talking about the challenges of society. A notable mention was that women were not submitting to their husbands in the home. This person even interpreted the scriptural passage in Ephesians to men. They believed that women shouldn't work outside of the home. Instead, they should take care...[ read more ]