Whichever winter holiday you choose to celebrate, we hope it all turns out like it always looks in the Coke commercials. Warm, happy, and nothing but family love 24-7! But we’ve heard rumor that not every day of the holidays is perfect for everyone and sometimes people are sad, stressed, […]
Yearly Archives: 2016
When looking for a therapist, it can be difficult to know how to find someone who will be a good fit. Knowing what to ask when initially contacting a therapist can help you determine if the therapist will meet your needs. This is important because the therapeutic relationship is a […]
Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As a therapist who has worked extensively with children and adults that have been affected by domestic violence, I felt it important to shed some light on this taboo subject. It is frequently referred to as a relationship issue, a secret, or private […]
Top 5 Things You Should Know About Domestic Violence
As a therapist who specializes in adolescents it certainly is a challenge to help with anxiety, specifically freshman anxiety. This year is certainly unique for me because it not only impacts me professionally but also within my own house, as my oldest child will be a High School freshman this […]
Freshman Anxiety
Not Christian Counseling Last year I mentioned to a colleague that, in general, I don’t refer to therapists who identify themselves as “Christian Counselors” or as offering “Christian Counseling.” Without further discussion, he concluded my behavior was “arbitrary,” “a priori,” and “disturbing.” It’s certainly not the first two, but I […]
Not Christian Counseling
When starting a family, parents rarely think of the “skills” they have (or don’t have) and how they want to teach these to their children. Like any relationship, it takes work to have a happy and healthy family unit. Family Skills like communication, conflict resolution, and emotion management all play […]
Family Skills
We don’t talk about suicide much. Frankly it’s an awkward topic that doesn’t lend itself to short conversation. Each person and the internal and external landscape of their life and death are unique and complex – nearly impossible to capture in a sentence or two. The story line is full […]
Telling the Stories of Suicide
[officers-table shortnames=”rebekahchristner” positiontitle=”Therapist” officertitle=”Phone” contactform=”http://ccdcounseling.com/contact/”] Devaluing Average Since exiting my graduate program 17 years ago, I am astonished at the increase in the severity of mental illness among the children and teens I have served in both schools and private practice. I have certainly seen an increase in the incidence […]
DeValuing Average
All Things Play Therapy Last month, we celebrated National Play Therapy Week. Play therapy is a mis- or, perhaps little understood mode of counseling. It really does just look like we are playing with toys, and some people wonder what exactly it is that we do. That is the reason […]
All Things Play Therapy
Negotiating the Best Valentines Day EVER As a trained mediator, I have spent years teaching negotiation skills to parents who are in the midst of divorce; helping them to restructure their relationships in a way that severs their intimacy while preserving the very best of their parenting partnership. Which is […]