Developing an Emotional First Aid Kit
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
-Woody Allen
No matter who you are, things will happen to throw you off kilter. Life intrudes on inner peace with an uncanny regularity. It may be your boss, spouse, children, house, parents, finances, health, or even a freaky weather event, but life has its own trajectory, and no one can know what new challenge awaits.
Luckily, there are many ways to regain equilibrium. Trial and error, plumbing your depths to see what really works for you, and discerning the differences between various situations that trigger your sympathetic nervous... Read More
Mindfulness is a therapeutic approach that teaches clients how to use breathing exercises, meditation, and awareness to overcome psychological problems. 
All of life, all of learning and growth, all of healing follows a spiral path, returning over and over to visit a place of pain or suffering in order to master the lessons held therein. Each revolution of the spiral brings us more experience and perspective and skill, so that our path is smoothed and we become increasingly resilient and expansive. This sounds good, but in practice it can be quite difficult.
Finding ourselves repeating old patterns we thought we had gotten rid of, dealing with the same difficult people repeatedly, or turning into a teenager again after spending 15 minutes with... 
There are many refugees living in the United States. Refugees are people who have fled their country of origin because they were persecuted or due to humanitarian reasons. The number of refugee children living in America is unknown, but many of these individuals suffer with significant 
Play therapy is a useful tool to help children express themselves and gain a better understanding of events and experiences through creative action. This approach has been shown to be an effective form of treatment for children who struggle with various mental health issues and have difficulty responding well to other forms of therapy. Counselors who use 
Grief arises as a product of a loss that we have experienced. It is associated with losses that may include health, job, relationship, pet, family, and major events. We may not be able to describe the roller coaster of emotions, yet we do know that we are not ourselves. When we feel out of sorts, sensations surface such as low self-esteem, illness, depression, and confusion, which can manifest into thoughts that our feelings are out of our control. As a result, this full body experience may be difficult to process or verbalize. To mend this sorrow, the expressive arts can create a doorway to the... 
The most commonly used methods to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) are interpersonal 
Magic is a way of living. If one has done one’s best to steer the chariot, and one then notices that a greater other is actually steering it, then magical operation takes place. --C. G. Jung (The Red Book, p. 315)
I always knew that I was two persons. One was the son of my parents…the other was…old…mistrustful, remote from the world of men, but close to nature, the earth, the sun, the moon…all living creatures…and above all close to the night, to dreams, and to whatever “God” worked directly in him. --C. G. Jung (Memories, Dream, and Reflections, pp. 44-45)
What Jung called... 
There is a significantly high dropout rate among veterans who seek treatment for 
Special needs children require a level of attention that far exceeds that of other children. Compassion, patience, and understanding are resources that are often quickly exhausted when addressing the demanding task of caring for these special children. As children enter 
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological condition that affects motor function. A large portion of people who have PD also struggle with psychological problems, including sleep impairment, psychotic episodes, learning deficiencies, anxiety, and even depression, with depression being the most common. The caregivers of individuals with PD are also at increased risk for emotional distress and psychological problems. Very little research has focused on how to reduce the symptoms of depression in PD (dPD). To address this obvious gap, Roseanne D. Dobkin of the Department of Psychiatry... 
I must first be who I really am, then, do what I need to do, in order to have what I want.
Have you ever had the thought, I’ll be happy when… we move to a new home; when I get the position I’ve been interviewing for; when I finish my degree; when I get pregnant; when I marry….
It all starts with you right Now.
To create the life you want, take responsibility and bring a playful attitude into your relationship with Self, your relationship with the Other in your life, and your relationship with Nature. New or unexpected adventures can be a great start. Did you ever want to…
Join... 
People who exhibit mild depressive symptoms are at increased risk for clinical depression. Addressing these symptoms early is a key factor in preventing the onset of major depressive disorder. Individuals with moderate symptoms often don’t seek help because they do not realize the severity of their condition and because they are worried about the stigma associated with mental health problems. Therefore, the most effective early interventions focus on removing the stigma attached to mental illness and encouraging individuals to work on decreasing the psychological 
Anxiety can cause significant impairment in individuals, including lost time from work, decreased quality of life, substance dependence, depression, and even suicide. Many individuals who receive anti-anxiety medication respond relatively well but struggle with the negative side effects of medication, which include weight gain, sexual impairment, nausea, and even addiction. People who receive mindfulness-based treatment or cognitive behavioral therapy for symptoms of anxiety often discontinue treatment before they have realized any marked improvement. Finding effective and easy to administer treatments... 
