Finding Acceptance in a Social Media Post Written by: Kimberly Harkey, MEd, LPC-S If you’ve often felt misunderstood, unable to fit in, outcast, or not accepted by others, five minutes of scrolling in social media will help you find at least 5 labels and maybe even a diagnosis to describe yourself. Introverted? Ambivert? Highly Sensitive [...]
Author's note: Happy International Women's Day! I am pleased to honor Ajana's very own, Dr. Nancy Castellon. Nancy is a wonderful human and made sure to make me feel worthy and capable throughout our interview. Nancy has worked at Ajana Therapy for about 3 years and is currently a part-time counselor and is also [...]
Redefining Rest Written By: Kimberly Harkey, M.Ed., LPC-S I’ve recently seen many self care shops selling things that say ‘Rest is productive', but is rest productive? It always makes me take a long pause. I first notice how resentful I feel that even my rest has to be productive. Why can’t my rest be unproductive? [...]
First Demi Lovato, Michael Phelps, and Jen Hatmaker. Now Ariana Grande is the latest celebrity to partner with BetterHelp to "give away" therapy. It seems that a lot of celebs lately are "partnering" (and mind you these are paid partnerships) with large digital mental health platforms. These celebs are all such an influence in other [...]
How the Commercialization of Mental Health Impacts Independent Private Practices Mental health needs have drastically impacted the mental health system. According to NAMI, it is estimated that “20.6% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2019 (51.5 million people).” That is 1 out of 5 U.S. adults. Since the pandemic began the National Institute of [...]
By Kristen Suleman, M.Ed., LPC Full disclosure: not knowing what I was doing used to absolutely terrify me. I avoided this feeling at all costs. And the more I avoided this feeling, the more terrified of it I became over time. (Funny how that works, isn’t it?). I have spent a lot of my [...]
My Client Wants To Talk Career Counseling! HELP! I don’t know about you, but career counseling was not big in my graduate degree. I had a summer class crammed with information, but it wasn’t until I had an internship at my university’s career center that I truly saw what career counseling was all about. It [...]
Choosing a Counselor: How Bad Counseling Experiences Inspired Me to Become a Counselor Written By: Nancy E. Castellon, PhD, LPC Associate I am sure you've heard it before - choosing the right counselor is vital in your treatment. No pressure, right? So, how do you pick the right one for you? Short answer - "Listen [...]
Riding the Coronacoaster Written by: Kristen Suleman, M.Ed., LPC Coronacoaster. n. The ups and downs of a pandemic; the feeling of uncertainty, anxiety, and helplessness surveying news and information concerning humankind's possible demise from COVID-19. The past 4 months have been a wild ride for all of us, to say the least. Riding the [...]
Resistance, Acceptance, and Mindfulness Written By: Leah J. Singer, M.Ed., LPC, RYT-200 Pressure. There it is. Pushing and weighing down on me. One step at a time feels like an eternity. The invisible box I’m in feels to be shrinking instead of expanding. Finding time to breathe deeply and fully seems to be a luxury. [...]
