Therapy and coaching may have overlapping elements. It's important to research what is right for you and your needs. Ask questions, and be honest about the depths of your individual goals. Sometimes we will need to dig deep and explore heavy stuff. This is when a trained therapist can really help unpack your messy closets, sort through what you need and don't need, and help you heal through unresolved parts of your life. Coaches can help catalyze change in a different way. We don't work directly with severe mental health concerns, but we can help encourage change by identifying what your strengths are, and new pathways on becoming more successful in your life. Sometimes you can work with both a therapist and a coach. Sometimes you'll need to work through stuff with a therapist before working with a coach. It's all individual, and being ready to ask questions, understanding when it feels right to go deeper, or when to take a more directional approach with a coach takes time.
Death, Loss, & Suicide: Memory Books & Letter Writing
There are different types of loss, and they can be more difficult for younger people to cope with, especially when it's the first time, or if they haven't been modeled any ways to cope. The ending of the school year may be a loss for children. Some kids find school to be the most consistent part of their lives, so to lose it is can be something difficult to work through. Memory books can help document an important part of a child's life where struggles and successes are identified, and positive things are especially remembered. This can help a child learn that although the (person, school, event) is gone, these memories are still here.
Death and Suicide can be major losses where we start thinking about all the things we didn't get to say. Writing a letter can help transfer heavy emotion to something tangible. Reading the letter (optional alone or with a witness) can also be an option where it can help make the act more cathartic. Another step after writing and/or reading can be to have a ritual where you burn the letter in a safe area like a fireplace. This can help create a sense of closure.
Understanding a Cosplayer (part 1)
There are nuances to understanding why a person would cosplay or participate in cosplay culture. This is a very general video, and I didn't even explore the creative outlets and challenges cosplay can offer individuals. This video is not intended to offer a solution to a very complex issue when it comes to relationships and learning how to work through conflict related to participating in extreme behaviors. The video is, however, intended to raise awareness of difference, and that difference is not a bad thing. Ask questions, learn about the game/anime/film/characters that mean so much to someone willing to dress up as them. It might help change perspective, and increase connection to improve problem solving.
NOTE: I am still looking for a space to offer a support group for the geek community (Irvine, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Tustin, Santa Ana). If you have any leads, please message. I would appreciate the help!
Please Like, comment, and share Thanks all :)
When Therapists Shame You
Some words on the field of professional healing, and being a consumer. It's important to empower yourself to ask questions when certain words make you feel uncomfortable, and it's okay to shop around. We are human, and sometimes it's not a good fit. It's okay to keep looking. Don't give up on your search and journey of healing!
Do Adults Play? Is it Only For Kids?
I'll probably make countless variations of this video. It seems to be a problem for other adults that their peers choose to play or be playful. Why is it such a big deal? Play can be paired with being childlike, and somehow this is inferior, or a sign that someone hasn't learned how to "adult" correctly. I disagree. I think play is healthy, and has wonderful benefits for individuals and relationships.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/all-work-and-no-play-why-your-kids-are-more-anxious-depressed/246422/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201001/the-decline-play-and-rise-in-childrens-mental-disorders
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conceptual-revolution/201611/play-if-your-mental-health-depended-it
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.htm
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/15/the-importance-of-play-for-adults/
