The announcement of his death stopped me in my tracks. He was 40 years old. I loved this guy so much. His face lit up the world. Statistics remind us that suicide is something we must continue to pay attention to and to work on prevention. Most of us know someone who has taken his […]
Responsibility for Reporting Child Abuse in Texas
How should therapist handle a suspicion of child abuse? What are a professional’s obligations to report? Who is entitled to information? Texas law requires that anyone with knowledge or suspected child abuse/neglect report it to authorities. This mandatory reporting applies to all individuals and is not limited to teachers or health care professionals. The law […]
Resolving to Make Life Better
Several years ago on a cold day in early January, I got up early to work out. The gym was packed. I went up to the front desk to chat with the owner until a treadmill became available. The owner assured me, however, that by mid-February, things would resume back to normal: “Jana, most people […]
“Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent about Things that Matter” – Martin Luther King
I remember a time long ago when something really mattered to me. I grew up with a happy childhood. My parents took me and my brothers to church every time the doors were open. The thing was that at the end of the service on Sunday mornings, the elementary school age boys were called to […]
Sleeps with Dogs
Yes. Please. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a dog. Well…there are the first few years of college, times when I certainly wished for a dog. I need dogs in my life as much as I need the air I breathe. And so many people I meet seem to be just as […]
The Enneagram
Know thyself. It’s debatable what Greek philosopher wrote the directive but is said to be one of the three ancient inscriptions in Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Often, we assume we know who we are, but in actuality, it takes intentional work to examine the lens of how we view the world. Sure, maybe ignorance […]
What Are Your Dreams Trying to Tell You?
Dreams can be fascinating. Wild. Beautiful. And sometimes frightening. What kind of dreams do you remember? We can gain insight from writing down a dream as soon as we awake. How quickly we tend to forget. At least I do. There are so many variations of dreams. A precognitive dream gives us knowledge of a […]
What Will You Do with Your One Wild and Precious Life?
School is in startup mode, and students are being asked to turn on their brainwork to high volume. But it’s not just students who can benefit from deeper thinking. Therapists ask those who seek help to stop and reflect on meaning. Some therapists integrate what we call bibliotherapy, a form of therapy that integrates reading […]
Who Makes the Rules for What is Beautiful?
Perhaps these days it’s a good question to consider. You can find some surprising practices studying the social tenets of beauty in various cultures. Centuries ago, some places in China practiced foot binding where young girls feet were broken and tightly bound. Why? Because “lotus” feet were considered more beautiful. And I remember the Masai […]
Happy Women’s History Month!
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since1987. International Women’sDay was named in 1909 when women did not have the right to vote. A group of activists, the suffragists, fought for women’s right to vote. Bringing to light the […]