It’s not uncommon for people in the Chinese community to experience doubt or uncertainty about the idea of receiving counseling services. People may feel uncomfortable seeking help for their mental health issues when they are experiencing something difficult in their lives. While counseling can be helpful for addressing stressors and mental health concerns, there are a number of reasons why people may not be seeking out the counseling services that can help them. In this blog, I’ll be talking about 5 barriers to seeking mental health therapy in the Chinese community, and 5 reasons why people should consider counseling services.

We all have lies we tell ourselves, whether it’s about ourselves or other people, big or small. “I’ll remember to put gas in my car before work/morning school drop off.” “This job/ relationship isn’t so bad.” “I’m only going to stay for one drink, and then I’ll go home.” “So-and-so’s drinking/drug use isn’t that bad.” The lies we tell ourselves have a way of being the tip of an iceberg. There is much more happening beneath the surface than we realize. What if underneath the tip of that iceberg is a larger pattern? Often times this is the case with one "iceberg" being accompanied by many others. How, though, do you know if you’re floating in the ocean surrounded by icebergs?

With advancements in medicine, vaccines for COVID-19 are now available and have been distributed to more than 87.6 million Americans. This means more people are venturing out and enjoying the people, places, and things they have missed out on for the past year. But for some, the idea of leaving the comfort and safety of home is stressful. The idea of moving around in the world in the midst of an unseen virus can be daunting and debilitating.

Nowadays, there are so many methods of de-stressing and spending our down time. We have television, smartphones, more nature-based activities such as hiking, jogging, or sightseeing, amongst many others.

The fact of the matter is that there is no right or wrong way to de-stress and relax, as we’re all different and we all have our own hobbies, preferences, and passions! Fortunately, there’s something for everyone, no matter what that may look like. Sometimes, trial and error have to be done to find the right activity for you.

Every day, police officers are responding to critical incidents that can impact their health and mental well-being. Sometimes the impact is immediate and evident; other times, it’s insidious and builds over time. This can lead to officers developing poor coping mechanisms, physical problems such as digestive issues, and experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What can police departments do to help the helper?

Dealing with anxiety can be tricky. When anxiety starts taking over our lives, we don’t always know where to begin. Figuring out how to cope with anxious or fearful thoughts or feelings may simply involve gaining insight. If you are a practicing Christian, you may have noticed just how many times anxiety is addressed in the Bible. The Bible is full of rich wisdom to hold onto, that can help us address anxiety and pursue peace from a spiritual angle. Please feel encouraged to read along with some of these passages from Scripture, and take as much time as you need to pause and think about what the author is trying to communicate about anxiety, worry, and peace.

While there are a number of really great coping strategies that can help us manage our anxiety and worry, sometimes a quote sticks with us, making it even easier to remember key concepts. If you deal with anxiety, you just might relate to some of the quotes in this blog. Pick the one that resonates with you, and keep it handy when you need a gentle reminder.

One of the most common (and annoying) symptoms of anxiety is worry. The things you worry about may vary, depending on the specific type of anxiety you personally experience. Regardless of whether you deal with the everyday anxiety that everyone experiences, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks, or a specific phobia, you can find strategies in this blog to help. As with all things, “take what you need, and leave the rest.”

A sensory tool kit is a small bundle of items that you will assemble and use to keep you calm and grounded. Each item in your sensory tool kit will appeal to one of your five senses (sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell).  Grounding with the use of your 5 senses can be helpful if you have a tendency to get caught up in anxious thoughts about the future, or if you tend to get caught up in the past due to trauma or depression. Either way, using the items in your sensory tool kit can help bring you back to the present.

At this point, we’ve been living in the midst of a pandemic for almost one year!  We now quarantine, work from home, teach children from home, wear masks, carry hand sanitizer, and think about how we’re going to celebrate holidays and birthdays without worrying about getting COVID-19.  We also have new vocabulary that consists of “social distancing” and “quarantine fatigue.”  This pandemic has created stress, anxiety, uncertainty, new losses and traumas, not to mention the buried grief and trauma it uncovered.  How could all of this not infiltrate our dreams?

As LifeSpring’s virtual assistant, I’m the first person you’ll speak to and, hopefully, schedule an appointment with when giving our office a call! With that being said, I also encounter a lot of curious clients who have questions regarding the counseling process, what to expect, and what their next steps will be. 

For many, seeking counseling is a huge step, yet a life-changing one. It’s completely normal to be nervous, unsure, or fearful at what this process will be like for you. When talking with me, I aim to be a helping hand as I get you connected and scheduled with a therapist that's right for you. 

If you’re human, you have probably felt exhausted before. You have probably had a moment, day, or season when you’ve felt there is way too much on your plate, and you cannot carry it any longer. Maybe you ended up skipping plans you originally looked forward to, called out from work, or missed a night or two of quality sleep. You were probably experiencing burnout, which is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive, prolonged stress. It happens when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.

Mental health providers and potential clients often ask us about Brainspotting and how it’s different from EMDR. As someone who is trained in EMDR and Brainspotting, I am happy to answer. I want to be up front that I have a personal preference for Brainspotting, and I’ll make note of some of the reasons throughout. As you read, however, please make note that both treatment modalities are effective. There are many paths to healing, so it’s important that you find the one that fits for you. As a mental health counselor, the same is true, and Brainspotting is the modality that is a better fit for me.

Learn more about Brainspotting (BSP), a really powerful treatment modality that was discovered by David Grand in 2003, used by the clinicians here at LifeSpring!

Melissa Wesner discusses how it began, how it has evolved, what to expect, and how to prepare for a Brainspotting session - all long awaited answers to your most asked questions!

In a previous blog I talk about blindspots being comparable to having broccoli in your teeth. Everyone but you can see the broccoli in your teeth. The broccoli can be thought of as our off-putting behaviors, the things we do that rub people the wrong way, without our realizing it. Like the broccoli, everyone else but us realizes that the behavior is unattractive. In cases with actual broccoli or off-putting behaviors, there’s a decision to be made. Do I point out “the broccoli” or say nothing at all?

Others around us are able to recognize our unattractive behaviors when we cannot. These behaviors are our blindspots. They are the behaviors that rub people the wrong way and cause friction in our relationships. Eye rolling, defensiveness, being negative or overly critical are just a few examples. In those cases, the people around us are confronted with a decision. Will they bring the unattractive behavior to our attention, so we can become aware of it and work on it, or will they simply decide to walk away and create distance in the relationship?

Record numbers of voters came out to vote this election cycle from both sides of the aisle. Tension and anxiety is running high as the continuity of people's values and beliefs are coming into play. If this cycle proves to be anything like the election of 2000, we may be in for the long haul as recounts and court decisions are made before deciding on the outcome of our next presidential election. In the meantime, millions of people are left with a feeling of anxiety and fear. Some of the anxiety is what we call “anticipatory anxiety,” meaning that we worry about what may happen or play out as things progress. The problem is that there is no way to know what will result, and the best we can do is to keep ourselves emotionally healthy during the process.

The church can be an important place for supporting people’s spiritual and social needs.  Whether or not the church is a positive place for supporting mental health just depends on the church you’re attending and the messages they’re conveying, verbally or nonverbally.  There are church communities that send messages that discourage people from seeking the mental health treatment they need, and there are others who actively support it. 

I’m including two lists for you to review.  One highlights the unhealthy messages often received about mental health in the church, and the other shows a more positive approach to addressing mental health in the church. These lists have been compiled through my own experiences and those of my clients. 

Growing up in the church, I heard people talk about “the old days,” when people thought it was a lack of faith if you went to see the doctor. Today, many of us would find a statement like that odd and outdated. Unfortunately, I have come to believe that we have not come so far after all. Although we no longer hear people describe seeing a primary care doctor as showing lack of faith, this message does persist when it comes to mental health care.

The topic of suicide is one that can make people feel really nervous.  The average person isn’t trained to recognize the warning signs of suicide or how to respond in a way that’s helpful.  As a result, we can feel panicky and helpless when someone we know shares that they’re having these thoughts. Here are some steps you can take to help a friend, family member, or colleague who discloses that they’re thinking about suicide.