Category: Counseling Process

Recent decades have seen an increasing interest in the healing and therapeutic potential of nature and the perspective of various nature-based interventions for the benefit of mental health. The field of nature-based therapies is expanding in line with this interest. During the formative years of modern psychotherapy, several psychotherapists had a close, loving relationship with nature and who had contributed in some ways to the formation of nature therapy. One of them was Carl Jung, a renowned Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who was one of the first people in the field of mental health to voice concerns about the separation of men and nature. C. Jung believed that a modern man was in danger of losing all contact with the world of instinct, increased by his living an urban existence and separation from nature. Jung wrote in his diaries that the loss of instinct is largely responsible for the pathological condition of contem ...

At somewhere around the age of 15, one weekend day I found myself in the house alone with my dad. As the roles in our house were very traditional, I was intrigued when I heard the unexpected sound of a broom. Finding this a bit unbelievable, I peeked around the corner, being certain to stay out of sight, and observed my dad sweeping up a mess he had made on the floor. Even more unbelievable was his next step; he paused, looked around the kitchen and, not seeing a dustpan, swept his mess toward the entrance door. He lifted the corner of the rug and carefully swept it all under there. His final step was quick and quiet as he placed the corner of the rug back just where it had been. It looked perfect, except for the subtle lumps only noticeable to one who knew the truth. He went to his grave never knowing he was seen and would not be pleased that I share it freely.

I often tell this story when introducing hesitant clients to the counseling proc ...

There’s a difference between feeling comfortable and feeling safe. Safety is knowing that you are not going to be harmed physically or emotionally, and that is something that should always be expected and honored. Since becoming a therapist, I have found that the word comfortable, however, does not always describe therapy. Therapy can sometimes bring up changes that adjust the status quo, and that is not always easy or comfortable.

There isn’t anything wrong with the status quo on its own. It’s comforting knowing what to expect. The problem comes when the status quo enables unhealthy habits. Let’s take a simple example. Maybe there is a candy bowl at the front desk of your workplace or somewhere you visit often. As almost anyone would, you take a piece. You strike up a conversation with the front desk person, and it becomes a routine for the two of you. The front desk worker keeps the bowl filled, you take one, and enjoy a conversation f ...