LMFT (TN), M.Div, MA Rachel received her Master's of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Belmont University. She has worked as a chaplain with children and adults. She is ordained clergy in the Disciples of Christ (DOC). She has over ten years of non-profit experience working with trauma survivors and women [...]
YOU ARE NOT ALONE by Becki Porter-Harmon MA, BCC, LPC This statement is not being used here as a comment that ET is with us, nor that a higher power surrounds us always. No, ‘You are not alone’ simply means that whatever you are going through is, on some level, a shared experience with other human beings. The thought [...]
Caregiver Burnout and Elder Abuse By Reverend Juanita Stokes, MA, LPC, NCC, MARS Licensed Professional Counselor March 2022 Awareness may help us to be proactive in responding to Elder Abuse. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, about 1 in 10 Adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited! Elder abuse can affect [...]
The National Council for Behavioral Health (September 2021) reports that “70% of adults have experienced some type of trauma at least once in their lives.” This is a staggering statistic! It is one that warrants more of our attention to better understand the impacts of trauma and what we can do to heal. What is trauma? Trauma is not [...]
Kristen Benson is one of CPC’s newest additions. She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020, graduating as a Stephen A. Cohen Veteran’s Network Scholar, with a specialization in military and veteran behavioral health. She is currently working on a Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) certification through the Beck Institute and a Masters of Business [...]
My last assignment to receive my MS for counseling was to write a reflection paper using a metaphor for pastoral counseling. My metaphor was “inspiring the truth-sayer within.” The truth-sayer is a metaphor reaching deep into antiquity. Plato used the Allegory of the Cave to show how painful it can be to accept someone bearing the truth. In Frank [...]
This is not an essay about having too many possessions, knowing when to stop acquiring things and deriving happiness from a “less is more” philosophy. That topic has been covered by Arthur Simon in his thought-provoking book, “How Much is Enough? Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture” and is worth reading. Rather, this article poses some questions having [...]
In kindergarten we learn about our five senses, but what is becoming more popularly known is that we have additional senses that are equally important to how we move through the world. Spending so much time with our children at home can draw our attention to how our child(ren) is oriented to the world. Virtual learning also asks of children [...]
Communication. Always a good subject for consideration. Some people are good at it, most are not all that good, some are really bad. There is a simple explanation that accounts for most of the problems people experience with communication. Oh, I know – experts hold seminars and trainings. Ted talks and YouTube videos are created. All in the name of [...]
“It isn’t stress that makes us fall-it’s how we respond to stressful events” -Wayde Goodall. You may be experiencing the stress of Covid-19 and its impact on your daily life. Surveys show that Covid-19 and the resulting lockdowns and restrictions may be impacting your mental health. So, what can you do as an individual to cope with this situation? Developing [...]
