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How Play Therapy Helps Children Heal and Grow
When children struggle to express their thoughts or feelings, adults often turn to conversation to help. But for many children, especially our youngest kiddos, words aren’t the easiest or most natural way to communicate. That’s where play therapy comes in. What is Play Therapy? Play therapy is a form of counseling designed specifically for…
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Introducing Jake Johnson
Ann and I are thrilled to announce our newest member of the Ampersand Counseling Collective: Jake Johnson! We met Jake through our therapist training at the Seattle School and are excited to continue working together ‘out in the real world.’ In light of our “Why Your Therapist Matters” series, we’ve asked Jake to introduce…
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Why Your Therapist Matters – Part III
Last week, Maggie shared about her therapeutic orientation, building on my post from two weeks ago that explained what a therapeutic alliance is and why it’s important. This week, I’ll share about my own orientation and how it guides the work I do. Radical Self-Love in Therapy: How I Approach Healing and Growth At…
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Why Your Therapist Matters – Part II
Last week, Ann wrote about the therapeutic alliance and why it is important to have a strong relationship of trust and safety in order for psychotherapy to be successful. Building on this “relational fit,” I want to continue the conversation on why your therapist matters by looking at your therapist’s training and theoretical orientation…
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Why Your Therapist Matters
Every time I meet with a prospective patient, I share a critical piece of information: Our relational “fit” is critical to the success of their therapy. Therapeutic Alliance We call this the therapeutic alliance, and it is essential for good psychotherapy. This “fit” or “alliance” isn’t just about getting along with each other, it’s…
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Resource Round Up
This week Ann and I wanted to share some of our favorite resources for the various areas of focus we work in within our counseling practice: What are some of your favorite resources? Drop them in the comments!
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What is Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse?
Experiences of religious or spiritual trauma/abuse/harm can be hard to succinctly describe, which is evidenced by the fact that it doesn’t yet have one universal name or description. The Religious Trauma Institute uses the term religious trauma and describes it as “the physical, emotional, or psychological response to religious beliefs, practices, or structures that…
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Healing Through Story
The Importance of Story in Healing Work It was often said during my training at the Allender Center that “we do not heal in generalities, but in the particularities of our story.” Simply put, our stories matter; the details of our experiences of harm and heartache are the pathway towards healing. Our stories of…
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Flipping Our Lids
Why It’s Hard to Regulate Big Feelings Becoming a parent is a life changing experience. It’s full of love and joyful moments, and it’s also really difficult work. Most parents would do anything for their child and yet, it can feel impossible to do anything when their child is upset and expressing big emotions…
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Psychoanalytic Theory through Board Games
We’re excited to share that this month Maggie had an essay published in the Board Game Academics online journal Victory Points! In her essay titled Something More: Nested Realities & Desire in Veiled Fate, Maggie explored Lacanian psychoanalytic theory around desire and ‘nested realities’ through her time playing a game of Veiled Fate. Here’s…
