If you’ve ever been to therapy, chances are you’ve spent some time thinking about life balance. It’s an idea those of us in the mental health field often cling to as both a goal and measurement of life satisfaction. In a recent interview, Danielle Strickland observed that people who are…
Over the next few months, we’ll be issuing a series of articles that we hope will provide some guideposts during these times of uncertainty. Consider this your pocket guide to navigating what researchers call cognitive dissonance, a fancy term for that sinking feeling you get when a close friend posts something…
A few years ago, I hosted a birthday party at Third Degree Glass Factory. With hors d’oeuvres in hand, we casually sidled up to the demonstration area. I was jostled out of my reverie by the site of the largest, hottest, fire blazing oven I’d ever seen. Amazed, we watched…
The longer I sit with people, the more I am convinced that technique, skill, and insight alone cannot really transform without one key ingredient. It is simply love. Getting to the place of being simply loving, however, seems to be a complicated business. It requires that I know my heart,…
The power of gratitude has become a focus of much research in the field of psychology. Much of this research has been done by two psychologists in particular, Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough. In one study, three groups of participants were asked to briefly journal about…
Recently, my daughter injured her back. The doctor showed us a picture of a nicely curved healthy spine. Then, he showed us my daughter’s x-ray. She and I both exchanged alarmed looks. Repetitive blows from years of gymnastics had created misalignment in key areas that were now affecting her body’s…
She came into my office and unfurled the map. Circled in red pen were the communities she knew, home to the people she loves. “I want to bring the kind of counseling CrossRoads offers to my part of Illinois. They don’t have anything like this.” she said. Patty had been…
A few years ago, I reluctantly took up running. Not exactly marathon running – more like couch to 5K running. It worked great for a while . . . . and then it got cold. Really cold. I have some genetic limitations – my people are Floridians. After a long…
There is a particular glory in the way God weaves stories together as the Great Storyteller. Somehow, He’s able to use both deep sadness and great joy to bring about His will. In August of 2014, Becca Brand started the Master of Counseling program at Covenant Seminary after serving an…
My world has expanded greatly since becoming a counselor. Each month I spend some time with people who are providing medical care in Africa, building friendships in an Islamic mosque, pioneering new work in India and building a new community center in South America. In the course of our sessions,…
