This morning I woke up thinking about kids that act out and a situation that I experienced with my own children. I remember when my daughter was young, I used to tell her please use your words and tell me how you feel, mommy can help you, if you just tell me what you are feeling, I do not understand whining though. A family member would say Colleen she is your daughter not your client. I knew though that if I taught her how to express her feelings she would not feel like she had to act out to get someones attention when something was not going well. She would be equipped to explain how she felt and there would be less acting out. Today she is still young but she can tell you anything that she is feeling and knows that it is okay to do that. So when she is mad she says I am really mad and frustrated with this, rather than just having a fit. Teaching parents to encourage their children to express emotions, and helping the children understand how to use thier words, while also helping the parent be okay with showing emotion is something that I do in my practice.

Today is Jan 29th and Feb. is almost here! I have heard many people say that they just have a feeling that it is going to be a good year, they feel it is going to bring good things! Things are going to be interesting since it is an election year. Has anyone reading this made a commitment to make things different in their life this year? Being a licensed professional counselor and a trained life coach, I really enjoy helping people make these changes and am always honored by having the opportunity to help people in that way.