September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and I want to begin by doing something that can sometimes feel surprisingly difficult. I want to say the word suicide. There. It is in the room with us. We have a tendency to treat this particular word as…

Welcome to the beginning of autumn! Are we ready for leaves changing color and the sun dipping down earlier? Summer is coming to an end. Change is here, and I can almost hear myself citing Charlie Brown: “Good grief! When did that happen?” Although I…

Have you ever found yourself asking, “Am I living the life I truly want? How did I end up here? Is it too late to choose a different path?” After decades working as a psychologist, I can report many of my clients (and even myself)…

What nature can teach us about change, growth, and letting go For the past several weeks, a mated pair of dark-eyed Junco birds, built a nest in a strawberry plant outside my window. We watched them fly in and out, sit patiently over three tiny…

Anger is a tough one. For many of us, especially those in caregiving roles, it’s not something we feel comfortable expressing. So, we do what we’ve learned to do: push it down, tell ourselves it’s not a big deal, take the bitter pill and “suck…

In recent months, one pattern has become increasingly clear in my practice. More adult women are reaching out with a quiet, persistent question: “Is it possible this was missed?” They are often thoughtful, insightful, and self-aware. Many have spent years, sometimes decades, navigating anxiety, burnout,…