Social Anxiety in Teens
by Amber Goodloe, LPC For many, September means the start of a new school year, and I’ve been reflecting on what might be a helpful topic in supporting parents of teens during this next school year. I have spent the last 18 years working with adolescents around the world, and a common but gr
The Imperfection of Perfectionism
by Lisa Green, LPC – MHSP, Executive Director Perfect. It’s a word I and others tend to use a lot, and often in way that doesn’t mean… well, perfect. We use it interchangeably with words like “good” or “great,” or even “good enough.” While language is flexible enough to allow
Conflict Management in Marriage
by Nick Steffen, LMHC, Pastoral & Clinical Counselor Drs. John and Julie Gottman, a couple who happen to be some of the foremost relationship researchers today, discovered that 69% of all conflict is perpetual. Most of the conflict couples experience comes back again and again over the course of
LENT 2023: PART 3 RESONATE
“Perhaps, the most courageous thing we can do as a people is to behold.”– Mako Fujimura Here in Türkiye, Lent began as our country was suddenly swept up in a massive disaster relief effort following devastating earthquakes. Grief, trauma, humanitarian / disaster relief aid, crisis debrief
Lent 2023: Part 2 Re-imagine
“So, here you are.Too foreign for home, too foreign for here.Never enough for both.”– Ijeoma Umebinyuo Life as an expat stretches our imaginations and experiences about people, the world, and God in refreshing ways. But if we’re honest, sometimes it also comes with a cost. For all
Lent 2023: Restart
Welcome to Lent 2023. As we follow the liturgical calendar, we invite you to join us for a three-part series with some simple mental health practices to help prepare our hearts for Easter. May this foster greater self-compassion, insight, and health in your life and ministry, wherever you find yours
Türkiye Earthquake 2023 & A Liturgy for Encountering Trauma
EARTHQUAKE NEWS UPDATE: As many of you know, Monday morning, February 6, 2023, massive earthquakes hit South East Türkiye and Northern Syria. It did not affect Olive Tree Counseling Center or our city of Antalya, and we are grateful to share that if you have counseling scheduled in the near future,
Self-Compassion: Helpful for a Christian?
Steve Scruggs, Psy.D. I became a believer as a teen and was very taken by the gospel. I learned that my sins were forgiven, my fracture with God healed, and my standing as God’s child secure because of Christ’s work on the cross. However, I soon learned that many of my new friends who grew [&hel
Advent Week 4: Stillness
How has your spirit been this Advent season? Have you given yourself space to ponder the COMING HOPE, the celebration of a birth that would change the world? So much of life can feel like rushing from one thing to the next. So this week, in the midst of holiday preparations, traveling, or rush
Advent Week 3: Darkness
“There is a reason the sky gets dark at night – we were not meant to see everything all the time. We were meant to rest and trust even in the darkness.” – Morgan Harper Nichols Advent, like many things tied to the liturgical calendar, invites us to experience His presenc