Mindful Living

Happy spring!!! I am getting outside more and have been biking/walking. My sisters and I biked to Campbellsport (love the bike trail!) and back a few weekends ago and had a great time. People are commenting on how "tan" I am. I feel embarrassed, because with a family history of melanoma, I shouldn't be tan at all!! But it's from getting outside more often. Prom is coming up and we are doing dress shopping; we picked one out, but the dresses are sure different now from when I was a teen! At the end of April I will be going to NYC to see my oldest child for a visit- I miss him so much, and we need some son-mom time. Christina Lachner has joined our clinic, and we are so happy to have her on board! I have included her bio in this newsletter. She sees children, teens and adults. Included is our research update, which informs us that feeding babies on demand may raise their IQ, fast food is linked to depression, and helicopter moms are interfering with dating! En...

This interesting topic came up this past weekend between me and my teenage daughter. She was irritated because a male friend was insinuating that she was so emotionally vulnerable, when she insists she does not feel that way. I do think most women are physically more vulnerable then men- my husband never feels physically threatened or worried that he could not take care of himself. But me, I feel physically vulnerable fairly often, and I have felt that way my whole life at different times. Women may be more emotionally vulnerable than men because relationships are very important to us, and if a relationship is threatened in some way, it may bother us more. I say may, because I am not convinced that men don't care as much about relationships as we do, but that is the current state of research :) One of the ways that I think men are more vulnerable than women is that it can be more difficult for them to develop close emotional relationships and when they need support, they have...

Christina Lachner has joined our staff! She will be seeing children and adults, and will be under the direct supervision of Deb Graf MS LPC. Welcome Christina!! Here is her profile: "I want to help you get past those little hiccups in life and move forward towards your future successes!" Life can be challenging at times. Those challenging moments can make us feel as though they have taken over our lives. I would like to help you learn how to move thru those moments and own them. Counseling can help you learn and grow from your experiences. She offers children, adolescents, and adults help in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. Christina's specialties and interests include: Children/adolescent behavioral & emotional issues ADD/ADHD Anxiety/panic Self esteem Depression Adjustment/life transitions Christina has a Master's Degree in Counseling from Concordia University in Wisconsin. She has experience working with people that have developmental disabilitie...

From the director : Kettle Moraine Counseling has been open for 2 years as of March 1st!! The time has flown by and the clinic is much more successful than I ever thought (or planned) it would be. I am blessed to have the clients and the staff that we have. In the 2 years I have grown as the clinic has grown; to all of you who have referred to us and to our clients past, present and future- thank you for trusting us in providing the highest quality care. Our motto is Experienced- Ethical- Client Centered, and we strive to be the best therapists we can be! Until next time, be gentle with yourself and others. Devona Marshall _____________________________________________________________________________ When Worries Overwhelm All of us have worries at different times of our lives, and especially the past year with the all the job losses and financial problems, many of us have been worried about what the future will hold. What happens when the worries become overwhelming and interfere with ...

She decided to let him back in; to try and trust again. And she was afraid- afraid to reveal her true self, afraid to be let down as she was in the past. But she took the chance; for she wanted to feel true love again. And it was a tentative love. They were both cautious with each other. Afraid to upset this new found connection, for fear the fighting and distance would come back. How had we reached this point-Where we were afraid to be close? How did we get so far away from each other, only to find we really wanted to be loved by the person who knew us best and the longest? She is cautiously optimistic that they will "make it"; there is more touching, more sharing and more laughing. She starts to feel safe. But he lets her down, just as he has in the past. Her heart is broken; she "knew" she shouldn't have trusted him or tried. Always disappointed.... She is furious with herself for putting herself out there to get hurt again. Didn't she know better...

I have been listening to Clarissa Pinkola Estes and her talk about what we hunger for, struck me. I have heard it many times before, but this time I HEARD it. What we are hungry for is very different from choosing what is laid out before us. For example, we look at a magazine, and then desire an outfit we see in it, versus asking yourself 'what is my style' or 'what clothes express who I am inside', or a biggie 'how would I dress to express my soul'. It very likely will be a different answer than what you see in the magazine. So often I get caught up in buying the latest gadget or fad, but the truth of the matter is that the joy does not last very long when I buy things. Ask yourself: what things have I bought that have really enhanced my life? 10 years ago the answer for me was our king sized bed because the whole family could cuddle in it. Right now the answer is probably our cabin (again the family time). For most of us the answer to that question will be som...

I have been reading the book Hold Me Tight, and it's help change how I see behaviors in relationships. When we act "out" by withdrawing, yelling or demanding, it's often because we do not feel connected and we are "protesting" the distance; it's actually our way of trying to be closer! The way that I primarily protest distance in my marriage is by stonewalling (basically withdrawing either physically or emotionally). My husband usually persuades (or pursues) me to get closer again, and that usually works! In this past week though, I was able to notice myself withdrawing because I didn't feel connected (he's busy and distracted with work and I was feeling neglected). I started stonewalling, but then caught myself and moved closer to him (because that's what I really wanted!). Others protest the distance by complaining or nagging; we feel disconnected, and want to be closer so badly. We don't like feeling distant from our loved ones, and th...