Mindful Living

 Good morning on this chilly fall day.  Most of the leaves are off the trees and it's dark early now.  Time to go within!  With the extra time this morning I wrote down my dreams; a fjord figured prominently, as did a deceased aunt, journaled what I am grateful for, and wrote about some difficult emotions. I am reading Traveling with Pomegranates  by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor.  I highly recommend the book and am trying to get my daughter to read it.   It's a memoir of sorts of Sue and her daughter traveling and exploring the feminine and also some of the stages of female development.  Her daughter just graduated college and is trying to figure herself and her career out with all the angst that comes with that.  And Sue is facing midlife, aging and menopause.  The Sacred and Goddesses are weaved into the book quite well.  As a family we are traveling to Greece next year, and I hope to v...

So many of us have anxiety issues, including myself.  Fear of the future, needing to be in control, that underlying sensation that "something is wrong" or "something bad is going to happen" plagues a lot of us.   In some ways anxiety can be more debilitating than depression. Some things that have helped me and others over the years to manage our anxiety better and not let it have control over us are as follows:  Take what resonates with you and discard what does not! If your worry is something that you can take action about, then Take it!  If I am worried about finances, there are things that I can do to ease my mind; I could consult a financial advisor, put myself on a budget, etc.  Taking action on things that we can is very helpful to easing our worries.  But if it is something we do not have control over, we need to practice letting go.  I don't have control what the weather will be on my vacation, or if the economy slows d...

Greetings!  We are in the middle of summer and I am enjoying the outdoors.  Biking, swimming and gardening.  Getting back into gardening this year has been so good for my soul. The flies have been biting, the days long, and the fireflies have been magical- summer in Wisconsin is the best!  Yes, I could do without the flies and mosquitoes, but they serve their purpose in the circle of life also.  I hope that you are making the most of summer also; watch the clouds pass by, notice the flowers, listen to the cicadas vibrate, and sit around a campfire. Here at Kettle Moraine Counseling we have had a good year so far.  Our Oak Creek office is up and running and doing great; so happy to be part of that community.  Natalie Eddy and Chandell Hintzke led the charge on getting that going and they have done a fabulous job; we will be looking to expand there in the next year or so.  We have recently hired 3 new therapists: Linda Martenet, Diane Schau...

What a year it has been at Kettle Moraine Counseling!  It's been a good year for us, and we had some challenges along the way, but we continue to grow and try and meet the needs of our communities. The biggest news is that we opened a 3rd location in Oak Creek, an area that is really under served for counseling/mental health services.  We have only been open a short time but it is already getting quite busy. We added new therapists in 2017: Caitlin Yogerst, LaQuita Jones, and Michael Shreiner.   Rebekah Wolff and Lisa Oliver were with us in 2016, but have greatly expanded their case loads in 2017.  Michelle Bingen decided to go out on her own in 2017 and we continue to wish her the best. I was elected to the board of directors for the Youth and Family Project in September and I look forward to helping them to grow and help those who need services.  It's a good organization, one I used to volunteer at years ago and am happy to get reacquainted wi...

Being human is difficult.  We all have our challenges and difficulties, even those who look like they have perfect lives.  We all want to feel loved an accepted for who we are, and that is is in short supply for many of us.  So often we think that others have it easier or better than us, when the truth is that we all part of the human experience which includes praise and blame, recognition and disregard, gain and loss, pleasure and pain.   How others see us, usually has little to do with whom we actually are, and more to do with their experiences and wounds.  For example, a few years ago, I had a coworker that I idolized, I thought he knew everything and was so smart.  I defended him to others even when he was not very kind to them.    Then a few years later, I thought the same person was terrible; and I  thought he was not good at his job and was mean to others.  I discounted what he said, and rejected most of his knowledge, even ...

Ian has experience in treating adults and teens with depression, anxiety, self-esteem, personality, LGBT, and dual-diagnosis matters.  As well, he has experience utilizing play therapy techniques with children. Ian has 5 years of clinical experience while working in telephonic, hospital, vocational rehabilitation, and private practice settings. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in interpersonal and organizational communication form Western Illinois University and his Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Concordia University. Ian’s approach clinical approach is strength, cognitive, and resiliency based. Ian’s areas of interest are: Dual Diagnosis (Addiction and Mental Health) Depression Anxiety LGBT Vocational and work matters Ian@kettlemorainecounseling

Many of us were not raised in an environment where we got securely attached to our caregivers, and felt loved and supported.  When we become securely attached to our caregivers, we know that our needs will be met and we can count on our caregiver to be there for us.  If we were not raised in such an environment, our brains become wired in looking for whether we are loved and cared for or not; and if we find evidence to the contrary (often read into situations) we become very anxious and often "act out" our anxiety over the potential loss of love (often imagined).  For example, adults with insecure attachment styles will look for perceived threats, and often will overreact to them.  Your boyfriend doesn't call or text you as much, you perceive this as rejection, and you get angry and lash out.  Because anger is a much easier emotion for most of us to feel and also express, it tends to be the emotion that we rely on the most, although behind that emotion is hu...