Written by: Courtney Kershaw   Do you ever find yourself in a relationship with someone and all the sudden you’re taken off guard by a new situation with no real sense of how to handle it or what to expect? No? Just me? Ok, well just in case anyone can relate, let’s talk about it. When I say relationships, this obviously applies to romantic relationships, but it’s also true of platonic and familial experiences. Humans are dynamic and being in close contact with others requires an amount of flexibility and understanding of yourself and the other person to navigate new territory. Setting [...]

Written by: Courtney Kershaw     Whether therapy is for individuals, couples, or families, one of the first tasks is to create goals together. Goals are specific to you and what exactly you’re looking to get out of the therapy experience. And then you spend your time working towards those goals with your therapist. Maybe you even discover some other topics along the way. So, what do you do when it feels like you’ve stopped moving, but you know you’re not “done”? When you know you still have therapeutic work to do, but you find that therapy sessions are a little stale [...]

Written by: Courtney Kershaw   Are you a person? Great! Then counseling could be for you. I know it’s not quite that simple, but the essence is true. One common experience is that people start looking for counseling support when they are in crisis. It’s urgent, it can be chaotic, and if you can’t find someone quickly it can be overwhelming. The truth is that you don’t need to be in crisis to get support. Many people, couples, families, and individuals alike all find benefits in having routine check-ins with someone who is there to just support life along the way. It [...]

Written by: Courtney Kershaw   We all know that life comes with it’s ups and downs. Sometimes we are in a busy go-go-go season, sometimes we’re in a bit of a lull. It can naturally be easier to find time for self-care and focusing on your mental health when the pace is slower and you have more opportunity, but how do we re-prioritize taking time for self-care and mental health when life speeds up again? As the world starts regaining it’s pace, it can be important to explore means of making space for mental health needs. Why should you make time for [...]

Written by: Courtney Kershaw   Whether you tend to identify more as an introvert or as an extrovert, it’s part of the human experience to navigate some level of balance between relying on others and relying on yourself. Some people have learned to depend on themselves first and only ask for help or support in times of dire need, others have a different level of comfort seeking support from others for any number of needs. While reaching out to your network in a time of need is something that I highly recommend (it’s kind of my thing as a therapist), it’s also [...]

Written by: Courtney Kershaw   When you are standing on the precipice of a new experience, you are standing at the point where every possibility exists. Sometimes the possibilities are exciting, sometimes they are terrifying, and sometimes they are a bit of both. But, that moment when you are getting ready to step into the unknow can be an amazing place to check in with yourself and decide how you want to take that step. How often do you notice yourself saying “no” to new experiences out of fear? Fear that you do not know what to expect in the experience, or [...]