Panoramic Counseling Blog

What is Play Therapy? A Guest Post on Mental Health At Home

For today’s Counseling Awareness Month post, I am sharing a guest post that I did for Mental Health at Home about play therapy. Check it out! https://mentalhealthathome.org/2019/04/22/emerging-blogger-series-johnzelle/ If you enjoyed this content, feel free to buy me a coffee to support the blog and podcast. Be sure to sign up for my email list, to receive new articles and podcast episodes direct to...[ read more ]

What are PANDAS and PANS?

Recently, my wife asked me if I had ever heard of PANDAS. Since I hadn’t, I began to do some research on the topic and I thought I’d share some of what I learned with you. PANDAS/PANS PANDAS stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections. As the name suggests, it’s a neurocognitive condition that seems to be...[ read more ]

Autism and Counseling: An Interview with Dr. Lakesha Roney, LPC

To continue with Counseling Awareness Month, I was excited to interview Dr. Lakesha Roney, LPC. She is currently the clinical coordinator at The Health Brigade, which is a local free clinic that offers a ton of great services to the underserved. In addition, Dr. Roney runs a group practice for psychotherapy, Inner Self Counseling & Consulting. Dr. Roney is the...[ read more ]

LGBTQIA+ Issues & Counseling: An Interview with Mark Loewen, LPC

Today, I’m excited to share the insights that I gained from my interview with Mark Loewen, therapist and owner of Launchpad Counseling in Richmond, Virginia. Mark is a husband, father, and licensed professional counselor (LPC) who specializes in working with LGBTQIA+ adults. Mark, talk about the resurgence of homophobia and feelings of being unsafe in a post-Trump world. “The political...[ read more ]

What are the differences between online therapy and in-person therapy?

As technology continues to evolve, so do the services that professional counselors can provide. Telehealth or online therapy can vary depending on which platform your therapist uses. There are services that offer secure video sessions similar to a Skype call (with encryption to protect your privacy, of course). Other services enable clients to text or call their therapist. But how...[ read more ]

What is counseling?

Since April is Counseling Awareness Month, I thought this would be a great time to talk about what counseling is, how it can help, and who provides it. A few terms used to describe counselors include therapist, psychotherapist, or “shrink,” but what is counseling? In essence, counseling or therapy is a therapeutic relationship in which a mental health professional helps...[ read more ]

A therapist that goes to therapy?

Today, I’ll share some things that I’ve been doing recently to support my mental health. I’ve been in a very transitional season of life. I was laid off at the end of December and have been going through the hectic process of starting my business. I finished my counseling residency in January and passed my state licensure exam earlier this...[ read more ]

I’m a guy with body image issues

I’m amazed at how prevalent my issues with body image and weight management continue to be… In 2019… 8 years after I lost about 100 lbs in 11 months time. Welcome to my struggle. Before the transformation I was always overweight growing up. I had very little understanding about food, calories, and how physical activity is required to offset the...[ read more ]

Why I became a therapist

Part 1(Past): A personality shaped by childhood Childhood was characterized by both good and bad. Good: I made honor roll and did well in school. Bad: I was overweight, was often bullied, and struggled with social anxiety for most of my childhood. I believe this background contributed to me becoming introverted, assertive, and hardworking in the present. Since I didn’t...[ read more ]

Introversion and Social Anxiety

You find yourself marking ‘Decline with regrets’ on a wedding invitation. Staying home from the office Christmas party. Being terrified at the thought of the wait staff singing “Happy Birthday” to you at a restaurant. And saying things like, “You go in, I’ll wait in the car.” A quick google search defines Social Anxiety as “some amount of fear in...[ read more ]