I wrote this post a year ago on Father’s Day on my personal blog. Given that it’s still relevant, I am sharing it here, as I know for many, Father’s Day carries with it a lot of pain and brokenness. I kept the post in present tense. *** Prior to getting married last year, I didn’t give much thought to...[ read more ]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Last week, I found myself reflecting back to my earliest memories of mental illness. The first instance that came to mind probably occurred when I was around 11-years-old. My mother was dating the man that would later become her husband. Brian had a son a few years younger than me and I remember my...[ read more ]
For this last post for Counseling Awareness Month, I'm excited to share a book review of Samuel Pollen's The Year I Didn't Eat. What is the book about? Max is a 14-year old in the 9th grade. He has friends, a supportive family, and a dog. But a year ago, someone disrupted life as he knew it. Her name is...[ read more ]
For today's Counseling Awareness Month post, I am excited to share my interview with award-winning author, Laleh Chini. Laleh is the author of Climbing Over Grit, which has recently won The Canada Book Award. Before we get into the interview, I'd like to share a brief summary of the book, as I've had the pleasure of reading it. Climbing Over...[ read more ]
For today's Counseling Awareness Month post, I'm excited to share an interview that I did with Shalanda Jackson, LCSW. Shalanda is the owner of J Group Counseling Services, a private practice for psychotherapy where she offers individual counseling and group counseling. I understand that you do group therapy for anger management. Tell the readers about what that group is like...[ read more ]
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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
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 ]
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 ]