Open House November 14th: Growth

IMG_5867 10There will be a theme at our Open House coming in a couple of weeks (Friday, Nov. 14th). The theme is “The Way We Grow”. When you step inside the building, there will be some simple interactive things in which you can be involved, focused on phenomena which cause growth to occur in human beings. Think “plants” and processes which take place around us in nature.

It’ll be fun. See you there!… Read more

Open House November 14!

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Open House November 14, 2014

We would like to cordially invite you to our Open House coming up November 14 from 3 pm to 6 pm at the Real Life Counseling Offices. We would love for you to come and see our new space, learn a little about what we do, and have an all-around good time!

Refreshments and drinks will be provided. It would be our great honor if you would come!… Read more

Where You Have Not Been

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Brandon just returned not too long ago from being trained to do hypnosis and one of the main tenets of the training is that you cannot lead others where you have not been yourself. That is applicable to our work helping others in general. For that reason, we work hard as individuals and as an organization to be stretching ourselves consistently: growing as people and in our relationships with one another. If we as an organization cannot have healthy relationships with each other, how can we help others in their relationships? And, if we as people are not learning, growing … Read more

Coming Alongside

Family Photos-14 resized 25Half the battle when you are approaching challenging circumstances in your life is having someone alongside you who is supportive, non-judgmental, and who will help you find solutions without trying to fix the problem for you. So many times in our lives, we have people who are “trying to help” blame us or someone else for the problems and although we ourselves and/or others may have had a hand in causing our present circumstances, it does not help to have someone blame, shame or condemn. We need someone who will come alongside, acknowledge that we all have things to work … Read more

Shame and Vulnerability

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We have really been taken by the work of Brené Brown, who wrote Daring Greatly, and has one of the most popular TED talks in existence. She has a raw, truthful and hopeful approach to presenting her research about shame and the “way through,” which is to become vulnerable – the most courageous thing any of us can do.

This is groundbreaking stuff, since our world is so full of fear, defensiveness and shame. We have found her approach quite helpful in what we do with couples, individuals, and families. One of the primary places we experience shame … Read more

Addiction’s Reach

Brené Brown, talking about seeking comfort in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection:

I wasn’t raised with the skills and emotional practice needed to ‘lean into discomfort,’ so over time I basically became a take-the-edge-off-aholic. But they don’t have meetings for that….For me, it wasn’t just the dance halls, cold beer, and Marlboro Lights of my youth that got out of hand – it was banana bread, chips and queso, e-mail, work, staying busy, incessant worrying, planning, perfectionism, and anything else that could dull those agonizing and anxiety-fueled feelings of vulnerability.

 … Read more

Delia’s Story

Professional Counselor Delia Lujano

We wanted to introduce you to our friend, Delia Lujano. Delia loves working with children. She works with adults as well, but when it comes to her job as a Professional Counselor at Real Life Counseling, she prefers to work with children. Her face lights up and so does her voice when she sees the little ones she works to help.

Delia’s commitment to children shows in her clients’ love for her, as well. The children who come to Real Life Counseling and see Delia for Play Therapy know that they have her attention and that she really wants … Read more

Animal-Assisted Therapy

Click on the article below to read about animal-assisted therapy in The Costco Connection Magazine, and read about our very own Therapy Dog, Cooper here.

Look inside >
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Healing heroes
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The Importance of Sleep

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The Quieter You Become…

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On Confidence

“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.”

– Earl Gray Stevens

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From The Road Less Traveled

“In any case, when we avoid the legitimate suffering that results from dealing with problems, we also avoid the growth that problems demand from us.”

M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled (1978)

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Your Vocation

“Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue.  It means a calling that I hear.  Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.”

Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak (1999)

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Are You Ready to Get Married?

“Nobody’s ready for marriage.  Marriage makes you ready for marriage… Marriage is a people-growing machine.”

David Schnarch, “The Sexual Ecology of Love Relationships,” SMU-in-Plano, March 10, 2011

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Recommended Journaling Tool: The Book of Me

photo (7)We find journaling rather helpful in getting to know ourselves, and would recommend this book, The Book of Me: A Do-It-Yourself Memoir. It’s for anyone trying to start journaling or who is just interested in connecting with thoughts about their life or the world. It is a journal with a lot of writing space and a lot of prompts that help jumpstart your thinking to write about lots of important stuff.

Here are some of the prompts contained in the pages:

  • What was the biggest emotional risk you ever took, and how did it play out? 
  • Both men and women
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Getting to Know Your Personality Type

photo (6)There are several personality assessments (or inventories) available out there – tools which help you learn about who you are and help explain your thinking, behavior, feelings and motivations. Below are some personality assessments we refer to and use with people. They have proven helpful to many in getting to know themselves better:

Myers-Briggs – http://www.myersbriggs.org/

The Enneagram – https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

The Birkman Method – http://www.birkman.com/ (We also know a very talented and helpful Certified Birkman Consultant locally if you are interested.)

The human personality is a complex thing. No one instrument can capture the whole picture and account for all Read more