seasons

First — it is with gratitude and a little sense of sadness that I say goodbye to my practice’s Master-level intern of this last year. Haley Fielder is one of those individuals who entered into training having already experienced life challenges and honed some valuable counseling skills as a result. It was so enjoyable to work with her and now that she has graduated, I look forward to being able to refer clients to Haley Fielder LMHC-Associate wherever her future career travels take her. Haley, may all of your grandest dreams come true (and I’m looking forward to Sunday visits)!

Next, a little article I recently stumbled upon at the Gottman Institute site that’s perfect for anyone who is struggling within a relationship of any kind. For some, the piece “4 Mindful Listening Principles to Better Navigate Conflict” will be a basic refresher, and some will find these principles life-changing.

Finally – Welcome Autumn! My favorite time of the year, with all of its transitions, will see me honoring my own self-care and relational needs with visits from family and friends. I hope the season’s changes bring you good things, too.

A final look at summer on the Columbia…

Seasons flow like a river.

My favorite season was always autumn. Partly because I’m not a fan of summer’s heat, and partly because of the beautifully colorful images that I (along with all the other kids growing up on the Gulf Coast) saw represented by books, TV, movies… It didn’t really matter that those images virtually never looked like our reality. We wore those first sweaters of the season defiantly. And sweated.

I often talk with clients about the movies we play in our heads, about the way we saw things and the ways we wished we’d seen them. We talk a lot about how our lives’ past events impact our present and how we might change those images in our minds to bring about futures that we prefer. It’s not easy. Sometimes it seems like a fool’s errand. But the first time it works for us — the moment we experience a realization that’s more than just intellectual, an all-over body sense (or maybe even just a few parts, like a letting down at the back of our neck or our collarbone or our abdomen) — that’s when we know that, truly, there is some kind of magic in our heads that we can make intentional use of, for the better.

At some point in my growth, I decided that I actually prefer the season of spring, at least here where we live. The promise of fall as presented in the stories I read and saw… never panned out down here. Oh, I still get very excited (some of you heard me recently celebrating the coming of October) just in case it finally happens. But I’ve become much better about recognizing and then embracing reality. And spring on the Gulf Coast is (almost) always what it’s cracked up to be.

On that note: I will be celebrating the final quarter of the year (aka “autumn” and start of “winter”) by taking an extra day off each week. I’ll continue to be in The Woodlands office on Mondays & Wednesdays, and will be in Houston on Sundays & Thursdays. You might find it harder to squeeze an appointment into the new schedule — I will be posting cancellation-related openings on my Facebook page, and encouraging you to schedule farther in advance. You can always cancel later, if you wish (just be sure to let me know the day before your session.)

I hope you find the realities in your life that are celebration-worthy. And enjoy the weather!