Heart And Solutions

Our Mental Health Tips

Our Heart and Solutions Team is excited to share our knowledge, experience, therapeutic activities and mental health research with you and your family! Check out our monthly blog posts written by our dedicated staff. These blog posts are designed to help make mental health and behavioral health care less confusing and to inspire each reader toward improved wellness and peace!

Take the Time to Celebrate the Small Wins

I’ve always been a glass half full type of person. Seeing the good in a difficult situation can make a huge difference. I’m not perfect, but I try to shine some light anyway I can…. (Click for full article)

What I’ve Learned from Autism

As I started my journey in that program, I fell in LOVE. Autism was and is so fascinating to me. These kids were all unique in their own ways but the things that made them strive and that they passionate about were the most amazing things. Some kids loved band and drum line, some liked vacuums, video games, etc. but it wasn’t the object or interest itself, it was how it worked.

Why Goals?

Everyone can attain whatever goal they have set for themselves. There are no goals too big or too small and achieving goals is an accomplishment worthy of being acknowledged and celebrated. There are several reasons… (Click for full article)

Meet Becker!

Becker is a certified therapy dog through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. She has undergone extensive obedience training and multiple tests/observations in order to become certified. Becker is a 2.5 year old Great Dane who… (Click for full article)

Feeling Angry?

Anger. It affects us all whether we like it or not and sometimes whether we notice it or not. None of us are immune to anger, though we all may choose to handle our anger differently and sometimes we might be lost on how to handle our anger and wonder what we could possibly do to help ourselves.

Connecting with Your Therapist

Meeting a new therapist can sometimes feel like the worst mix of a blind date and a job interview, all in one. It’s common to have anxiety about talking to someone new about the parts of you… (Click for full article)

What Does It All Mean?

Whether or not you’re looking forward to this year might depend on how you made sense of last year. Without dissecting all of the potentially polarizing events of 2021, I think we can all agree that things haven’t seemed “normal” for a while. Not to forget the sweeping impact COVID-19 has had on our lives, but we’re all still dealing with our own individual “stuff” too.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children

Any child could experience one or more stressful events that affect how they think, feel, or react to events. Many times, children are able to recover quickly and well. However, there are times that children… (Click for full article)

Anxiety in Children

Anxiety Overview Anxiety is generally defined as extreme worry or unease. It is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, continuous or persistent worried thoughts, and physical changes such as increased heart rate or difficulty… (Click for full article)

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder or SAD, is a type of depression related to changes in the seasons. SAD can appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and… (Click for full article)

Boundaries

Boundaries. You may hear that word a lot, either from your therapist, pop culture references, or trending social media conversations on mental health. But what are boundaries, really? Let’s start with what boundaries are not…. (Click for full article)

Improving the Parent-Child Relationship

Attachment is the way in which children come to trust, understand and thrive in their world. The parent-child attachment is one of the most important attachments in a child’s life. One approach to help improve the parent-child relationship is called Theraplay.

But How Did They Live?

It can be easy to get caught up in the how or why they died. The questions can become unrelenting. But would you take a moment with me today to remember and share stories of how they lived? The everyday things they found joy in, the silly quirks they had, their smile, their laugh, the things they did that annoyed the snot out of you…

Trauma-Informed Yoga

Traditional talk therapy has often been seen as a primary approach to trauma treatment. However, research now shows that yoga can significantly reduce symptoms of PTSD.

Summer Mental Health Bucket List

I believe it’s a common misconception, that for the sole reason of it being Summer, we’re supposed to be rays of happiness. That we should be ‘living our best life’. For some, Summer brings out… (Click for full article)

The Truth About Forgiveness

When I think of forgiveness, I think of letting someone off the hook: “It’s okay that you did this to me.” This definition can make it difficult to forgive, especially truly hurtful actions and behavior… (Click for full article)

Trauma and Resilience

As a school-based therapist working with children (ages 3-18), the most common contributor to mental health issues I have seen is trauma. Trauma is our emotional response to a traumatic event such as an accident,… (Click for full article)

The Youngest of Us: Grieving COVID-19 One Year Later

By now, it has been one year since COVID-19 swept through the world, closing schools and businesses. Many of us have seen the signs of complicated grief within ourselves, our friends, and our loved ones…. (Click for full article)

A Grateful Heart

How would your world change if every time you were asked a question, you began your answer with, “I am grateful for…”? When we choose a grateful heart, we are programming our mind with a… (Click for full article)

The Arts and Mental Health

Have you ever wondered how using art can improve your personal mental health? There are many benefits to incorporating the arts and creative expression into the therapeutic space or into your personal routine. Benefits can… (Click for full article)

You Should Start a Journal

There are all kinds of mental, emotional, and physical benefits to keeping a journal. It is great for practicing self-care, mindfulness, and helps you understand the world around you. In other words, journaling helps you… (Click for full article)

Quick Stress Relief

Stress can be hazardous to both mental and physical health. Unmanaged stress can cause headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, irritability, depression, angry outbursts, social withdrawal, and over or undereating, just to name a few. There… (Click for full article)

Childhood Mental Health and Sensory Issues

Many of the problematic behaviors parents, teachers, and mental health providers typically associate with depression, anxiety, ADHD, or ODD diagnoses can also be caused or aggravated by sensory processing and integration problems. People who have… (Click for full article)

I Know Logically…And Yet I Feel…

As I sit across from my clients, whether it be in person or via telehealth, the heaviness of the burdens my clients carry becomes all too clear. Many clients report feeling simply exhausted by the… (Click for full article)

Complicated Grief in the COVID-19 Era

In June, I attended a webinar on Complicated Grief in the COVID-19 Era. Expert panelists Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv, Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, and Leah McDonald, MD, explored the complicated grief that will likely emerge… (Click for full article)

Movin’ For Your Mind

Studies have shown that exercise can not only improve your physical health, but also reduce anxiety levels and raise your self-esteem. Creating an exercise routine is difficult, but I hope to share with you some… (Click for full article)

COVID-19 Plan to Return to Face-to-Face Sessions

As the state of Iowa continues to open up through the COVID-19 pandemic, Heart and Solutions is dedicated to the safety and needs of its clients and team members. As of the date of this… (Click for full article)

Dealing with Negative Mental Health Impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic

As discussed in last month’s article, the COVID-19 pandemic can have a negative impact on our mental health. If you are feeling overwhelmed with some of these issues, please contact Heart and Solutions for telehealth… (Click for full article)