Journal - Heart And Solutions

The Art of Healing

The Art of Healing Anyone remember when we were little and we could just play without abandon? There was nothing that was unimaginable. And we could just go to our friends’ houses, ring the doorbell, and ask if our friend could play. Or,...

Coping with Axiety

Coping with Anxiety Anxiety. What comes to mind when you hear the word? Worries, nerves, caution, perhaps terrifying? People in today’s world suffer from some type of form of anxiety. Some have the ability to cope with their...

Spreading Kindness

Spreading Kindness Have you ever heard of the Strangers Project? I hope you can take the time to check out the website for this project, as it isn’t going to be the main topic of this post, but I’ll give a brief overview about how...

Embracing Artistic Creativity as an Aid for Mental Health

Embracing Artistic Creativity as an Aid for Mental Health When it comes to art I had always been someone who settled on stick figure family portraits created with equal parts the color from my pencils and the smudges from my eraser. I saw...

Finding Pride in the Art of Cooking

Finding Pride in the Art of Cooking Hello Everyone! My name is Lizzie Anucik, and I am thrilled to share with you my deep passion for cooking. For as long as I can remember, the kitchen has been my sanctuary, a place where I find peace...

Supporting Adolescents on Social Media

Supporting Adolescents on Social Media Social media and technology have added to the complexity of the lives of adolescents. During this stage of life, their social world has the utmost importance, contributing to their self-view and...

Disordered Eating

Disordered Eating Eating disorders and body image are tough subjects to broach. How you feel about your body is extremely personal and can cause a lot of negative emotions for some people. In fact, according to National Association of...

Play Therapy: Questions and Answers from a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor

Play Therapy: Questions and Answers from a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor Chances are, if you have found this page, you may be considering Play Therapy for a child in your life. Or, a child in your life is already engaged in Play...

Coping with Ambiguous Grief

Coping with Ambiguous Grief Oftentimes, when we hear the word grief we picture the loss of a loved one. But grief can cut much deeper than losing someone or something that is special to us. When exploring through the concept of grief, you...

Happy Holidays?

Happy Holidays? The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, happiness, and warmth, though at times they can be overwhelming and exhausting. Pressures from family and friends, time constraints, and personal and societal expectations can...

Trauma and Co-Regulation

Trauma and Co-Regulation Hi, my name is Eysha Khan. I am a Licensed Master Social Worker. I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa’s Master of Social Work program with a specialization in Trauma-Informed Care. Being a therapist is...

How TikTok Creators Advocate for Mental Health

How TikTok Creators Advocate for Mental Health I’ll admit it – I didn’t understand TikTok at first. I thought it was all dances, but it turns out that TikTok is a vast platform that has many different “sides” to it. It changes what videos...

Take the Time to Celebrate the Small Wins

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. As we get older...

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?

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 that goals...

Meet Becker!

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 loves...

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

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 that feel...

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

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...

Anxiety in Children

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...

Seasonal Affective Disorder

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 summer. Less...

Boundaries

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....

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…