The only month of the year where we seek out scary encounters is here! October is when we begin planning our Halloween outfits; we gather for ghostly encounters; we decorate with pumpkins, witches, and all things creepy. When it comes to mental health, let’s take fear out of the conversation.

As August arrives, so does the all familiar back-to-school scramble. Store aisles crowd with parents clutching crumpled supply lists searching high and low for that one specific item. Where are the college ruled notebooks? Why are there no RED folders left? 

Preparing for a new school year can feel like a race to check all the boxes before the bus even pulls up on day one. But there are crucial items that won’t be included on any lists sent out by schools… even if educators wish they could. 

Summer often arrives with anticipation, planned vacations, and more time with family and friends. For others, summer means packed calendars, pressure to make memories, and big expectations. It’s easy to get caught up in what we think our summers should look like instead of how our summers should feel. 

The month of June brings longer days, warm weather, and more opportunities to spend outside with friends and family. Summer reminds us to pause and slow down but it doesn’t take away all the stress and busyness. 

You’re invited to join a special celebration as Spiritual Care Support Ministries becomes the Danielsen Center for Hope after Loss.

Together, we will honor the story God has written through this ministry and look ahead with hope.

Enjoy a brief ceremony, light refreshments, and time to connect with one another.

Redefining what a “good day” looks like requires letting go of external expectations and embracing a more compassionate understanding of personal success. It also means recognizing that we are not meant to do this alone.

Prioritizing your mental wellness, even when it means stepping back from obligations, is itself a form of success—and allowing others to support you in that process can be an act of strength, not weakness.

Our mental health plays a significant role in the lives we create. When we feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or stuck, it can seem as if life is simply happening to us.

Opportunities feel harder to see. Energy feels limited. The future may feel uncertain. But when we begin to care for our mental and emotional well-being, something shifts.

No one told me how menopause could affect your mind and not just your body! Not my mother, aunts, older cousins, etc. Menopause didn't just change my body -- it changed my relationship with my mind.

It’s the start of a new year, a common time to reflect on the past and set resolutions for the future. Instead of feeling overwhelmed about huge life changes, we offer a new idea - focus on clarity. 

Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Each person’s path to healing is unique, and my role is to walk alongside you—helping you gain clarity, build resilience, and reconnect with your sense of self.

It was a Sunday morning and I was in my bathroom getting ready when a knock came at the door. It was my thirteen year-old, far earlier than she usually wakes up on the weekend. "Mom, can we talk?" When your teen says those words, you know you drop everything. I came out and sat on the bed next to her. 

Rarely does anyone get through life without hardship. Whether it be loss, relationships, health or financial, these challenges can sometimes show up when you least expect it. And they can leave you reeling and overwhelmed. 

But there is a quiet strength within each of us that can help us weather these storms - it’s called resilience.

Healing Hoof is more than a counseling practice—it’s a mission. We combine the strength and empathy of a veteran- and woman-owned business with the compassion and insight gained through years of experience in trauma, crisis intervention, and equine-assisted psychotherapy.

Often referred to as the Forgotten Mourners, children can be overlooked or misunderstood when it comes to grief. It isn’t purposeful though; some people assume children are too young to be affected or that they don’t fully understand what death means. But the child’s loss is real; their pain is felt deeply; and their mourning is often in isolation. 

You know, when someone falls and skins a knee, we know what to do. We reach for the bandages. When someone’s feeling faint, we call for medical help. But what do we do when someone’s spirit is wounded… when the hurt is invisible, hope has slipped through their fingers, and their faith feels fractured?

That’s where Spiritual First Aid steps in.

For fathers like me, the lesson is clear: real strength is shown through vulnerability, in the courage to ask for support, to lean on resources, and to recognize we can’t carry everything alone.

When we ask for help, we set an example that builds resilience in our children, strengthens families, and unites communities.

As someone who climbed out of the dark and into the light I can say that any and everyone can do this. We are made to heal and live a beautiful life even if you have some bumps in the road.

Health is a badge of honor I gladly wear and will help those to put their badge on as well.

I believe healing happens in relationship—with ourselves, with others, and with the deeper layers of our story.

I hold space for clients to reconnect with what’s true, what’s tender, and what’s possible. My work is rooted in curiosity, compassion, and the belief that you are not broken—just becoming.