While at the 2016 Colorado Mental Health Professionals Conference, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Irvin Yalom speak about his career, psychotherapy, and existentialism. One key point that I picked up on, out of many, is that clients in therapy often do not approach, consider, or talk about, death and mortality. Read more…
We find different things important at different times in our lives. When I was young, what was important to me was excitement, adventure, and really wild things. Especially when I first joined the Army. I didn’t follow that age-old military wisdom: “don’t volunteer.” I was raising my hand for just about Read more…
As a professional counselor and military veteran, one of the most rewarding aspects of the work that I do is helping other veterans come to a point of awareness and understanding about their experiences in the military, and setting the stage for change if that’s what the veteran is willing Read more…
This post was originally posted as part of the American Counseling Association Blog Project. Original post can be located HERE Consider what it was like when you first realized that you were part of something bigger than yourself. Maybe it was a team in school, or arriving for your first day Read more…
This post was originally posted as part of the American Counseling Association Blog Project. Original post can be located HERE In a continued effort to expand the topic of veteran mental health beyond PTSD and TBI, I thought that I’d give a deeper look into the mindset of the former military Read more…
This is the fourth post in a series of articles describing how a group of veterans in Colorado Springs are attempting to make a difference for other veterans in their community. You can read the FIRST POST HERE, the SECOND POST HERE, and the THIRD POST HERE. Ma Deuce. Ol’ Read more…
A significant challenge that veterans face during transition is they find that there is a wide open space in front of them. We can either choose how we fill that space, or it will be filled for us. The options are seemingly endless, but there are limits. Limits to our Read more…
“Hey, the Commander wants to see you.” “@#%$, what now?” “I don’t know, but he looked pissed.” Sound familiar? Replace “Commander” with any authority figure at any level, whether it be “Gunny” or “Smoke” or “Chief”, and you’ll get the same effect. In our time in the military, we learn Read more…
Take a knee, drink water. How many times have you heard that during your military service? On a range, during a march? Hydration is key. If you’re like me, slightly old-school, you remember the old Lister Bag, which was replaced by the ubiquitous Water Buffalo, and augmented by the Water Tanker and Read more…
Have you ever been through rollover training while you were in the military, or worse, actually experienced a rollover? A total loss of control, the vehicle that you’re in reaches a tipping point and over it goes. That can happen in life, too, especially when we’re navigating the treacherous and Read more…