If you aren’t naming and breaking the cycles that have entangled you, you are participating in them. It’s true in most systems we are part of, but especially in families. Researchers call it inter-generational trauma and have shown that the trauma of a parent is literally passed genetically to offspring (this Simple Wikipedia article on…
The voice of burnout is not YOUR voice. Burnout will say you aren’t cut out for it, that you don’t enjoy it, that you aren’t good at it. Don’t make career decisions while you are burned out. Switch employers, cut down hours, get a side gig selling slotted spoons on eBay, do what you gotta…
Some humans I know made a pretty cool podcast, and I made a doodle of episode #5! If you are interested in psychology and exploring what it means to be human- and enjoy both with a lot of giggling and a smidge of profanity, check out Personhood on Apple Podcasts or @thisispersonhood I’m three and…
Taking care of a body can be really confusing. As more and more data and tech are available to us, it’s so tempting to consume and compare- but trusting trackers, food logs, and external body ideals can actually erode trust in our own body and in the signals it gives us. When we wait to…
For about a year, I’ve been trying to take my art digital, and learn to create digital illustrations via a drawing app on a tablet. Initially, I purchased and learned on a Surface Pro 4 using an app called Sketchable. Through my trial and error learning, I even created a post of tips and tricks for drawing…
Research shows that 15-20% of teens self harm. Brain scans of teens who cut or self-harm are likely to show early structural changes in the brain that are correlated to mental health disorders in adults. Thankfully teenage brains are resilient, and with early intervention, attention, and care many can recover completely. Historically, Self harm…
When it comes to studying, most of us probably think we’ve got it down, but modern research is challenging some of the longest-held beliefs about studying. In some cases, these researchers report, counterintuitive study methods work better than traditional study methods. In this sketchnote review, I’ll doodle a few of the top study methods. A…
I’ve noticed a recent trend in culture towards the co-opting of mindfulness for the for-profit beast of the “wellness” industry. Social media and advertising increasingly paint the picture of mental wellness (particularly for women) as an idealized version of ourselves that stays neutral, calm, and unrattled by the loud emotional experiences around us (with, of…
Healthy adults are independent AND dependent. Most of us have anxiety as we shift between what we fear is dependency on one side and isolation on the other. Health isn’t overcoming the temptation towards either, but instead it’s learning to thrive in the tension between them. This week I have had several conversations around loneliness…
When I took the class on family therapy in grad school, I fell in love with the visual language of genograms. Since making this genogram chart at the start of that course, it has been one of my most shared sketch notes across multiple platforms. Scroll to the bottom of this post to purchase a…
This is a continuously updated post about art therapy* prompts and activities for groups. To my knowledge, these are new ideas not otherwise published or included in manuals. These are appropriate for art groups in all sorts of contexts- from therapeutic groups to artists’ meetups and “paint and sip” style get-togethers. Adapt the prompt and your…
Memorization can be frustrating but is sometimes necessary. As much as I want my education to be a process of digesting and integrating new learning, sometimes it’s essential to simply memorize a list of facts, dates, or names. In this post, I’ll be showing you how I use multiple memorization techniques based on intersecting…
I began bullet journalling while in school for my masters in Counseling Psychology. In one of the bullet journaling forums I followed, a visitor posted about possible ways to track triggers and got zero responses- so I set out to take what I’d learned in grad school about trauma, mindfulness, and the value of self-advocacy…
I’m a non-traditional student. In grad school for a master’s degree after a few years in business, I was surprised to find that when I returned to school I had to learn how to write a paper all over again! Staring at a blank screen with a 10 or 12 page requirement looming left me,…
In this post, rather than sharing a layout or a technique tutorial, I wanted to share one project where mind maps, doodling, and visual thinking combined with art to create a visual representation of… me! My first assignment in graduate school was the casual prompt to: “Tell ‘Who I Am’ using one side of a…
Often as I rush through a day I am tuned out to much of the world around me, and my overloaded senses begin to numb as I rush from project to project. This year, I’ve been trying to live more aware of my senses- noticing and naming the sensory experiences that bring a sense of…
[Februrary 2017 Update: I now have a minimalist version of this bullet journal layout available] Recently someone in a BuJo (Bullet Journal) group I follow asked if there was a bujo layout to track mental health triggers. When her query had no response, I decided to draw on my own experience long-format journaling about…
