The best time to do good crisis work is when you (or your client, child, partner, friend, etc) aren’t currently in crisis. Take some time out during the good times to intentionally plan, identify support networks, brainstorm self-care, and build skills so that when crisis comes, you don’t have to figure it out from…
In the simplest terms: burnout occurs when the stress we experience exceeds our capacity to cope with that stress. While some individuals may be able to thrive – at least in the short term – under high stress, eventually chronic stress without relief begins to take a toll on even the most resilient individuals. Everyone…
It’s not uncommon for adult siblings to hold very different opinions from one another about the personality of the parents they shared when they were growing up. Even though a couple might have multiple children together, each of those children are unique, and each parent’s relationship with each of those children is unique. The…
Recently, my illustrations have been exploring Chronic Stress and Burnout. One way of understanding this slow process of burning out is through the concept of allostatic load. Allostatic load refers to a body’s ability to maintain homeostasis in the face of stressors. While bodies are exceptionally good at maintaining basic stability – that is: a…
Can we take a moment to collectively acknowledge how hard this is right now? With everything going on, we need people more than ever, but for many of us, connecting has never been harder. Though it is hard, it is not impossible. The illustration I created suggests six ways you can grow and build relationships,…
Shortly after completing my Mindful Grounding Activity Card deck, I had an idea for an emotion card deck, each card containing an evocative abstract image, for use as a tool in helping visual-thinkers and less-verbal kids and adults identify and communicate emotions. Although I’ve dabbled in abstract alcohol ink art, I knew this project…
Healthy groups allow every member to express their individuality without that difference being seen by other group members as a threat. That’s differentiation. In a psychological context, the word “differentiation” refers to how we can set boundaries between who we are and the groups, relationships, workplaces, ideologies, religions, and even self-identifiers that shape our…
Last month, my patrons helped me collaborate on creating this new resource: a pizza-themed feelings wheel for kids. Via the Patreon community, Patrons got early access to this resource as it was developed, and their input shaped this final draft, which is now available for everyone to download below. I love how this ooey-gooey…
This simple illustration is meant to be a visual representation of something that can be kind of hard to understand about therapy: it’s okay to not see eye to eye with your therapist. A lot of us began therapy as clients with the expectation that the therapist will be the expert, that they’ll…
If you aren’t naming and breaking the cycles that have entangled you, you are participating in them. This is true in most systems we are part of, but is especially true for families. Researchers call it “intergenerational trauma” and have demonstrated that the trauma of a parent is literally, genetically, passed to offspring. This Simple-Wikipedia…
Even as someone who has studied trauma therapy for years, I often find it difficult to describe just how trauma therapy works and what someone can expect from “good therapy.” Download this resource for personal reference or professional use below. Download includes vertical and horizontal orientations, with printing options with either a yellow…
It’s not always this simple, but *sometimes* it is: shifts in how we respond to intrusive thoughts from PTSD or anxiety can shape our internal response and the strength of future intrusive thoughts. Sometimes just shifting from “OMG NO! The intrusive thought is here! 😱 Run away! 🏃♀️🏃🏻” to “Oh, hello. 👋You are back, huh?…
None of us really know what it looks like to survive and thrive beyond a global pandemic. Thankfully, past government funding for research about disaster response has produced some resources we can adapt, so we don’t have to start at square one in figuring out how to care for ourselves, support others, and care for…
Instead of questioning (“how could you?”) or punishing (“how dare you!”) look for the entry point for empathy (“oh, of course you…”) When someone – especially kids but inclusive of us Adults- has a HUGE reaction to a minor thing- the reaction probably is not actually about the thing. More often, it’s fear, trauma, or…
In the past, most of my artwork was translating research studies and book chapters into visual sketchnotes. Even though I’ve mostly moved away from that in my art, when I see the results of a particularly important study published, I like lending my illustration to it. By highlighting a few key points and reposting on…
When our sense of self depends on being “right,” challenging information from opposing viewpoints is often seen as a threat. Instead of being able to listen and respond thoughtfully, we automatically react. I think these reactions can be categorized into the same categories used when neurobiologists talk about how humans respond to more visceral threats…
Group Therapy Sketchnotes In graduate school, I had the privilege of learning under instructors who were mostly very receptive to the idea that not all students take in, process, and organize newly learned information in the same way. Group therapy was one of several courses during my time at The Seattle School of Theology…
