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Well, it’s 2023 and things in the world have changed since Elevated Mind and Movement first opened.

• Covid moved everything to telehealth for awhile, and once I moved into a new office I started offering in person appointments again.  Due to lack of interest in those appointments, I have given up that office and all sessions will be telehealth from here on out.
• Insurance options have changed.  Previously, we could see if I was an “in network provider” based on who your insurance was provided by.  Now, many insurance plans have carve outs and plans with different restrictions.  It is now up to you to verify if I am in network for your specific plan, not just your insurance carrier.  If I am out of network for your plan, we can still do private pay and I can provide you with a superbill.
• If you follow me on social media, you may notice that I am also a burn out recovery coach.  If I am your therapist, I cannot also be your coach.  However, if you are experiencing burn out, we can integrate that into your mental health care.

Thank you so much for choosing me to help you with your therapeutic journey.

Hi Everyone,

I know this year has been a challenge and we are slowing returning to a new sense of normal.  As part of this process, in person sessions will be available starting in August.  Telehealth will still be available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays following the normal schedule we currently have.  In person sessions will be available on Tuesdays from 9am to 4pm at the new Thrive location in Oregon City.  Scheduling through the portal is set up now for appointments for both Telehealth and In Person.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about scheduling!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

I have seen alot of posts this month aimed at educating about mental health and reducing stigma.  I love that!  Annnnnnd…..I want to address a different type of stigma that comes up in mental health counseling.

The idea that the client needs to protect the counselor.

I have this nifty sweatshirt.  It’s very cozy.  I wear it as a conversation piece.  I know people have a visceral reaction to it.  It seems like a pretty callous thing for a therapist to be wearing, right?

Stick with me here!

It’s my reminder to everyone that time spent with me is different than meeting up with your friends for coffee, or calling your family for a chat.  There might be things you can’t tell your best friend because they will react in a dramatic way.  You might avoid certain conversations with your parents or siblings because they might judge or invalidate you.

But that is not me, or my role.

Imagine for a moment, you go to get a haircut.  You think about how much time the stylist spends on their feet cutting hair all day.  You think about how other people might have more difficult or easier hair to style than yours.  You start to feel guilty that you are there.  At the end of your appointment, you hand over your money to the stylist and walk out without ever having anything done to your hair.  My guess is that you would be dissatisfied with how that appointment went and feel lousy about your hair still.  So, why do you go to a stylist?  You go there because they have expertise in cutting hair.  They want to know what style you want and they need to know the texture of your hair.

I have expertise in counseling.  I want to know how you want to style your life and goals.  I need to know the texture of your emotions and experiences.  Yet, so often I hear clients tell me that they dropped out of counseling in the past because they were too focused on getting the therapist to like them, or they didn’t want to “burden” the therapist.  I call my own clients out when they say things like “I’m afraid you will judge me or be upset if the coping skills we worked on last session didn’t work for me”.  Trust me, I know all coping skills don’t work for everyone!  I didn’t write them.  I have no personal attachment to them.  I collect coping skills like other people collect rocks or trading cards.  I NEED to know if it didn’t work, so we can try something different.  You can come to session and tell me the same thing week after week after week after week….and that is FINE!  If it is what you need, then lay it on me!  You are paying me for that time!!! 

I like to be friendly (I’m not a terrible person), but I am not the same as your friend.  I may know your family history (it’s part of the intake form), but I am not your family.  If you have a tough day, I am not going to judge you.  If you feel angry toward your parents, I am not going to try and talk you out of what you are feeling or tell you that you are wrong.  I might help you find reframes, if you want them…but that is not the same as not believing your experience.

I knew what I was getting into when I chose this line of work.  You are not a burden!  You are not too “messed up” for me to work with you.  You are not wasting my time just because you want to work on self discovery and don’t have an extensive trauma history.  We all have mental health needs, just like we all have physical health needs.  For some it is symptom management, for others it is preventative care.  We all have needs!  You don’t worry that your doctor is going to be disappointed if you need a tetnus shot.  You make the appointment, get your shot and pay your co-pay…and everyone goes about the rest of their day.  Guess what?  I am a health care provider.  I get paid to do this.  Stop feeling guilty about making an appointment with me!!

Hi Everyone!

It’s been awhile since I have updated the blog.  Whoops!  We are going to blame the inconsistancy of time during COVID for that.

Anyway, I wanted to give you all an update on how things are shaping up for the future of Elevated Mind and Movement.

It doesn’t feel like the world is quite ready to return to normal yet.  Even though people are getting vaccinated and there is some hope on the horizon, we are still in the “Fourth Wave” of increasing reported cases and it looks like many counties are re-entering the “extreme risk” catagory.  So, at this point, I am not ready to throw open the doors and return to in person sessions yet.  When that time comes, there will be a few changes from the past.

1. The physical office is moving!!!  I will now be located in Thrive Yoga and Wellness in Oregon City.  I’m really excited about this because it will be easier to access other wellness services when you come to counseling sessions with me.  Check out the offerings available at Thrive through their website here http://www.thriveyogaoc.com/
2.  Another change will be the available times for in person sessions.  Many people have expressed a desire to continue telehealth for as long as possible, so in person sessions will be limited to certain days and times.  More information will be coming as we get closer to the return to in person sessions….so stay tuned!

Hopefully everyone is staying healthy and safe!  Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Reminders for the New Year

1. Please let me know if your insurance has changed. Any charges that incur due to unreported insurance changes will be your responsibility.

2. Be aware that your deductible has likely renewed and you will be responsible for session fees until the deductible is met.

3. If you need to cancel or change an appointment time, you can do that through the portal if it is over 24 hours in advance. To schedule or cancel within a 24 hour period, you will need to call, email or text me directly.

4. Appointments that are cancelled within 24 hours may be subject to a late cancel fee.

5. If you do not show for an appointment or cancel before the appointment time, you will be charged a “no show” fee.

6. Please resolve any fees from 2020. Check the portal if you are unsure of your balance.  Please let me know if you would like to set up a payment plan.

It’s yoga…and you don’t even have to get up!

I mean, it’s great if you do, but there are just some days where its not in the schedule.  Not to worry!  You can still do your yoga practice.  Today’s Yoga For Mental Health video shows some options for how to get your stretch on when you are tied to your desk.

Stay to the end to get some handy info about how your psoas muscle is linked to your stress response.

Have you heard of Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is a meditative practice that supports healing and renewal through increasing awareness of our body and state of conciousness.  In short, Yoga Nidra helps us to tap into our connection with our self so that we respond to things instead of just reacting.  A reaction is an impulse, but a response is a choice.

Yoga Nidra also helps us close the gap between the rest we need and what we actually get.  By bringing our brainwaves into a more relaxed state, we can mimic the effects of restful sleep on the body.

Not sure you can meditate?  That’s okay.  You can’t do Yoga Nidra wrong.  Just lay back and listen to the sound of my voice.  See for yourself the effects.

If you need more convincing, it is said that this is the type of meditation that Batman did in order to train without needing to sleep.

Have you ever noticed how our emotions get stuck in our body?  After a stressful day, our shoulders get tight.  When I’m feeling sad or mad, my lower back starts to hurt and my chest tightens.  We store our pent up emotions in our body.  It’s the “issues in our tissues”.

Welcome to Yin Yoga!

Yin yoga may look like it’s all about stretching our muscles…but it is actually working on our tendons, ligaments and joints.  Those areas don’t get much love or attention and that makes them the perfect hiding spot for emotions we don’t want to deal with.  During a Yin practice, we compress these tissues and then release them to get the synovial fluid to rinse out whatever is lingering in there.

To get us started, here is a yin practice that you can do at home using just a wall.  Give it a try and see how you feel after!

Let’s jump into a little yogic philosophy.  Don’t run away!  Follow me here!

If someone was to ask you, “what is yoga?” how would you likely respond?

Is it: exercize?  stretching?  chanting?  slow motion karate?

Long long ago, in a land far far away was this guy, Patanjali.  Patanjali studied yoga wisdom and read lots of books.  He listened to lots of teachers.  Then he compiled all the most important information in a condensed book called the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.  This is the text that all yoga teachers learn from during their teacher trainings.

You know what Patanjali says yoga is?????

Yoga Sutra 1.2: Yogash citta vrtti nirodha

Yeah, that’s the sanskrit version…let me get you the english translation…

Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.

Let’s take another look at that one.

Yoga is stopping the chaos of the MIND!!! THE MIND!!!!

Patanjali doesn’t say anything about the body or physical activity in this statement.  In fact, in the whole book he only briefly mentions a couple of seated postures.

Why is yoga a great skill for managing our mental health?  Because it was designed to calm the mind!  Check out the video below for more information.

Today we have the first video in the Yoga for Mental Health series!!!  To start us off, I picked a restorative practice.

Restorative yoga is a form of yoga where we allow our body to drop into a resting form of a yoga posture.  We hold each pose for an extended period of time to allow gravity to move us deeper into the posture.  This also tells our nervous system that nothing is going on, and we are not in danger.  During most of the day, our nervous system is assessing for threats and trying to decide how to react so we survive.  This is our sympathetic nervous system and when it detects a threat, it sends us into fight, flight or freeze.  This speeds up our heart rate, tenses our muscles, inhibits digestion of our food and our breathing becomes shallow.

In order to balance this, we also have a parasympathetic nervous system that is also known as our “rest and digest” system.  This is where our heart rate slows down, our body relaxes and we feel calm and peaceful.  Our bodies used to be so much better at shifting between these two states, but our current culture often keeps us in a stressed stated.  We need to teach our nervous system how to find that calm spot again.

Here’s where restorative yoga shines!  Restorative practices are great for increasing comfort in the body, decreasing symptoms of stress and anxiety and can be amazing for retraining the nervous system to stay present and calm for people who have experienced dissociation from trauma.  Restorative yoga is safe for all levels and this practice does not require any fancy props.  You can use items you find around the house, or nothing at all.  Feel free to adjust the practice to suit your body so you feel comfortable.  If your mind wanders to places that don’t feel good, return your focus to your breath or on a mantra.

* The sound in the video cuts out right after the introduction because I rolled onto the reciever for the mic.  Turn the volume up when I move into the first pose.