Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

As the parent who never has the color coded schedule, doesn't have a Pintrest board for what to do with my kids on rainy days, and is not the first one to sign up for that school field trip to the Renaissance Festival, I appreciated this  Huffington Post article entitled, " Parents, It's Ok If You're Barely Getting By Right Now. I love my kids and my version of loving them my way is gonna look different from how my friend does it. Have grace with yourselves, parents. We are going through some insane stuff right now.  We get scared and stressed, too. If you are showing up for your kids and loving on them the best you can, you are killing it as a parent. It is OK if you are barely getting by right now, seriously. No shame. We are all in this together. "In this time of the coronavirus, keep your kids safe, make them feel loved and feed them. That’s all." For more parenting tips, please check out our Wilson Counseling Facebook page ....

Don't let drive time, physical or medical conditions, concerns about privacy, anxiety about coming into the office, or anything else keep you from reaching your goals, making changes in your life,  and starting to feel better. Wilson Counseling offers telemental health services, including counseling over the phone and by secure video. These services make counseling convenient for people who may have trouble getting to our office. Distance counseling is offered for legal residents of Texas, not just those in the Houston area.  All video sessions are conducted on a secure HIPPA compliant website. Video-based counseling outcomes have been shown to be as good as face-to-face counseling sessions, and some clients find they are more comfortable opening up in this setting.  Watch this video to see if video counseling is right for you.  Benefits of Online Counseling Increased confidential and anonymity You have online counseling sessions f...

If you are tuned into the news, you are hearing about the coronavirus, repeatedly. And you may be starting to feel anxious about possible outbreaks. Your fear is understandable, but it may not be helpful. As with everything, you actually have a lot of control over how you feel. You just need the right tools to keep your anxiety in check. So before you go into pandemic panic, there are a few things that will help.  1. Get accurate information First, get accurate information about the virus. Not everything you read is accurate. The  CDC  is always a reliable source for information. You can read about common myths and facts about the virus on their website. A friend of mine shared  this  post and I found it really put things in perspective for me.  2. Turn off the news & social media Second, spend less time watching the news and reading social media posts about the virus. The more time you spend pondering the virus, the more panick...

If you are in a long term partnership or marriage, you already know how easy it can be to take each other for granted. We lead busy lives, and sometimes it feels hard enough getting everything done, let alone making time for our partners.   It can be simple things, like are you looking at your partner in the eyes, giving them a kiss or hug when you leave for the day? Or when your partner is talking with you, are you really listening and responding? I had a client share a story with me recently about an incident with his wife when he was talking to her and she was on her phone. His feelings were really hurt by it, so he just stopped talking and walked away. In the moment that her husband first started talking, his wife made a choice. She could have walked away or ignored him. She could have reacted in an irritated way. Or she could have stopped what she was doing for a few minutes to engage with her husband. John Gottman, one of the premier experts on relationships calls ...

Guest post from therapist Sarah Bradshaw. I had a parent call me monthly about her student.     She would call anytime he was close to failing and  would ask how can we prevent him from failing.     She also told me that she emails his teacher almost weekly, and couldn’t understand why she hadn’t heard anything back.     I listened empathetically to her talk then asked, "What is the harm in failing?"     I think that was the first time she didn’t have anything to say because she never thought about failing as an option.   It's painful to see your kids struggle. Rescuing your kids is a completely normal impulse, but there are times when it might be unhelpful to your kids.  Failure can teach your kid resilence Grades are an important part of school.  How else do teachers measure a student’s progress? But,  grades are not the only point of going of going to school. School is a good time for your child ...

Research shows that your success in therapy is dependent on the quality of the relationships between the therapist and client. In other words, it is more important that you have a good relationship with your therapist than it is to find a therapist who practices a certain kind of therapy, has a particular training or certain credentials.  You have already made a big step in choosing to go to therapy. It can be tough to schedule that appointment and share your life story with a stranger, but it will be worth it if you find a therapist who is a good fit for you. I have shared some tips in this video that will help you know how to pick a therapist, research them and interview them to determine if you want to work together. Hope this is helpful. If you are ready to get help, and you think Wilson Counseling can help, please contact on of our Houston, Texas Counselors via email at Nancy @ wilsoncounseling. org or via phone at 713- 591- 3612 to ask any questions you have ...

I need to connect with people and disconnect from my screens. I want to keep this post simple. Life is complicated enough without a complicated post about how you can change your life. I can let work and life distract me from really being present and fully enjoying the people and experiences in my life. I know I am not alone. I find times with friends often interrupted or diminished by regular phone checking. For myself, I'm working on being more mindful and less distracted, which usually means having clear boundaries with the things that distract me, like my phone and computer. I find myself regularly trying to multitask. This desire to multitask comes from the nagging feeling that I can never get everything done. The reality, however, is that multitasking actually makes me less efficient, less present, more anxious, and less capable of enjoying my life and loved ones. This New Years, I am going to focus on changing something that no longer serves me well--being...