The Importance of Language

November 13th, 2019 | Posted by TJ Woodward in Addiction | Addiction & Recovery | Addiction Discussions | Addiction Education | Counselor Education | Health & Wellness | Integrative Living | Mindfulness | Uncategorized - (Comments Off on The Importance of Language)

The tendency to see what you expect to see, to project your core beliefs outward, is very powerfully manifest in what you say, in your words. So, if you’re walking around believing, “I am a mess” or “I am a loser,” or “I am unattractive,” then chances are you will also say these things, in …
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The Impact of Toxic Shame

November 1st, 2019 | Posted by TJ Woodward in Addiction | Addiction & Recovery | Counselor Education | Health & Wellness | Integrative Living | Mindfulness | Relationships | Uncategorized - (Comments Off on The Impact of Toxic Shame)

What does toxic shame do to us? Why is it such a destructive thing? First, there’s a physical consequence. Our perspective on life and the feeling tone we are holding about ourselves affect our health in many ways. Our core beliefs affect not only the way we see ourselves and the world, but also affect …
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Holistic and Integrated Recovery

September 30th, 2019 | Posted by TJ Woodward in Abuse | Addiction | Addiction & Recovery | Addiction Discussions | Addiction Education | Counselor Education | Health & Wellness | Integrative Living | Mindfulness | Spirit Recovery Blog | Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Holistic and Integrated Recovery)

A holistic and integrative recovery acknowledges and utilizes the power that resides in all four rooms of the human experience: the physical, the mental, the emotional, and the spiritual. The physical room gives us the insight that addiction is a disease, and working from that insight has offered us many powerful tools and approaches. I …
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Pain and Suffering

September 9th, 2019 | Posted by TJ Woodward in Addiction & Recovery | Addiction Discussions | Addiction Education | Counselor Education | Grief | Health & Wellness | Integrative Living | Mindfulness | Spirit Recovery Blog | Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Pain and Suffering)

Pain seems to be a part of the human experience. Naturally, most of us prefer to feel loved, safe, and connected rather than sad, lonely, or afraid. But the latter feelings seem to be a part of life. In Buddhism, the First Noble Truth states that: “Pain in life is inevitable but suffering is not. …
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Addiction is a Brilliant Strategy

August 3rd, 2019 | Posted by TJ Woodward in Abuse | Addiction | Addiction & Recovery | Addiction Discussions | Alcohol Addiction | Counselor Education | Drug Addiction | Health & Wellness | Integrative Living | Love Addiction | Mindfulness | Spirit Recovery Blog | Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Addiction is a Brilliant Strategy)

We often hear addictive behavior described in other terms—as a disease, or as a coping mechanism. Both can seem inherently negative in connotation. They suggest that that there’s something wrong that needs to be fixed. “I am an addict and that’s what’s wrong.” In the western medical model, the problem is the disease of addiction, …
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Dealing with Potentially Violent Clients

July 25th, 2016 | Posted by Rob Weiss in Abuse | Counselor Education | Policy | Therapy | Workplace Issues - (Comments Off on Dealing with Potentially Violent Clients)

Identifiable Risk Factors After multiple instances of mass violence in the past year (Dallas, Orlando, San Bernardino, Colorado Springs, and Charleston, to name but a few), the ability to identify and treat individuals who are predisposed to violent behaviors is more vital than ever. Unfortunately, even mental health professionals are not very good at predicting …
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Counseling Experience or Counseling Academics: What Is the Mark of a Good Addiction Counselor?

January 21st, 2014 | Posted by Michael Taleff in Addiction | Addiction Discussions | Addiction Education | Counselor Education - (Comments Off on Counseling Experience or Counseling Academics: What Is the Mark of a Good Addiction Counselor?)

I just started another college semester this week, and in that very first class the discussion centered on what is really important in making a first-class addiction counselor. As discussion progressed, a student came to a conclusion, “ that experience seems to be the only way to really know counseling.” That’s not quite true. I …
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