Today, October 10, is World Mental Health Day. A day recognized by the World Health Organization as a day to raise awareness for mental health issues and give a spotlight to mental health care organizations and workers to discuss what needs to be done to provide accessible mental health care worldwide. On this day, IContinue reading “World Mental Health Day”
Author Archives: Meredith Powell
Back to School Blues?
We’ve made it to the end of September, and at this point, most children have returned to school. The start of the academic year can be an exciting time for kids– back to school shopping, meeting the teachers, finding out which friends are in their classes. But it can also be a challenging time forContinue reading “Back to School Blues?”
Social Media and Mental Health
One of the best decisions I’ve made recently was to deactivate my personal Instagram account. I kept my professional counseling account, but even there, I chose to follow very few people and haven’t been very active lately. Why did I decide to go off Instagram, and why has it been so good for me? TheContinue reading “Social Media and Mental Health”
Emotions: the Check Engine Light of the Heart
According to Chip Dodd’s book The Voice of the Heart, people experience eight core emotions: hurt, sadness, loneliness, fear, anger, shame, guilt, and gladness. Each of these emotions represent an essential part of being human. We experience all of these feelings as we move throughout our daily lives. Our emotions are like the check engineContinue reading “Emotions: the Check Engine Light of the Heart”
Busy isn’t Better
I’m sure most of us know someone who always talks about how busy they are. Some people even wear their busyness like a badge of honor. What is it about modern life that makes us feel the need to stay busy, flaunt how busy we are, and feel ashamed if we stop to take aContinue reading “Busy isn’t Better”
The Child in Transition
Moving, changing schools, divorce, loss of a loved one or a pet, break-ups. Throughout our lives we experience a wide array of major life changes, which are often referred to as “transitions.” (Although the term “transition” may apply to a few different scenarios, I’ll be using it to describe a big change in a person’sContinue reading “The Child in Transition”
The Cross-Cultural Child (AKA The Third Culture Kid)
We live in quite an international and cross-cultural world—more and more families are leaving their home countries and moving internationally. Whether you’ve moved for work, a change of pace in your lifestyle, or to expose your children to different cultures, living internationally has some amazing benefits and some incredible challenges.
The Anxious Child
Can you picture it? It’s time to leave for school, you’re trying to get your child dressed and out the door, but you can’t get them up and moving. Maybe they’re crying or having a “meltdown,” refusing to move from the kitchen table or speak, or getting angry and yelling at you and their siblings.Continue reading “The Anxious Child”
Mental Health in a Global Pandemic
It seems like just yesterday that we were in the beginning stages of the pandemic: lockdowns, Zoom happy hours, binge-watching, and baking bread. What we thought would be two weeks of lockdown have turned into two years of having our lives turned upside down, constant uncertainty, and for most of us, anxiety. Whether or notContinue reading “Mental Health in a Global Pandemic”
Meredith Powell Counseling 