support, therapy, mental health, counseling
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Beyond World Cancer Day: Where Personal ...

Beyond World Cancer Day: Where Personal Connection Meets Professional Passion

Written by: Becky Morales, LCSW-S, Licensed Therapist

World Cancer Day is held every year on February 4th. This international day is focused on raising awareness and education, in addition to calling on individuals and governments worldwide to promote health equity. By the time you’re reading this, it’ll be well after February 4th - and yet, I’m honored to have the opportunity to share a little bit about the impact of cancer on my life and why I choose to focus on supporting others impacted by cancer in my work.

Beyond World Cancer Day: Where Personal Connection Meets Professional Passion
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Thriving in Diversity: The Power of ...

THRIVING IN DIVERSITY: THE POWER OF MINORITY-MAJORITY ORGANIZATIONS IN MENTAL HEALTH

Written by Kayla Childs, Marketing & Digital Communications Manager at Colors of Austin Counseling

In an industry, culture (and nation) that is primarily ran by the majority, Colors of Austin Counseling stands as a testament to the power of the minority and how organizations like us can have a lasting impact in the mental health landscape. Here’s what it’s like working in a minority-majority organization…

Thriving in Diversity: The Power of Minority-Majority Organizations in Mental Health
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Executive (Dys)function: Demystifying ...

EXECUTIVE (DYS)FUNCTION: DEMYSTIFYING DECISION-MAKING AND FOCUS CHALLENGES

Written by Kim Jenkins, LMSW, Licensed Therapist

Sometimes it’s really hard to do things!

With the winter holiday season upon us as I write this, it feels to me like we’re at a perfect moment to think about executive (dys)function. This particular stretch of weeks can be extremely demanding and overstimulating, not to mention charged with complex emotions, memories, and relationship dynamics. Facing down tasks like visiting with family members you don’t often see, navigating various social expectations, buying groceries during the busiest retail season of all, and generally tying up the loose ends of the year can be utterly exhausting. For these reasons and more, maybe it’s become fairly socially acceptable to voice feelings of overwhelm and burnout during this time of year.

Executive (Dys)function: Demystifying Decision-Making and Focus Challenges
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The Healing Power of Nature: An Introduction to ...

THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE: AN INTRODUCTION TO NATURE-BASED THERAPY

Written by Alyssa Ray, LMSW, LCSW-Associate, Licensed Therapist

The holidays are quickly approaching which can be a stressful time for many of us. It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season and forget to give ourselves the self-care we need. When we are in busy seasons it can be difficult to prioritize self-care or feel like we don’t have the resources available to us to practice our usual self-care but there is one thing we always have access to: nature.

Nature-based therapy is a holistic approach that incorporates components of the natural environment to provide relief for mental and physical health issues. It incorporates talk therapy and elements of nature to help individuals work through their feelings. It is versatile and can be used in many different settings; virtually or in person, individually or with groups, inside or outside. It can involve activities such as hiking, gardening, sitting outside, or using nature-based metaphors to provide emotional relief.

The Healing Power of Nature: An Introduction to Nature-Based Therapy
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Rewriting the Narrative: Lessons for My Younger ...

REWRITING THE NARRATIVE: LESSONS FOR MY YOUNGER SELF ON EATING DISORDERS

Written by Marissa Lecaros, LMFT-Associate, Licensed Therapist

As we approach the Holiday season, it is important to be mindful of language used towards food and body as there could be someone you love struggling with disordered eating or body image issues. Holidays can bring up this eating disorder “part” or “voice” in some individuals that will be hyper aware of comments made, and then yell at this individual to resort back to disordered eating behaviors to protect them from sadness, judgment, shame, fear, etc.

As a Latinx woman, I can understand how culture plays a role in language used and how at times it might not be intentional to make shameful comments towards someone, and yet I challenge you to consider breaking the norm for yourself or for someone else who may be struggling. When I was young my body was often commented on, and I remember being told right before college by many “don’t get the freshman 15”. Although I am aware of my body privilege, those comments led to me believing I had to keep up and continue being as thin as I could be to receive love and be worthy of affection and care… Which then led to restrictive eating, compulsive exercise, labeling foods as “good” and “bad”, yo-yo dieting, etc. People did not have to straight up tell me “when you are smaller I like you more”, it is just what my brain and society created me to believe. Eating Disorders & Body Image issues can show up for any one - there is no weight or body requirement, no specific race or ethnicity, no specific gender… It can happen to any human being. Which is why it is so important to be mindful of the actual behaviors and not body size or weight.

Rewriting the Narrative: Lessons for My Younger Self on Eating Disorders

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Honoring Life and Healing Through Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Approach to Grief and Spiritual Connection

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Honoring Life and Healing Through Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Approach to Grief and Spiritual Connection

As we approach Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), we are reminded of the power of tradition, culture, and spirituality in processing grief and loss. This beautiful holiday, celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, offers a space to honor the lives of loved ones who have passed on while inviting reflection and connection with the spiritual world. For many, this celebration provides not only a time of remembrance but also an opportunity for healing, deeply intertwined with mental health, spirituality, and cultural identity.

Giving & Receiving Communication

Giving & Receiving Communication

Written By Marissa Lecaros, LMFT-Associate


As I reflect on the work I do with couples, I noticed how many times miscommunication happens or how often defensiveness comes up due to core beliefs. It got me thinking of how many couples want to connect yet at times miss the mark when communicating due to their own internal experience. In Gottman therapy that would be seen as a failed “bid” for connection. So, I thought I would share some information about the communication tool I often tell my clients about - Nonviolent Communication. 

Due to life experiences and trauma, sometimes we do not convey the message we want to get across, OR sometimes our partner may interpret it completely differently than intended. That is the duality of things - we can be having a completely different experience than our partner when we are communicating… and that's okay!

Nonviolent communication has 4 parts: Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests

The idea is to clearly express how you are without blaming or criticizing, and as well empathetically receiving how you are without hearing blame or criticism. Let me explain a bit more about those 4 parts.

Observations: Sometimes we react to things and are not fully aware of what just happened; maybe it was a build up, maybe we got annoyed, maybe we felt shamed, etc. Observations can be something we notice or hear, and it can give some context into the process of our reality/experience which can then create a shared reality with our partner. When we can be aware and describe what we observe, it can take us away from right/wrong thinking and pull us into accountability, empathy, and connection. It can sound like “When I hear the TV being loud during my meeting…” Let’s talk about the next step.

Feelings: Oftentimes I hear couples say “I feel like you … (fill in the blank)”. When we say “I feel like”, most of the time we are not actually saying a feeling word and we are most likely saying a belief we have. This can create confusion for the partner that is trying to understand, and in severe cases it can cause a lack of empathy due to not being able to connect to the feeling. With feelings, we want to describe our inner experience rather than describe our interpretation of our partner’s actions. For example: “I feel lonely” describes an inner experience, while “I feel like you don’t care about me” describes an interpretation of how the other person may be feeling and may be coming from a core belief we have. We want to focus on our inner experience so our partner can understand our reality. Even if the core belief is said, that can be a moment to then say “When I say that out loud, I realize that I am actually feeling lonely and sad”. If it is hard to choose a feeling word, feel free to look at a feelings wheel!

If we were to continue the path from above it can then sound like “When I hear the TV being loud during my meeting I feel sad and frustrated because…” Next step!

Needs: Nonviolent communication is aimed to help us attempt to communicate in a non shaming/blaming way, and rather than pointing fingers it helps us be curious of how we were feeling in the moment we noticed something happen. For example, let's say your partner forgot to take out the trash after you asked them to and then you all missed trash pick up. You might be feeling frustrated and annoyed and want to say “I told you to take the trash out!” then your partner might react by saying “I was in the middle of doing something why didn't you remind me” Could you guess where this could potentially go? Let’s skip that and say we used nonviolent communication - “I noticed that when the trash did not get picked up, I felt disappointed and not heard.. I need to believe that you respect and hear me.” When we use I statements and lead with how we were feeling in the moment, we can at times receive more empathy as it is not blaming the other person for your own individual feelings. Let’s add to our previous conversation from the other steps: “When I hear the TV being loud during my meeting I feel sad and frustrated because I need to be able to focus as this meeting is important to me and I need to get a sense that I am being respected…” Next and last step!

Requests: This part I find individuals and couples struggle with the most, and it is mostly because some may see this as a demand rather than a request. To make a request, we want to ensure that we are being clear and specific, respectful, empathetic, and open to however the other person receives it. Nonviolent communication sees it as a “positive request” which just means that you are requesting what you want vs what you do not want. For example a positive request could sound like “I would like for us to spend more alone time together by going on a date once a month”. The opposite of this (requesting what you don’t want) would be “I don’t want us to attend so many social events”. I also like to highlight for clients that it is ok if you do not know what you want or need when making a request! Just by doing the first few parts you and your partner can get closer to what the request could be and work as a team. Now, let’s complete our nonviolent communication from the previous steps: “When I hear the TV being loud during my meeting I feel sad and frustrated because I need to be able to focus as this meeting is important to me and I need to get a sense that I am being respected. For the next hour, could the volume please be turned down?”. 

I know this might sound difficult to do because we are not necessarily taught to communicate in this way. It just takes practice. If it seems difficult, I typically recommend starting out with just the first 2 parts - Observations and Feelings. You can even preface it by telling your partner you are going to attempt to practice nonviolent communication. Once you feel comfortable, then you can add the Needs and Requests. If you are the one receiving communication, and you do not fully understand, no worries! Use curiosity to reflect back what you heard and ask empathetic questions. The purpose of this is to slow the process down, and get you more curious about your own internal experience and more curious about your partner's internal experiences. Miscommunication happens and that is ok, one of the biggest reasons we communicate is to feel/be connected - be present with each other and notice those bids for connection!

Book Resources: 

Marissa is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist - Associate in the state of Texas supervised by Kim Fry, LMFT-S. Her clinical counseling degree is from St. Edward’s University with a concentration in Couples and Family Counseling.