The Impact of Childhood Trauma: How Accelerated Resolution Therapy Can Help Re-Shape Traumatic Memories Recently, ten of Aspire Counseling Group’s clinicians were trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (or ART). As a newer therapy that uses eye movements, much like EMDR, ART combines the enormous power of eye movements with other well-established therapies like Gestalt, Psychodynamic [...]
Grief, Bereavement, Loss, and the Journey to Recovery As an inevitable part of the human experience, grief accompanies the loss of a loved one. Grief manifests differently for each individual, encompassing a range of emotions that can be overwhelming. It's best to embrace these emotions rather than suppress them, as a crucial step towards healing. [...]
By Tammy Blackard Cook, LCSW, CDWF A few years ago, my long-time Aspire business partner (and friend) and I decided we wanted to do more than work as trauma therapists, helping one person at a time. While our work as therapists is valuable, there is so much pain in the world that we would never [...]
Negative body image, referring to an unrealistic view of how someone sees their body, is becoming more common in both women and men. Those suffering from negative body image are at risk of developing depression, low self-esteem, isolation, or even an eating disorder. There is an abundance of resources available for those who may be [...]
Do you view gender variance as pathological? It is not uncommon to view gender variance as pathological. As a society, we tend to view the masses as binary, composed of two genders: male and female. In Margaret Nichols latest article titled The Great Escape, "there's no such thing as the opposite sex." Gender is no [...]
Online therapy during COVID-19 You may feel unsure about talking to a therapist via virtual telehealth. Yet the pandemic has created an environment where it is more important than ever to receive the emotional support you need. With a growing need for psychotherapy nationwide, many offices are expanding their services to include online therapy sessions [...]
As the owners and founders of Aspire Counseling Group, we believe that Black Lives Matter and that we have an imperative to help “[create] a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive.”1 We were called to social work because of a deep and abiding commitment [...]
By Tammy Blackard Cook, LCSW, CDWF Y’all, this is hard. None of us have been through anything like this before. For me, Brené Brown’s words and wisdom have always been a balm, so I was grateful to hear her new podcast “Unlocking Us.” Full disclosure: This post distills the first episode of “Unlocking Us” and [...]
By Hailey Shafir, LCMHCS, LCAS, CCS What do you think about New Year’s resolutions? People tend to be divided on this issue. Some of you may have a list of goals for 2020 already bullet-journaled and divided into color-coded categories. Others may be rolling their eyes, having long ago decided that resolutions are just promises [...]
By Hailey Shafir, LPCS, LCAS, CCS-I If someone asked you to list five words that describe you, what words come to mind? Most people, when asked this question, arrive at a cherry-picked bunch of qualities such as “creative” or “funny” or “kind.” You would probably base the list off a series of parameters like wanting [...]
