Blog - Freedom Within Center | Counseling

Gardening and Gratitude

I recently treated myself to a beautiful potted ficus ginseng plant, and its curvy roots and dark green leaves spark joy for me when I see it. My hope is that it will thrive and grow, and still be with me year after year like my resilient rubber tree. But it could go...

Navigating Complex Trauma with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)

For many in the AAPI community, the term “complex trauma” is unfamiliar. We go through life thinking our experiences and stressors are normal, suppressing valuable thoughts and emotions- living in survival mode. Our unique experiences follow us from history into...

Even Therapists Experience Difficulties in Communication

Over Lunar New Year, I gathered with my family and extended relatives. Seeing aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends at my aunt’s house- some people I had not seen since the beginning of the pandemic. We were enjoying each other’s company, catching up over...

Healthy Coping Mechanisms vs Unhealthy

It’s the new year, it’s 2022 and yet it still feels like we're in March of 2020. Covid-19 feels like a never-ending Groundhog’s day and it’s starting to take an emotional toll on us all again. It can feel like there is never a light at the end of the tunnel and that...

Mental Health Tips for Values and Goals

Having a hard time staying focused on your goals? Losing sight of what is most important to you? Feeling stuck and having difficulty moving forward? These are all such common experiences, especially when we lose sight of the bigger picture. It’s easy to go through our...

Benefits of Group Therapy

Sometimes when we hear “group therapy” it’s easy to think of tv shows where people are “forced to go to group” or “one person just talking the whole time.” In our women’s anxiety group, that’s the last thing you get. Let me tell you a few benefits of group therapy and...

Mindfulness Exercises to Reduce Anxiety—Especially During the Holidays

The holidays are right around the corner, so here are a few mindfulness exercises to reduce anxiety and get you through the season. It seems that 2021 has come and gone. Where has the time gone? For many of us, it feels just as 2020 did, with a lot of unknown and...

What to Expect From Therapy

Signing up for your first therapy session can be a daunting task. Maybe you have reached a point where you know you need support, or have been encouraged to see a therapist by someone in your life. Knowing what to expect from therapy can make getting started in the...

How to Get the Most Out of Therapy So You Can Stop Going

Let’s face it, therapy can be time-consuming, emotionally draining, and not to mention expensive. Most people do not enter therapy wanting to attend weekly sessions for the rest of their lives. Oftentimes, you go to counseling in order to alleviate some kind of pain...

EMDR Counseling: What is it?

When you think of the word therapy what comes to mind? For most of us, we imagine what we have seen on television, the room with all the books on the shelves, laying or sitting on a couch, and the therapist asking many questions. What if I told you there was a new way...

How Long Does Therapy Take to Make Me Feel Better?

It depends! It is quite common for people to feel better after attending a few sessions of therapy. This can be attributed to a bit of a placebo effect. You start attending therapy, you become hopeful of things getting better, you have a therapist you like, and you...

What Happens in Your First Therapy Session?

It can feel a bit intimidating or scary to start therapy for the first time. You may be wondering, “Will they judge me? Will they be able to help me? Is this a waste of time? Am I going to have to lay on a couch and reveal all my dark secrets?” All of these are normal...