True Self Counseling Articles
Sharing Insights, Stories, and Resources
Introduction to Depression: defining it, diagnosing it, & managing it
Depression is a mental health condition that goes beyond mere feelings of sadness. It would be better described as a persistent and overwhelming sense of despair that can linger for weeks, months, and even years. Depression affects millions of people worldwide,...
Tips for Managing Mood During Seasonal Change
As the seasons change and holidays approach, managing mental health becomes crucial. For many, these transitions can bring a mix of emotions, including excitement, stress, sadness, and more. Here are some strategies to navigate the potential impact on mental...
Go Like Yourself!
Founders of Go Like Yourself -- Cindy Martin & Bruce Coffman -- believe in writing one's own unique story, regardless of outside pressures or judgment. Their goal is to get their message into the minds and hearts of people of all ages so they simply feel better...
Pain is Inevitable; Suffering is Optional
The goal of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is to create a rich, full, and meaningful life while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. This is done by changing one’s relationship to their symptoms in order to live a more value-driven life. Further,...
How to Dispute Irrational Beliefs
Albert Ellis is known as the grandfather of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He combined humanistic, philosophical, and behavioral therapy to form Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in 1955. A main assumption of REBT is that people contribute to their psychological...
3 Core Conditions for Therapeutic Change
The person-centered counseling approach was established in the 1940's by humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers. The goal of a person-centered therapy is to create the necessary conditions for clients to engage in meaningful self-exploration of their feelings, beliefs,...
Mental Attitude
I recently came across Elbert Hubbard's essay on "Mental Attitude" in a book I was reading, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with others. For me, it speaks an optimistic message of how having the right combination of self-confidence, courage, and...
A Young Woman’s Personal Experience with Anxiety
Anxiety is something that everyone deals with, to some extent, during their life. For some people it’s a passing experience of feeling stressed and overwhelmed. For others, though, anxiety can be crippling. I mean truly, intolerably, despairingly crippling. You can't...
6 Principles for Meaningful Living
The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living [A guide to ACT: the mindfulness-based program for reducing stress, overcoming fear, and creating a rich and meaningful life] by Russ Harris Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is based upon six core principles...