Archive for February, 2009
{ February 18, 2009 @ 11:34 pm }
·
{ Psychology, parenting }
{ }
·
{ }
I am so excited…I
have invested in a portable sand tray, moon sand (awesome stuff) and several toys to use with the families and clients I work with. I wasn’t sure how my play therapy training would work its way into my work and recently it has become very evident. My original goal for taking the play therapy classes had always been to help families and parents. I never felt a huge encouragment that it was a good plan and I never felt I was being discouraged. I was simply taking the training into an out of the norm path. Every one I knew that was taking those classes wanted to work with kids and frankly had really negative views of the parents of kids in therapy. I get that but the world that has opened to me taps into my compassion for parents that were ill equipped by their own families to be healthy parents. This does not mean that their poor treatment/neglect of their children is excused but it does mean that their life is complex and there is room for compassion for both parent and child. A compassion that says what you chose was wrong yet there is hope for you to change and both you and your child(ren) will reap the benefits. What’s cool is that I genuinely feel that I have been innately equipped to build a therapeutic relationship with the parents I work with that allows me the freedom to both hold them accountable and confront negative behavior and give them empathy.
Getting back to the main point…play therapy and parenting…it is in learning to play with a child that a parent can learn to support and encourage a child. So many parents do not know how to play, they forgot or they were never allowed to 
It’s true but what I am seeing is that it is in play that parent and child can build bonding and attachment. I knew this intellectually but as I guide a parent in playing with their child it really is evident. It feels congruent! I guess my encouragement to all parents is take time to play intentionally with your child(ren) and let them lead, follow them into their beautiful imagination and support what you see!
{ February 17, 2009 @ 10:03 pm }
·
{ Life }
{ }
·
{ }
The other day Tom mentioned he is feeling more and more nervous about his employment and in years past I would have been FREAKING out. I have been processing over and over what I am feeling about that. Well…I feel okay. Not that I am glad but just I know we will be okay. I have been blessed with work that tends to be a little more recession proof on one hand and on the other I know we can simplify our life even more. The one thing I have been grateful for is being raised by WWII parents. Both our parents, our fathers’ were born 4 mo apart in ‘31 and our moms’ 3 mo apart in 34′, raised us with simple values when it comes to materialistic things. I remember asking my mom why she cut out $.10 coupons when I was a kid and she said because throwing it out was like throwing out a dime. I also remember telling my kids that the $1 coupon I cut out is like a real dollar when purchasing something I already needed or buy regularly (that’s the trick with coupon savings). To this day when we go clothes shopping my kids look for the clearance racks, probably because they have to spend their own money on extras but still a nice habit!
Overall this switch has been interesting…I never would have believed that I would get to a place where finances did not evoke anxiety and panic. I guess it just takes years of trusting in God and that we are equipt to survive. I am learning where I have control and where I don’t thus I know where to act and where to turn it over to God. I am still a work in progress and I know I have more progress to make but it is nice to celebrate and acknowledge milestones of growth.
{ February 9, 2009 @ 9:23 pm }
·
{ Life }
{ }
·
{ }
Today I went to charge my Clie and found it dead…meaning that all the applications were lost. No problem I went to sync it with the back-up copy on the computer. Only to find that in my “let’s clear the hard drive frenzy” erased the program since I had my I-touch for all my appointments. My heart sank because I lost my coveted Weight Watchers program. After my initial “ugh” I realized this could be my window of opportunity to put in practice another layer of what I preached on Sunday and to learn to trust my own hunger thermometer and simply be intentional about my food choices. God knows I have enough nutrition knowledge to make good choices! It’s that darn emotional eating hang up *sigh* But seriously I think this is a good thing. I have lost touch with my body and am slowly learning to listen again. So good bye Weight Watchers and hello entering the process rather than shooting for the goal.
{ February 2, 2009 @ 9:05 pm }
·
{ Psychology, Relationships, Spiritual Musings, Theology }
{ }
·
{ }
I almost asked to switch teaching weeks at Evergreen. I am leading a discussion on how the Gospel shapes our view of body and health. And the problem is I feel like I should be listening to one rather than leading one. There are a few issues that have been the thorn in my side and this is one. I have oscillated in eating disorders and disordered eating and finally am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But I was not feeling sure that I was ready to lead the discussion…a little close to home. All my self doubt and fear began to surface. I feared breaking down with a huge personal confession during the discussion but instead of running from a possible TMI I decided to face this topic with humility and courage. God knows what he is doing and maybe just maybe he is challenging me to cement the growth that I have made. Or maybe I am over thinking all this! The cool thing is in the process of prepping for this discussion I found a book called “Honoring the Body” by Stephanie Paulsell. It’s a beautiful yet simply written book that has made me re-think my view of the human body. The main theme is the vulnerability and strength of the human body. It will both sustain life for us and then betray us and then be resurrected in full glory. My favorite part is the connect between bathing and baptism. She speaks of a friend who bathed her dying mom for the last time and the beauty of the body she held, vulnerable, frail yet full of glory. A body that in our culture would be viewed as ugly, wrinkled and used up…she saw as embodying the very Spirit of our Holy God…vulnerable yet Holy. I have always promoted self-care to my clients yet I have never made the leap to it being an act of Holy reverance, honoring the very image of God that Jesus suffered for and was glorified for. We are a unified being; existing as both body and soul and we will be resurectted both body and soul. Any demarcation between body and soul minimizes the truth of resurection.
I am glad I didn’t bail on this discussion but it still evokes inadequacy…probably a good thing 
