As practitioners, we’re well-acquainted with the fight, flight, freeze response – that automatic response that evolved to protect us from external threats or danger. But what happens when the threat is internal? When the threat is painful emotions or distress? Our response can still be automatic, and for many clients it can often be to […]
How Effective are Compassion-Oriented Interventions in Clinical Settings? Here’s What the Research Shows…
As a practitioner, you know the critical role compassion plays in the work that we do. In fact, you were probably drawn to this profession out of a deep sense of compassion, that overpowering desire to relieve suffering. Now, putting compassion to work in the clinical setting goes far beyond just the desire to relieve […]
Three Ways to Resource Clients When Anxiety Is Triggered
When a client struggles with emotional triggers, finding ways to help them disrupt that automatic cycle of reactivity can be difficult.But according to Rick Hanson, PhD, there are three key practices that can help a client regain a sense of safety and calm – especially when anxiety gets triggered. He takes us through them in […]
A Creative Technique to Help Clients Face Fear
Fear is our body’s natural way of protecting us from a potential threat. But when fear gets in the driver’s seat, it can keep us from the people and activities we value most. So how can we help our clients take back control from their fears? In the video below, Lynn Lyons, LICSW explains a […]
Tools to Help Clients Calm Their Anxiety
Clients often experience anxiety as their body responds to danger – whether real or imagined. And for some of our clients, when anxiety revs up, slowing it back down can take on a sense of emergency. So what exactly is it that often keeps people from soothing anxiety once it begins to take hold? According […]