Matt's Musings

Welcome to my message page!

  • Ego and Shame the Same?
    It just slipped out during a recent client session. "Ego and Shame are the same".  After I said it, both my client and I smiled and nodded in agreement. It just Read more
  • Thanksgiving Thinking
    Thanksgiving 2020 might look different with smaller gatherings for Covid safety, but the benefits of recognizing what we are thankful for is eternal. It has been a crazy, challenging year since Read more
  • Mindfulness, Magic or Madness?
    Mindfulness is all the rage in mental health and even more broadly in healthcare these days. You may ask, "What the heck is mindfulness?". Jon Kabat-Zinn is an American professor Read more
  • Assertiveness is Respecting Yourself without Judging Others
    It's hard to stand up for yourself without attacking others. It's especially important in volatile situations and uncertain times, to be able to speak assertively. I see assertiveness as the middle Read more
  • School Lessons
    The uncertainty related to school and Covid. Read more
  • 6/8/20 Perception is Reality or Reality TV?
    This pandemic situation reminds me of a maxim that resonates with me. It is the humanistic / postmodern perspective that perception is reality. Now I do believe there are some absolute Read more
  • 7/15/20 Guilty as Charged
    I learned what I think is an important distinction from Brene' Brown. It relates to the difference between guilt and shame. I know in the past I was guilty of using these words Read more
  • 7/9/20 COVID Crazy
    These certainly feel like "crazy times"! It's hard to maintain sanity, peace, balance. I honestly don't even like the labels "crazy" or "insane". To me we are all a little Read more
  • 7/1/20 Here We Go Again
    It's depressing, frustrating and downright scary to see the Covid infection numbers spiking again in our country and Missouri. Luckily, our immediate area does not seem to be experiencing as Read more
  • 6/24/20 Too Simple to Believe
    I'd like to pass along a relaxation technique that I share with most of my clients (especially anyone who experiences anxiety). These are stressful times. We can easily fall prey to emotional Read more
  • 6/17/20 Expectations Are Premeditated Resentments
    I first heard this statement from my friend and counseling mentor, Tim Jones when I first opened my practice. Tim shared that it was from the AA program. This came Read more
  • 6/10/20 Give the Kid a Choice
    One of my favorite parenting tools was taught to me by our "Parents as Teachers" lady who came to our home when our son was young to assess his readiness Read more
  • 6/3/20 Just What We Needed (NOT!)
    Just as I start to get more comfortable that the virus spread does not seem to be exploding after a relaxing of precautions, we are now dealing with a new Read more
  • 5/27/20 Mind Control
    If you are experiencing fears, possibly even fears that at some level you know are irrational, you are not alone. Our thoughts have a deeply profound impact on our emotional state; Read more
  • 5/20/20 Awareness is the First Step of all Change and Growth
    I am hearing a lot of clients report they are noticing that they are getting irritated, angry, or shouting at their kids more. Some say they are biting their nails more Read more
  • 5/7/20 Sporadic Sunshine
    My view of light at then end of this pandemic tunnel keeps coming and going like sunshine in spring. Just when I thought I was seeing the light of hope and optimism about Read more

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Office Hours

Primary

Monday:

8:00 am-9:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-9:00 pm

Wednesday:

Closed

Thursday:

8:00 am-6:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed