 By Edith Pont, M.A. - Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with Turning Point Counseling
I’m guilty of it. Yes, I’m embarrassed to say that in times of distress I too can spiral down into a “desperate” mode. I’m sure some of you can relate. Being in this mode can feel as if you are alone in the world of mixed emotions… with no one to hold you, to care for you, to understand your pain. The past two weeks have been a time of prayer, supplication, tears and hoping that God will hear our request. I’m not ready to share our painful story just yet – I’m still waiting for the miracle.
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 by Maisha Florance, M.A.
REGISTERED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST INTERN at Turning Point Counseling What is Co-Dependency? Co-Dependency is a learned behavior that can be passed on from one generation to the next. It is an emotional and behavioral condition that can affect an individual’s ability to have healthy, mutually satisfying relationships. It is also known as “relationship addiction” because people with co-dependency often form or maintain relationships that are one-sided, emotionally destructive, and/or abusive.  by Edith Pont, M.A., Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with Turning Point Counseling
The past two months have been difficult for our family. We welcomed an 8½-year-old girl to our home. Although we have experience as foster parents, we were not expecting the challenges that a child with higher level of care requires. We were under the impression that we were providing respite care (a couple of days minimum), but God had His plan. Regardless, we decided to take the additional training to get certified as Intensive Treatment Foster Parents. Taking those 40 hours felt like a huge inconvenience. My plans were to continue studying and preparing for my licensing exam and we had some other things we are working on as a couple. With this new goal in mind, all my plans were put aside.  By Mandy Dale, M.S., Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with Turning Point Counseling
“Mom, I joined the cross country team!” Jack exclaimed with pride. He committed wholeheartedly to the team, and never missed a practice. “Whenever Jack does something, he does it 100%,” his mom thought, admiringly. Weeks of practices and meets left Jack with speed, endurance, and first-place wins; but it also left him with an increasingly athletic (and thin) physique. He started to receive attention and compliments, which he liked (especially the compliments from girls). As the county championships approached, Jack decided to begin counting calories and avoiding junk food in order to slim down even more, making him light as a feather and increasing his speed. But soon cross country season was over, and he noticed he couldn’t stop exercising. Or counting calories. It had become a way of life for him. He also couldn’t stop weighing himself- at least 3 or 4 times a day. Whenever his weight increased, he would run even more. Jack also grew to hate dinner time with his mom and sister, and tried to find excuses to skip. “I’m not hungry. I ate already. I’m going over to Mike’s for dinner.” Ever since his parents’ divorce last year, he distanced himself from his family; his new obsession with food and weight was a welcomed distraction for him.  By Tiffany Knowlton, MA, Licensed MFT with Turning Point Counseling
Many of us are involved in ministry to the point that we are doing too much and not spending enough time with God! Perhaps we have the belief that we find God most in the works we do. Works are important, but as we see in the story of Mary and Martha, there is something even more important. We need to spend time at the feet of Jesus. Martha was frustrated that Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to Him while she worked and Jesus said, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only One thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 41-42). Some of my favorite lyrics come from “We Fall Down” sung by Chris Tomlin, “We fall down. We lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus – the greatness of His mercy and love at the feet of Jesus.” When we spend time in the Word we are at the feet of Jesus admitting that we need Him and that it is a mistake to think that we, ourselves, even come close to the greatness of Jesus. We are admitting that we desperately need His mercy and love.  By Nancy Hopstein, Licensed MFT with Turning Point Counseling
"Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 We all deal with stress in our lives; everyday events along with other situations that may feel out of our control (illnesses, the economy, relationships) can quickly consume us with worry. For many of us this worry is situational and temporary and will subside as our trials get resolved. But there are times when we are more vulnerable and become overwhelmed, and cannot turn the worry off. The Key To Understanding And Managing Your Stress Is Awareness. Listen for physical cues: • Sweaty palms • Fast breathing • Muscle Tension, etc. Look for behavioral clues: • Over indulging in food • Drinking • Smoking • Yelling, etc. Pay attention to emotional cues; • Feeling Angry • Frustrated • Keyed up, etc.  by Edith Pont, M.A., Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with Turning Point Counseling
After this weekend’s conference, I was struck by the lack of God’s word in the preaching. I don’t consider myself a critical individual, but when it comes to the word of the Lord, I am passionate. The speakers were full of energy, had great content, but I longed for them to take me back to God’s word. It didn’t happen. I truly felt they were feeding me a bottle of milk when my body was asking for solid food. I’m sure there were women who were in the bottle-feeding stage, but my soul was far from that. I wanted a salmon with veggies or maybe an oven roasted chicken with rice. |
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