In Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory® psychology, he proposes that all humans have five basic needs. While we all share these same five needs, we each have a specific need-strength profile that was genetically programmed at birth. This is one of the reasons why Choice Theory remains a theory. We have yet to discover the […]
If you follow this blog, you’ve likely read about finding the GLOW® (gifts, lessons, opportunities and wisdom) in our challenging life situations. Recently, a reader asked me to write more about the personal process I went through following the death of my husband. What follows is my attempt to do that, although it was more […]
Because Dr. Glasser taught that focusing on the past is futile, some people might think that discussing trauma as a Choice Theory practitioner is discouraged. I disagree. When we experience a traumatic event, our sympathetic nervous system is activated. This releases our stress hormones—cortisol and adrenaline—during the fight or flight response. Typically, our first response […]
With September being designated as “Self-Improvement Month,” I wanted to write about a new model for work/life balance. Forget about trying to achieve some magical balancing point between your life and your work. It’s arbitrary at best. Instead, strive for life balance by balancing your needs. According to Choice Theory® psychology, everyone is born with […]
August is National Truancy Prevention Month. The definition of truancy is missing more than 15 days of school with unexcused absences, meaning the reason they didn’t attend wasn’t a reason recognized by the educational system. In the United States, 20 percent of high school students are considered truant. Why does truancy happen? There are many […]
July is Social Wellness Month—a reminder that relationships are key to a healthy lifestyle. Humans have a need for connection; some of us have a stronger need than others. If you are someone with a lower need for connection, you might be satisfied with a beloved pet and few people in your life. Those with […]
When most people speak about professional wellness, they talk about work/life balance. I think this is a superficial distinction. Work is a part of life so it’s all life. It’s about total balance, but not between work and life. In order to have wellness, personal or professional, you need to balance your needs. What are […]
Stress is something we can’t seem to avoid. We have relationship, financial, work and health stressors everywhere, and that’s before factoring in the current pandemic which has, to date, killed 554,000 people in the U.S. alone. That’s a ton of stress. Why do some people seem to manage stress better than others? Is it because […]
It’s no secret that 2020 has been a challenging year for many people. A lot of folks are hurting physically, financially and mentally because of the pandemic, and yet, Giving Tuesday 2020 was a huge success. GivingTuesday.org estimated that 34.8 million people worldwide participated, an increase of 29 percent compared to 2019. In the US […]
October is touted as National Bullying Prevention Month, but what are your plans to stop bullying? As a counselor educator, I’m constantly telling new therapists that making plans to simply stop bullying won’t work. People don’t have the energy for agendas to simply stop a behavior; we need to formulate plans that address what will […]
