7 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Nov 21, 2024, 10:29:26 AM
The holidays are looming, and this year, they’re following an emotionally charged election. Many of my clients and friends are already wrestling with questions about what this holiday season might look like. Should traditions be upheld? Can I break free from expectations? Are family the best people with whom to spend this time? Setting boundaries...
2 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Nov 1, 2022, 9:30:00 AM
October of 2022 was a huge month for me. It was in this month that I finally earned my certification in Perinatal Mental Health, which was really the culmination of a decade of work in mental health and in my own journey as a mother. Naturally, I have been wanting to celebrate with the folks around me, but I have noticed one important barrier to...
4 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Oct 3, 2022, 9:00:00 AM
Humans are natural story tellers. We have long histories of using stories as a way to explain the unexplainable, to teach and guide our children, and to give our lives a sense of direction and purpose. We have stories about ourselves - like, I'm a good person, I love music, I'm a natural with animals, I'm bad at math... One story I have about...
3 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Sep 2, 2022, 9:00:00 AM
Most mental health professionals prefer to work with clients individually. Each person has such unique needs, learning histories, beliefs, fears, and goals - and there's so much benefit from being able to focus all of the therapeutic attention to that one person. But relationship counseling offers another perspective.
6 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Aug 8, 2022, 3:02:09 PM
Growing up I made a number of assumptions about who I was going to be and what my life would be like in adulthood. I assumed I would go to college, meet a nice man, get married shortly after graduation, and begin my family as a stable and capable professional - a working wife and mother. Of course, things aren't that simple. It has been an...
4 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Jul 29, 2022, 2:34:37 PM
As I'm writing this, we have just come out of another Mother's Day and I am thinking ahead to the next few holidays and what my family will be doing. Holidays, and family get-togethers in general, can really cause a lot of anxiety in me and in many of the folks I talk to (in and out of the therapy room). Learning how to say no is hard. There is...
3 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Jul 9, 2022, 10:58:57 AM
I love that as a culture we are embracing the idea that "it's okay to not be okay." It's so accepting and welcoming of folks with all kinds of struggles and has reduced the stigma around seeking help. But, can I be honest with you for a second? Sometimes when I think "it's okay to not be okay," I find myself meaning it only for other people. It's...
4 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Jun 24, 2022, 9:45:00 AM
I have a long history of being involved in the arts and finding benefits from making art by myself and with others. While I had folks who encouraged me in my practice, I also found that many people (mostly my peers) didn't understand my love of art. The stigma I felt about my artistic self lead to feelings of shame. My best friend in undergrad...
3 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Apr 28, 2022, 2:52:13 PM
Ten years into marriage, I find it so odd that all of the classic children's stories end in the same way. People find each other, they make a commitment to each other, and curtain. The end they live happily ever after. This grand commitment we are conditioned to seek and, most often, enter into thinking it's all smooth sailing. Premarital...
4 min read
Whitney Storey, MS, LPC, ASDCS: Apr 21, 2022, 1:41:13 PM
When I talk to clients about their struggles, I notice a very familiar pattern that I find myself in: what causes the struggle becomes the focus of our life and we become fused with it. We believe we must get rid of these thoughts (or feelings, memories, urges, etc.) so that we can live a life we dream of living. This is where Defusion can be...
