Soul Sessions: An All Souls Podcast

This month, we discuss another Therapy 101 topic, getting the most out of therapy. Adam covers some basic tips for how to approach finding a therapist, setting goals, doing homework, and more. Please reach out with any questions or concerns and check out our website for more information and other episodes of the podcast.

Music Credit:

"The Good Life" by Sarah McCoy, used with permission

Some days it's hard to believe it's been 2 years since Helene happened in our community. Some folks in our community are more focused on the growth that has happened since Helene, and some folks are still hurting and feeling the devastating impact of the storms. Other folks are somewhere inbetween. This short meditation is an offering to you, no matter where you might fall on the spectrum to focus on the growth, the pain, or whatever else you might be experiencing.

Music credit:

"First Light" by lloom, License code: MYMTCEZAWWD7GEQV

This month, we cover the topic from DBT (and other sources) of Radical Acceptance. Oftentimes, life throws curveballs toward you. Something you just weren't expecting and really don't know how to deal with. When these things happen, it can be easy to not know how to get unstuck from pushing against what is happening. Radical Acceptance is a strategy to help us find a path forward once we accept what has happened. Radical Acceptance is often misunderstood, so in this episode, we cover what Radical Acceptance is, what it isn't, and how to practice it.

If you have any comments or questions, we welcome you to leave us a comment or review here, or feel free to reach out directly.

References in this podcast:

RAIN - Resources ~ RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture - Tara Brach

Music credits:

"The Good Life" by Sarah McCoy - used with permission

In honor of Wellness Month, we bring you Wellness Recovery Action Plans, a document meant to be a 'user's manual' written by you, about you, for you. It's a tool that can help you prevent relapse of mental health issues such as depression, substance use, and many other health issues. This episode outlines the 6 stages of the WRAP and how you can utilize it to help yourself better care for your needs.

Links:

Example of a WRAP document: blank_wrap_forms_with_mc_permission.pdf

More info: Home - Wellness Recovery Action Plan

TIPP Skills Handout (mentioned in the episode): “TIP” Skill

Music permissions:

"The Good Life" by Sarah McCoy, used with permission

"Rainy Lake" by Pecan Pie (License code: J8ACCVQBHUJ44JHW)

Welcome to SEASON 2 of Soul Sessions from All Souls Counseling! We're continuing the theme of Therapy 101 to break down some of the more common types of therapy with as little "therapy speak" as possible. It can be confusing to seek out a therapist when you don't know a lot about the different approaches that therapists might use. Hopefully this episode will help. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out.

Music credits:

The Good Life by Sarah McCoy (used with permission)

The Sound of Leaving by John Hayes (License code: ZUKI7YI2P1KJDLRN)

This month, we discuss Pride Month and how it's still vital to celebrate the rich history of the Queer movement in the US. All Souls Counseling Center is proud to support and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in working toward wellness and overall mental health. See below for local and national resources for the queer community at home and abroad.

Music:

The Good Life by Sarah McCoy, used with permission

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riotsnica

https://www.history.com/articles/the-stonewall-riots

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/03/lgbtq-mental-health

Local resources:

Blue Ridge Pride - blueridgepride.org

Youth OutRight WNC - youthoutright.org

AVL Stonewall Fest - avlstonewallfest.org

Cornbread and Roses - cbrcounseling.org

Seek Healing - seekhealing.org

National resources:

Trevor Project

Trans hotline

PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) - pflag.org

National LGBTQ Task Force - thetaskforce.org

National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) - nclrights.org

Human rights campaign - HRC.org

Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) - transequality.org

SAGE - SAGEusa.org

Stress in a relationship, anxiety about world events, and frustration about family dynamics are all part of being a human. Sometimes these issues can be addressed with support of others in your life to help you get through. If they have a greater impact on your day-to-day responsibilities, relationships, and well-being, it might be a good idea to seek out professional help.

If you’ve never been in therapy, it can be very daunting to consider opening up to a stranger - a professional, highly trained clinician, but a stranger nonetheless - and many folks really get stuck at this point. They like the idea of receiving support and validation about what’s going on but also worry about being judged, worry about their privacy, worry about… worrying?

Here’s a brief list of things to consider when deciding whether or not to pursue therapy:

• What’s going on that I know needs improvement, but I don’t know where to start?
• Are the supports in my life sincerely wanting to help, but it seems that this is one of the only things I talk about and they’re out of ideas?
• Is the stress of one area of my life bleeding over into other areas and I can’t keep them separate any longer?
• Do I seem to be making the same or similar mistakes in my life, in my relationships over and over despite wanting a change?

Please join us this month as we explore this topic. Please reach out with any questions or comments. We'd love to hear from you.

Music credit: "The Good Life" by Sarah McCoy, used with permission

Join us this month for a conversation with our newest staff therapist, Carolina Robles, about managing high levels of stress. We discuss the current local, federal, and global environment where targeted communities are under higher stress levels than ever before. We discuss what you can do to take care of yourself if you're one of those targeted as well as what others can do and not do to offer support to those communities.

Music credits:

The Good Life by Sarah McCoy, used with permission

May As Well Be, by all:ambient (License code: 3QFOKJJBASGB1C6Q)

This practice is an extensiojn of the last episdoe from this month as an option for a longer meditation. See episode 11 for details on Why and How to practice mindful meditation. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

There are many styles and traditions of meditation. This is one offering that we hope you find helpful. Mindfulness meditation has its roots in ancient wisdom and can help reduce stress levels, increase awareness, and improve mood and relationships when practiced regularly. Join Adam as we explore the Why and How of Mindfulness Meditation practice and then practice together for 5 minutes. Note: there's an additional 10-minute standalone practice also uploaded if you just want to dive into that practice.

Please reach out with any questions or comments.

Music credit:

"The Good Life" by Sarah McCoy, used with permission