The Still Waters Podcast

The Still Waters Podcast

By The Still Waters CounselingHealth & FitnessMental Health
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The Still Waters Podcast episodes

  • Demystifying Counseling vs. Coaching: First Session Insights

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    On the November 12, 2026 episode of the Still Waters Podcast, host Teri White demystifies what happens in counseling and coaching, especially during the first appointment, and encourages listeners to seek help without fear; she notes that in 2024 about one in seven U.S. adults received therapy while many drop out after one session due to mismatched expectations or poor fit. She outlines the typical process—initial contact, intake paperwork and consent/privacy forms, scheduling with recovery time afterward, introductions, confidentiality and its limits, “what brings you in,” history-taking, goal-setting, and client questions—emphasizing that clients set the pace and aren’t expected to be “fixed” in one visit. She explains the importance of the therapeutic alliance, advises parents on teen confidentiality conversations, addresses homeschooling and school resources, distinguishes licensed counseling from coaching, discusses integrating faith, and shares the 988 crisis lifeline.

    00:00 Welcome and Purpose
    00:50 Crisis Resources First
    01:19 Why People Drop Out
    02:51 Deep Water Trust Metaphor
    04:07 Before Session Steps
    06:55 Inside the First Session
    10:14 What You Wont Face
    10:45 Therapeutic Alliance Matters
    12:39 Parents and Teen Sessions
    14:01 Homeschool and School Support
    15:19 Counselor vs Coach
    16:25 Faith in the Process
    17:04 Closing Thoughts

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

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    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    21 min
  • Erotica, Romance, and the Female Brain

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    On the Still Waters Podcast, Teri White, a sexual risk avoidance specialist and certified trauma-informed life coach, opens a shame-free, adults-only conversation about explicit romance, erotica, and their impact on women, marriages, and children. She notes romance’s major market growth, the influence of BookTok (with many buyers 34 or younger), misleading “cute” covers, and a shift toward darker themes like stalking, captivity, and control portrayed as passion. She explains how reading uniquely engages imagination and dopamine-driven anticipation, forming mental “paths” that shape expectations of love. 

    00:00 Late Night Secret Reading
    01:13 Why This Matters Now
    03:13 Romance Boom and BookTok
    05:11 Dark Romance and Teen Access
    05:50 Erotica and the Female Brain
    07:24 How Stories Rewire Desire
    08:44 Research on Real Life Impact
    11:33 Fifty Shades and Correlations
    13:46 Breaking the Silence and Shame
    14:35 Marriage Costs and Hidden Needs
    17:40 Coach Steps to Change Habits
    20:52 Protecting Kids and Media Literacy
    23:00 Key Takeaways and Resources

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

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    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    26 min
  • From Screens to Scenes: The Realities of Porn's Influence on Youth

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    In the latest podcast episode, life coach and sexual risk avoidance specialist Teri White explains that children often encounter online pornography accidentally around age 12 or younger, and that much of it depicts violence and lacks consent. She identifies three risks: abusers using it to groom children, exploiting shame to coerce them or enforce secrecy, and exposing them to distorted sexual scripts that may lead to harmful behavior toward other children. The episode outlines warning signs and urges calm, supportive responses. White recommends starting conversations early and revisiting them often, reducing shame, identifying grooming, and using practical technology safeguards. She also emphasizes educators’ reporting duties, believing and reporting disclosures, and sharing resources such as Childhelp and NCMEC’s CyberTipline.

    00:00 Guarding the Back Door: Pornography and Youth Safety
    03:05 Reality Check: The Numbers
    08:22 Three Doors Pornography Opens
    08:28 Door 1: Grooming
    10:15 Door 2: Shame
    11:34 Door 3: Child-on-Child Harm
    13:54 Warning Signs to Watch For
    16:33 Closing the Doors: What Parents Can Do
    24:44 Resources and Closing

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

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    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    28 min
  • The 'Blended Family' Myth — and What Really Works Instead Part 2 of 2

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    The 'Blended Family' Myth — and What Really Works Instead Part  2

    Julie Adams joins Teri for an honest, deeply personal conversation about the realities of blending families — from step-parenting after divorce to adopting older children from trauma backgrounds. Julie shares the mistakes she made, the lessons she learned about herself, and the hard truth that "love is enough" is a comforting lie. Together they discuss how the church and community can better support adoptive and foster families, why family preservation should come first, and what anyone considering adoption or remarriage with children needs to hear before they begin.



    0:08 — Adopting children into an already-grown family: getting everyone on board
    1:19 — Preparing the house and the heart: the excitement of adoption
    2:24 — Two trips to Bulgaria and the honeymoon phase
    3:19 — When trauma shows up: the reality nobody prepared them for
    4:55 — Step-parenting vs. adoptive parenting: the same unrealistic expectations
    5:45 — Learning more about herself than she ever wanted to know
    6:35 — Advice for step-parents: step in quietly, let the bio parent lead
    8:52 — Advice for adoptive parents: what you need to know about adoption
    9:50 — Even infant adoption involves loss — the in-utero bond and what it means
    11:00 — Misdiagnosis risk: trauma vs. ADHD and autism labels
    11:30 — Family preservation vs. adoption: the case for helping biological mothers
    12:30 — Older child adoption: attachment issues, environmental trauma, and realistic expectations
    13:15 — "Love can fix it all" — why that's not true
    16:05 — The support group that vanished when things got hard
    17:45 — Finding the right support: other adoptive parents and therapists
    18:03 — Attached Families and Julie's ongoing counseling work
    18:40 — How faith changed through the experience
    18:58 — How the body of Christ can help: be the village, don't walk away
    19:55 — James 1:27 revisited: is adoption a command for every believer?
    21:40 — Don't shame, don't blame — ask how to help
    23:04 — The danger of making adoption a business
    24:30 — Family preservation programs: lessons from Bulgaria
    25:35 — Julie's final advice for step-parents entering a family after a parent's death
    26:50 — Closing thoughts and a call for listener feedback


    If this episode resonated with you, send fan mail or questions through the link in the show notes. Until next time — may you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    29 min
  • The 'Blended Family' Myth — and What Really Works Instead PART 1

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    The 'Blended Family' Myth — and What Really Works Instead Part 1 of 2

    Julie Adams has spent 35 years inside a blended family — as a stepparent, a biological parent, and an adoptive parent. In this episode, she sits down with Teri to share the hard-won lessons she wishes someone had told her before she walked into a ready-made family back in 1991. From clashing Christmas traditions to writing apology letters two decades later, Julie gets honest about what "blending" really looks like — and why the word itself might be the problem.

    In this episode:
    - Why "blending" is a myth — and what's actually happening when two families come together
    - The three ways blended families form: divorce, death of a spouse, and older child adoption
    - Julie's biggest early mistake: listening to people who'd never been in her shoes
    - What attachment theory has to do with stepparenting (and what she got wrong)
    - The Christmas tradition clash that taught Julie she didn't know everything
    - How having a biological child changed her perspective on love in a blended family
    - Why love doesn't have to be "equal" — it just has to be there
    - Protecting your marriage when the kids demand all the attention
    - Who should set the rules: the biological parent or the stepparent?
    - Navigating the relationship with an ex-spouse

    Timestamps:
    - 0:00 — Welcome and introductions
    - 1:23 — What creates a blended family?
    - 2:35 — The "blending" myth
    - 3:22 — Julie's biggest mistake: bad advice
    - 6:41 — Reality sets in: school, the ex, and attachment
    - 8:00 — Apology letters, 20 years later
    - 8:30 — "Know where your place is — and where it isn't"
    - 9:24 — The Christmas tradition clash
    - 11:30 — Creating new traditions of your own
    - 12:35 — Having a biological child in a blended family
    - 14:10 — Why love doesn't have to be equal
    - 15:00 — Protecting the marriage
    - 16:49 — The biological parent sets the rules
    - 18:04 — Navigating the ex-spouse relationship
    - 19:34 — Coming next week: Part 2 on adoption

    We'd love to hear from you!
    Have a question about blended families or a story of your own to share? Send us fan mail — we read every message and may feature yours in a future episode. Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2, where Julie and Teri dive into adoption and the unique dynamics it brings to blended families.

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    21 min
  • The Silent Struggle: Depression Among Believers

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    The newest episode of The Still Waters Podcast addresses “depression in the pew,” describing the hidden heaviness many Christians feel at church and emphasizing that depression does not make someone beyond God’s help. 

    If you need to talk, The Still Waters team is available at www.stillwaterslife.com or contact the 988 Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

    00:00 Welcome 
    02:15 How Common Is Depression
    03:38 Church Silence and Stigma
    06:46 Why We Avoid the Topic
    08:49 Elijah After the Victory
    11:46 When It Gets Dark
    13:19 God’s Gentle Response
    18:14 Help That Heals
    20:46 Steps If You’re Struggling
    23:13 How to Support Someone
    25:54 Recap and Hopeful Ending

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    30 min
  • The Cornell Seven: A Wake-Up Call for Parents Everywhere

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    Host Teri White discusses the viral “Cornell Seven” case, warning of triggering content and summarizing reported allegations and Cornell’s response: a Jane Doe lawsuit claims she was pressured into alcohol, marijuana, and ketamine at an October 2024 fraternity party and assaulted by seven members; Cornell disputes parts of the account, cites expulsions/suspensions, and says privacy law limits details; no criminal charges were initially filed, but the DA has reopened the case for a grand jury. Teri connects the story to campus assault data, the “voluntary intoxication loophole” in New York law, and the role of alcohol, drugs, party culture, pornography, and bystander behavior. She urges parents to teach consent and boundaries, build character and “eighth person” courage, create rescue plans, vet campuses (including Christian schools), avoid victim-blaming, stay connected, and believe and support victims. 

    00:00 Trigger Warning Intro
    02:33 What Happened Allegations
    04:03 Cornell Response Fallout
    05:39 Campus Assault Reality
    08:36 Voluntary Intoxication Loophole
    10:55 Why Risk Avoidance Matters
    16:19 Consent Boundaries Culture
    21:29 Group Chat Bystander Effect
    23:26 Raise the Eighth Person
    26:49 Parent Action Steps
    33:04 Final Takeaways Closing 

    National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

    https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    36 min
  • Screen Time Dilemma: Turning Media into a Positive Family Experience

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    Host Teri White shares her experience attending the public world premiere of The Wingfeather Saga Season 4 (an Angel Studios children’s animated series based on Andrew Peterson’s books), made personal by her daughter’s role on the production team. Using the premiere as a contrast to isolated “solo scrolling” at home, she explores how media can either strengthen or weaken family bonds and emotional health, encouraging parents to be intentional gatekeepers when it comes to media.

    00:00 Premiere Night Magic

    01:23 Why Media Matters

    02:55 Inside The Premiere

    05:16 Together Versus Alone

    06:55 Shared Story Principle

    08:03 Stories Spark Connection

    08:55 Parents As Gatekeepers

    10:14 Practical Family Steps

    11:58 Closing

    Today's conversation draws inspiration from Ascend's Universal Standards for Optimal Sexual Development, a framework that helps parents and educators guide young people toward healthy relationships and a hopeful future. You can explore the standards at weascend.org. 

    Watch the Wingfeather Saga here:

    https://www.angel.com/watch/wingfeather-saga

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    16 min
  • How AI Deepfakes Are Impacting Teen Safety: What Parents Need to Know

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    On today's episode, Teri warns that AI tools can turn ordinary, non-sexual photos of children into sexually explicit deepfakes, making traditional advice like “don’t send nudes” insufficient in 2026.  She explains consent and harm still apply even if images are “not real, and urges proactive school policies, clear reporting, and family conversations that avoid victim-blaming, teach teens not to create or share abusive content, and encourage kids to seek trusted adult help.

    00:00 Welcome and Big Question
    01:09 Deepfakes Change Everything
    02:08 How Easy It Is Now
    02:47 The Scale of the Crisis
    05:30 Consent in the AI Era
    07:43 Why Schools Are Ground Zero
    09:50 Stop Victim Blaming
    11:38 Teen Fear and Digital Retreat
    13:46 Teach Kids Not to Harm
    14:59 Practical Rules and Integrity
    16:01 Parents Start the Talk
    17:13 Schools Need a Real Plan
    18:12 Culture Change and Closing

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    21 min
  • Beyond Stranger Danger: Teaching Kids Real Body Safety

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    In a solo Still Waters Podcast episode, Teri explains trauma-informed, age-appropriate body safety education as preparation—like a smoke detector or fire drill—meant to replace fear with a plan. Citing CDC estimates, she notes about one in four girls and one in 13 boys experience sexual abuse before 18, most often by someone known and trusted, making “stranger danger” insufficient; she emphasizes that body safety education increases the likelihood of disclosure. She debunks myths about stealing innocence and give guidance regarding adapting talks by age, applying the rules to digital safety, keeping conversations calm and brief.

    00:00 Welcome 
    02:20 Why It Matters
    04:42 Common Myths
    08:25 Five Body Safety Rules
    14:35 Age Based Guidance
    16:53 Online and Screen Safety
    19:31 Calm Conversation Tips
    23:31 If Your Child Discloses
    25:55 Closing

    Contact The Still Waters Team 

    www.stillwaterslife.com

    Email us at:

    Let us help you find healing and wellness at The Still Waters.


    29 min

About The Still Waters Podcast

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This podcast is hosted by the counselors and coaches with The Still Waters. They bring their expertise to this platform to educate, encourage and enlighten the listener. Various topics will be…