In this interesting episode, Professional Counselor and Owner of Counsel-Me.com, Jen Rodriguez explains IFS (Internal Family Systems) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). 

Jen's undergraduate work was completed at University of Maryland and she worked as a licensed social worker in Baltimore City. She served children and adults living with HIV and AIDS and worked closely with survivors of human trafficking. Through her graduate studies at Liberty University she worked with victims of intimate partner violence and received licensure as a licensed professional counselor. She received extensive post-graduate training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Brainspotting. She also trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) and is certified through the EMDR International Association. Her passion for counseling comes from my own life experiences and my faith and friendship with God that has guided her to forgiveness, healing, and freedom.

For more information about Jen and her practice, visit www.counsel-me.com

Jen is also available to supervise therapists working toward their LPC licensure, and would be able to most benefit therapists who are interested in learning more about treating trauma related symptoms and using IFS and EMDR in practice.


Book recommendations for this episode:

Boundaries for Your Soul by Alison Cook & Kimberly Miller

Self Therapy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Healing Your Inner Child

For therapists interested in learning more about IFS in practice: 

Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual: Trauma Informed Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, PTSD & Substance Abuse by Frank Anderson, Martha Sweezy, & Richard Schwartz

Website for information on EMDR and EMDR training for therapists: ://www.emdria.org/

This is the second half of my conversation with Amy Parker Lawson, owner of All is Well Health and Wellness Coaching about how to nurture healthy eaters within the home. 

Check out Part-One of this conversation here. 


Book recommendation:  The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood:Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track - Dr. William Sears

This is part-one of a talk that Amy and I had about how to nurture healthy eaters within the home.  In this part, we really dive into the importance of the emotional environment that surrounds the food that we feed our families. 

Amy Parker Lawson is the Owner of All is Well Health and Wellness Coaching in South Carolina. 

Follow Amy on Facebook for great recipe ideas and encouraging blog posts, and visit Amy's website to schedule a a coaching session with her so that she can help you create a road map that will enable you to lead your family down the wellness road.  

In this episode, my friend Marea Parson and I use a metaphor of a polka dot umbrella to dive into the topics of generational racial trauma and racial inequality in America.   Marea is one of my oldest friends, and we are passionate about raising children who live in a society in which the dreams of MLK are realized.  We decided that it would be a good idea to tape one of our conversations about race relations in our nation and share it.  I encourage everyone to engage in conversations like this one. 

For more information about Marea Parson, visit  her website
You can also find her on facebook here and here.


Book Recommendations From this episode...

Be The Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation

Be the Bridge Website - There are tons of great educational resources here

Michael Morris, Professional Counselor and Pastor of Pastoral Support & Development at Seacoast Church, joins me on the podcast to discuss emotionally healthy leadership. 

He identifies red flags that may help a person realize that they are emotionally unhealthy, and then instructs on specific ways to safeguard ones own emotional health, as they serve the emotional health of others. 

This is a great episode to share with a person in your life who is in a leadership role, or who has the heart of a helper. 

We can all take something valuable away from this episode, as we learn to better lead those in our specific spheres of influence. 

Michael recommends the following books:

         The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero 

          Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge

          Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton 

In this episode, Madisson, with Strong Worthy Mama, helps us to understand what happens in the body physically during pregnancy and delivery, and how to rehabilitate properly. 

"Just because it is common, doesn't mean it is normal!"  

Madisson describes a course she has created to help women bridge the gap to physical wellness after baby and beyond. 

Madisson is a Physical Therapist turned stay-at-home mom.  After birthing her first child, Madisson saw the wide gap between care for a pregnant woman and care for the postpartum woman. 

She has since gained her Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialty and is working to bridge this gap through education. 

Madisson has created the company Strong Worthy Mama to be a place to read about postpartum issues and she also offers a postpartum course to prevent common injuries as women return to normal activities.  

Here are all the links that we mention in the show.  

Strong Worthy Mama on Facebook 

Strong Worthy Mama Website 

Postpartum Program 

Dr. Jones and I discuss mood disorders and treatment.  One of the main goals of this podcast is to demystify the world of mental health and treatment.  In this episode, Dr. Jones and I aim to do just that.  Dr Jones was trained in Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia and completed completed her clinical internship at The Medical University of South Carolina and VA Consortium. She has been licensed by the Board of Examiners in Psychology of the State of South Carolina since 1990. Dr Jones was a tenured professor of psychology from 1988 - 2019 at Charleston Southern University and holds the designation of Professor Emerita of Psychology.

For more information about Dr. Jones, visit her at drsusanjones.com or find her on facebook

Book Recommendations from Dr. Jones:

The Mindful Way Through Depression

The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress

Holly is a mom to four children, ages 10 down to 3.  She and her husband Matt moved their family to the country about a year ago to start a small homestead where they are currently working on creating their own little piece of clean, sustainable living for their family. 

Holly has a Bachelors degree in Biology which is where her love of science and medicine was sparked.  She is self-educated in holistic medicine after spending several years recovering one of her children from the effects of environmental toxicity.  She was also a personal trainer several years before having children.

Today she combines her knowledge of physiology, her personal training background and the application of natural practices to serve her clients as she helps them work towards their nutrition and fitness goals.  Her desire for each of her clients is to help them reach their goals in a way that includes a balance in both body and mind.   

You can find Holly on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/holly.t.stier

You can find Holly on Instagram here:   https://www.instagram.com/hollystier/?hl=en

You can request to be added to her private accountability group here:

 https://mysite.coach.teambeachbody.com/?coachId=1602435&locale=en_US#contact

 Book recommendation for this episode - Exercise for Mood and Anxiety:Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being 

Our guest, Amy Parker Lawson, owner of All is Well Health and Wellness Coaching discusses what motivated her to move from a career as a critical care nurse into the world of preventative nutritional care.  She ends our conversation with some great recommendations of foods that fuel a positive mood. 

Links from the show...

www.charlestonintegrativecounseling.com

www.alliswellhealthandwellnesscoaching.com

This Month's Podcast Sponsor - Island Bloom Herbals

Music Sponsor - Maddie Broderick

Book Recommendation - Anatomy of an Illness  By, Norman Cousins