The Cycle: Why Integration Is Where Healing Actually Happens
There’s a moment that happens after something big – After a therapy session that cracked something open.After a retreat that touched something you hadn’t felt in years.After a psychedelic experience that dissolved you into stardust and put you back together differently. And then… what? You go back to work. You make dinner. You forget to […]
🜃 Authenticity & Honesty in Therapy: Why You Don’t Need to Perform Wellness to Heal
Let’s be real. Somewhere along the way, therapy picked up a reputation for being a place where you have to “get it right.” Where clients feel like they need to say the correct thing, show up with the right amount of insight, and maybe even smile through the tears to prove they’re making progress. But […]
Depth Over Surface: Why Symptom Relief Isn’t the Whole Story
Duluth, MN When people search for therapy, it’s often because something in their life no longer feels manageable—overwhelming anxiety, chronic stress, relationship conflict, burnout, or symptoms that won’t go away. And while symptom relief is a valid starting point, at Northern Edge Counseling, we believe the healing journey goes much deeper than that. We call […]
Intention Setting is for the Birds
Understanding and Embracing Intentions As embarrassing as it is to announce to the world, I’ve never understood the obsession with intention setting. I’ve consumed all of the media that a practitioner of IFS and Energy Psychology techniques should, and I still never have felt a real connection to any sort of outcomes associated with it. […]
Why the Pain is Important
More often than not, I embody a used car saleswoman rather than a clinical psychotherapist. I spend a lot of my day asking clients to sit with the very feelings, thoughts, and experiences that they’ve spent a lot of their life avoiding. I try to outline the benefits of doing so, add some humor, console […]
Ending the “Fixer” Cycle
Ever noticed how you end up being the ‘fixer’ in almost every circle you’re in? The one everyone relies on, turning to you whenever chaos brews? This pattern shows up regularly with the folks that spend time in my office, and if I’m being honest, it’s a familiar story in my own life from time […]
Your Needs Are Not a Burden
If there were a handbook I gave to anyone starting their own therapy (or even just thinking about it), the title of this article would head the first page. It’s something that I wish every therapy client knew and could hold true both inside and outside of the therapy room. And in case it’ll get […]
How to Cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
As winter’s icy grip tightens, many people experience more than just the chill in the air. For some, this season brings with it a heavy, pervasive gloom known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly abbreviated as SAD). This mood disorder typically occurs during the darker months when sunlight is scarce and the weather is gloomy, and […]
Overwhelmed? Why Adding Another Checklist Isn’t the Answer
In the chaotic whirlwind that life is currently, we’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t experienced moments of feeling completely overwhelmed. Maybe it’s the result of juggling multiple responsibilities, meeting tight deadlines, or even just navigating the complexities of ‘doing it all’ that being a career-centered, family-focused, do-it-yourself type of person. Yikes! When […]
Stop the Endless Worry Cycle
How to Stop the Endless Worry Cycle Stress. Anxiety. Panic. Unease. Concern. Whatever word best describes that endless loop of worry, know that you are not alone in the experience of it. It’s like a bad song on repeat, and it can plague us in various aspects of life – from careers and parenting to […]
