Recent Articles of Sunset Community Counseling

Living Without Applause

With the advent of the new Wonder Woman movie, I have once again read a number of accolades about role models for girls. Each round of breathless wonder at women finally being given opportunties to shine so that little girls have examples after which to pattern their dreams, makes me pause to consider, “Did I…

Gratitude

Several years ago, while we lived in the mountains, we went for many months with no hot water, which, of course, meant no shower. Sadly, showering is part of my morning wake-up routine. At least I had water and a wood stove. As though having traveled back in time a century, each morning I got…

5 Attributes Happy People Have In Common

Happy People Have These Attributes in Common If you’re looking to join the few happy people that exist in the world, it’s important to do your research. You may notice that pretty much all happy people have a few traits in common, and you may wonder how you can replicate these attributes in yourself. Unfortunately,…

Living a Minimalist Lifestyle

Jettisoning Your Stuff for a Happier and Healthier Life The term ‘minimalism’ immediately conjures of images of a furniture-free home with clean white interiors. But minimalism isn’t about throwing away your worldly possessions and depriving yourself, rather it is about decluttering your life from scratch, and changing your mindset so you can begin to finally…

Grief Timeline

The Grief Timeline is one of the Activities for Awareness. It allows clients to begin their examination of what has shaped and honed their lives. Often this intervention is too difficult to do alone because it touches deep within us—places where we would rather not think about or revisit. Let those fears, concerns or attitudes…

Enjoy a More Productive New Year with Micro Resolutions

New Year with Micro Resolutions Everyone has a New Year’s resolutions and unfortunately most of them aren’t completed. Some want to lose weight, go to the gym more often, exercise more or stop smoking. It’s not that you don’t have what it takes to complete something, far from it. Sometimes it is just easier and…

Attain Inner Peace and Change The World

Ways to Practice Mindfulness in Everyday Settings The world is ever-changing and each day, we–as the human race–face problems collectively and as individuals. As each day passes, it would appear that humans on this planet are becoming more and more divided. This division has incited violence and has led many of us feeling stressed out,…

Sugar Season

Sugar Season When the temperature drops and fall wind gusts spin piles of dropped leaves in circles, you know the start of the sugar season is here. It begins with the arrival of Halloween candy on reception desks, at bank teller windows and in your home. You may smile as you grab your first bite,…

The Importance of Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal Communication Importance Nonverbal communication refers to all the other ways, other than words, which are used in communicating. More specifically, it encompasses the symbolic messages, which are expressed through variation in intonation, vocally produced noises, body posture, gestures and facial expressions. Anytime an individual speaks, he is not confined to the mere emission of…

Communications – Huh?

What does it mean to communicate, converse, dialogue and discuss? What is the Purpose of Communication? At it’s simplest form communication is the passing of information from one person to another. This passage of information is an exchange of ideas, facts, emotions, or opinions that allow us to connect and share ourselves with others. It…