Michael E Whalen LMHC

Here is a poem for the new year by Denise Levertov I recently ran across:

For the New Year, 1981

I have a small grain of hope—
one small crystal that gleams
clear colors out of transparency.

I need more.

I break off a fragment
to send you.

Please take
this grain of a grain of hope
so that mine won’t shrink.

Please share your fragment
so that yours will grow.
—Denise Levertov

Another study indicating that mindfulness training - 6 to 8 weekly classes - is effective for treating anxiety without medication.

Mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety as much as a common antidepressant drug, study finds The study is the first randomized clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation with that of the antidepressant escitalopram.

Spring is here! We are open and welcoming new clients.

DayQuest Life Counseling - Michael E Whalen LMHC on Google Spring is here and we are open and taking new clients. Call or text and we'll set up an initial consultation to find out how I can help with anxiety, depression, relationships, PTSD or trauma, substance use, career, or personal growth.

I am participating in Project Hero's Florida Honor Ride on February 5, riding 61 miles in support of injured veterans and first responders. This event helps provide recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration services to healing heroes across the country through life-changing programs that improve their mental and physical health and wellness. Please donate and help us save lives by restoring hope and purpose for those who have served.

Join the DayQuest Life Team and show your support in any amount toward this worthwhile effort restoring peace through healing. Thank You!
http://r2r.convio.net/site/TR/Cycling/General?px=1001499&pg=personal&fr_id=1770&autologin=true

2022 Florida Honor Ride Project Hero is a groundbreaking Veterans program started in 2008 that saves lives by restoring hope and purpose.

The world needs men's hearts

.mentalhealth

“We to have compassion for feeling sadness, anger and anxiety about what is happening to the planet while also focusing on solutions.” And, we are not alone in this, nor can we go it alone… reclaiming the collective “we”.

Climate psychologist says neither gloom-and-doom nor extreme solution-obsessed optimism is the best way to discuss climate change productively There must be an honest acknowledgment that no one person can solve climate change alone, says climate psychologist Renée Lertzman.

Swimming 🏊 Walking 🚶 Biking 🚲 Running 🏃‍♀️ Gardening 🐝 Hiking 🏞️
Any and All are good for your body. All are in Nature - Our Nature. What you do for the body you do for the mind. - Enjoy!

Swimming gives your brain a boost – but scientists don't know yet why it's better than other aerobic activities Mounting research shows that going for a swim can preserve memories, reduce mood disorders and increase mental acuity in all age groups.

We are here and ready to help you get through these difficult and challenging times. Call and we'll talk it over

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Once-a-year blooms on the Chorisia Speciosa tree remind us that life is a cycle—and that the more mindful we are that change is constant, the sooner we can also bloom again. — Read on www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-weight-ing-game/202009/what-can-nature-teach-us-about-being-resilient
https://michaelwhalenlmhc.wordpress.com/2020/09/12/what-can-nature-teach-us-about-being-resilient-psychology-today-canada/

What Can Nature Teach Us About Being Resilient? | Psychology Today Canada Once-a-year blooms on the Chorisia Speciosa tree remind us that life is a cycle—and that the more mindful we are that change is constant, the sooner we can also bloom again. — Read on www.psycholog…

Virginia Satir is a strong voice for self-compassion. Check out this video on self-esteem and self-acceptance.

Virginia Satir’s Essential Message About Perfectionism Perfectionism is rooted in an attitude of not being good enough, not accepting oneself; not accepting the fallibility of human beings. It leads to self-critical rumination, anxiety, depression, OCD…

Virginian Satir’s Essential Message About Your Essence
https://michaelwhalenlmhc.wordpress.com/2020/09/02/virginian-satirs-essential-message-about-your-essence/

Virginian Satir’s Essential Message About Your Essence Visit the post for more.

Nature as your partner in health, healing and wellbeing. We are Nature.We can only be as healthy as the organism on which we depend - Earth/Gaia

Ecotherapy / Nature Therapy Ecotherapy, also referred to as nature therapy or green therapy, is often used as an umbrella term for therapies that take a nature-based approach to healing.

I found this to be a good discussion to help me become aware of the racism I/we carry, understanding the nature of defensiveness and denial of the racism I/we carry, and why I/we don’t need to feel guilty over carrying that racism - unless I/we don’t take action to invite awareness of, understand, and counteract personal and systemic racism.

Robin DiAngelo on "White Fragility" - EXTENDED CONVERSATION | Amanpour and Company In her 2018 book “White Fragility,” Dr. Robin DiAngelo digs into unconscious bias--and why white people are so defensive when it comes to talking about race....

Honored today to present to the Rotary Club of St Petersburg West on "Coping With Covid".

Thank you John Caruso, President and Theresa Collins of Allen Collins Realty, Inc. for the opportunity to meet your wonderful membership who are dedicated to doing good in the world!

Thanks also to Ron Roodhouse of Rotary of St Petersburg Sunset for the opportunity to present for them a few weeks back, as well!!

It is good to know there are many good people doing good things in the world. Thank you for your work, dedication and heart.

Attention is the only thing we have to spend, be mindful of where you choose to pay it.

Made with Pond5: Mindfulness When life gets overwhelming, mindfulness is one of the most crucial tools at our disposal to help us recharge and prevent burnout. This week’s video reminds ...

Over 1,000 people are killed by police each year. Blacks are more than twice as likely to be killed than whites, 31/million vs 12/million, even though they are 13% of the population. Hispanics are also disproportionately killed (27/million vs 12/million). This is endemic, institutionalized racism and it has to stop.

Say Their Names!!! #GeorgeFloyd #BreoonaTaylor #AhmaudArbery This is one of my forms of protest, spreading awareness, and education in times like these. To continue to operate normally is to accept being desensitized t...

Mindful Healthcare Speaker Series — Register The Mindful Healthcare Summit will serve as a community platform for healthcare professionals to explore how mindfulness and compassion practices can help address the complex and systemic issues of chronic stress, overwork, burnout, and patient safety. The Summit will offer practical, evidence-based...

Michael E Whalen LMHC updated their business hours.

FYI -Please know that frontline essential service workers - grocery, health care, police, fire, EMT, nurses, Residential and Home Care workers, utility, garbage and other essential service workers can find support at CoronavirusOnlineTherapy.org a 100 percent volunteer-created and run therapy support service. Mission: To deliver free or low-cost online therapy by licensed private practice therapists to essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. We are supported by more than 3,500 licensed private practice therapists across all 50 states who have volunteered to provide free or low-cost, short-term, therapy services to connect essential workers across the United States with free or low-cost online therapy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Essential Worker Services: Essential workers who visit the Find A Therapist portal can be quickly matched with three participating therapy providers, simply by entering basic information such as budget, location and level of need.

All therapists who have volunteered to be part of the Coronavirus Online Therapy Network are offering four 45-minute sessions ranging from $0 to a maximum of $50 per session.

Therapist Resources: Coronavirus Online Therapy provides training and support for professional therapists through a dedicated online group and access to support networks. We offer continued education around how to help clients cope with the pandemic, as well as resources to ensure that they themselves don’t burn out while living through a shared trauma experience with clients.

Website: For more information, visit kwww.coronavirusonlinetherapy.org.

Social Media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

WELCOME | Coronavirus Online Therapy Pro-bono, free and reduced fee online therapy for Coronavirus COVID-19 frontline, healthcare, and essential workers.

Start with Gratitude for what you love and receive. Feel that Presence. When we embrace pain or fear, we grow - we get bigger, create more space in our heart and compassion for our own pain, and so have more room for the pain of our world, and we realize we are sharing it with our world - no longer alone. That is bravery, that is power.

Joanna Macy Embracing Pain A brief interview with Joanna Macy, writer and teacher of eco-spirituality. Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ec...

The Four Dimensions of Change In Active Hope, Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone argue that there are three dimensions of our ‘Great Turning’—the transition to a sustainable future, rather than just accepting collapse or the ‘Great Unraveling,’ or denying that we’re in a transition at all (the three possible stories we ...

I was terrible at mindfulness until I started taking anti-depressants Thanks, pills!

During times of turmoil or upset, when we feel lost, or what the Buddhist monk Pema Chodron calls "feeling the 'groundlessness' of life", it can be helpful to keep a couple of things in mind: First, remember that this experience is transitory - it will change; everything does. Recognizing that whatever is happening is temporary can help you to hold on, take a step back, and let the moments flow by. [ 385 more words ]
https://michaelwhalenlmhc.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/mindfulness-guides-to-help-you-through-difficulties-like-covid-19/

Mindfulness Guides To Help You Through Difficulties – Like Covid-19 [I am reposting this with the addition of the reference to the current COVID-19 crisis. It was first posted one year ago – February 2019 – but the concepts are relevant to every time. I…

Take a Mindful Approach to COVID-19 Dr. Christiane Wolf on how to mindfully curtail the spread of coronavirus — and keep a cool head about it, too.

Eco-anxiety and Ecological Grief are affecting many of us - not just scientists. Acknowledging the emotional effects of the climate crisis is a good first step to addressing it. A new Eco-anxiety & grief support group is proposed for St Pete in the near future. Contact therapistscouncil at Gmail dot com for info.

How scientists wrestle with grief over climate change With climate change altering our world at an increasing pace, scientists who monitor and study nature are frustrated and grieving.

Leadership Self Care: 3 Mindfulness Steps To Better Sleep

forbes.com The hectic pace of work creates a mind that spends the day ‘time-traveling’ ... replaying your last conversation and worrying about tomorrow’s appointments.

DayQuest Life Counseling - Michael E Whalen LMHC on Google

On-Line Therapy - Appointments Afternoons and Evenings Available
It really is as Easy as 1 - 2 - 3. From the Convenience of Your Home or Office

search.google.com Safe & Secure On-Line Video Counseling from the convenience of your home or office. No time to come to the office? Try On-Line Therapy It's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3! 1. Call for an appointment time convenient for you. 2. I will send a secure, HIPPA compliant, encrypted video link via text or email - No....

A New PTSD Treatment | Psychology Today

An fascinating article about how ART - Accelerated Resolution Therapy - can be part of a treatment plan to help heal deep trauma. You don't have to have had the deep trauma that this brave person talks about to benefit from an ART session. Trauma can build through childhood abuse, bullying or other types of less dramatic, but still very impactful events. Please contact me or talk to another therapist trained in ART to find out more.
https://michaelwhalenlmhc.wordpress.com/2019/08/06/a-new-ptsd-treatment-psychology-today/

michaelwhalenlmhc.wordpress.com An fascinating article about how ART – Accelerated Resolution Therapy – can be part of a treatment plan to help heal deep trauma. You don’t have to have had the deep trauma that t…

Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, and lower blood pressure — here are 12 science-backed reasons to spend more time outdoors

Ah, Nature! So many benefits for us, physically, emotionally and physically😊

businessinsider.com Psychologists and health researchers are finding more and more ways that being outdoors offers powerful health benefits.

#6 - Sustains Mental Health