Crescent Counseling, PLLC

It’s our birthday! 🎉

Crescent Counseling opened its doors a year ago today, and oh what a year it has been. Not a day passes that we lack gratitude for our community and its invaluable support. From mentorship, to referrals, to the wonderful clients who make this work possible, and those simply sending good vibes this way—Crescent Counseling’s success is thanks to YOU.

Thank you, thank you, thank you - and here’s to another year of growing, learning, challenging, and healing.

Crescent Counseling: Healthy Adults; Transformed Families

Words matter.

The old adage of “sticks and stones” is outdated and frankly, incorrect. How we think and speak— about ourselves, others and our world— impacts our experiences, relationships and sense of self. Every hour of every day.

People often enter the therapy office with a focus on “feeling better” without recognizing the power of their own minds (and mouths) to do just that. Neuroplasticity allows us to rewire our brains and change our lives. This rewiring takes time, dedication and intentionality and it starts with noticing our inner narrative. That little (or big) voice in our head that narrates, directs, judges, compliments, or distracts us as we move about or daily lives. When you take a moment to sit and mindfully observe your thoughts, what do you notice?

We all have thousands of thoughts a day, and while it’s not feasible to notice and attend to each one, becoming more aware of your internal dialogue will allow you to choose which pathways you wish to strengthen and which paths you’d like to travel less often.

In addition to mindfully noticing, take time to intentionally plant seeds of self compassion and empowerment by practicing daily affirmations— regardless of whether you believe the statements to be true in this moment. Nurture your relationship with yourself and watch as they take root. Children’s inner voices are created from the feedback they receive from their caregivers. Our words become their words. Words matter.

Comment below with some of your go-to affirmations!

As we enter another busy season of summer schedules and home projects— let us be intentional in honoring our need to not pour from an empty cup. What does it look like when you safeguard your needs?

It’s been a LONG winter here in Spokane, and like the rest of us, the littles in our lives may need some extra support to make it through the dark, cold days and seemingly endless illnesses. Too often, kids’ mental and emotional needs go unmet in the chaos of modern day life—with busy schedules, family stressors, and distractions galore. How do you support your child’s mental wellbeing?

May your practice lead to an increased understanding of your innate and utter wholeness.

Meet Amanda Russell MS, LMHC, RYT-200, mental health therapist and trauma informed yoga instructor. For over a decade, Amanda has been providing wholistic care in our Spokane community and beyond. The benefits of body-based interventions to address mental health permeates Amanda's goal as a yoga teacher, to create classes that are open and accessible to all ages, body types and backgrounds. She teaches with a trauma-informed approach, which means creating a safe, welcoming space in which students can learn ways to manage feelings and physical sensations through connections with the breath and increased body awareness. Amanda can be found at Flowing Tree Yoga, providing instruction both in studio and online. Visit www.flowingtreeyoga.com for current and upcoming offerings. You can also contact Amanda directly at [email protected].

With the holiday season here, it’s often a complex time filled with big feelings—for littles and grownups alike.

The biggest gift you can give yourself (at any time of year) is to allow yourself to feel & heal.

May your holidays include safety, comfort, acceptance and connection —with your family, friends, community or self.

It’s been a wet, gloomy day here in the PNW and much like the weather, we often can get stuck struggling with not having control over what we are experiencing at any given moment.

Sometimes the only way to “manage” our big feelings (of grief, anger, sadness, fear) is to allow our emotions to wash over us. A wise client once said she conceptualizes her moods as “emotional weather.” Just as a storm will eventually end, so too will your hurts - even those that feel strong enough to knock you down and rattle your foundation. The only way through it is to feel it.

Big feelings are uncomfortable and we typically would prefer to not deal with them directly. So we throw ourselves into work, stay busy with family or interests, distract with phones or numb our minds and bodies. But the kicker is, none of these tricks *actually* work, at least not long term.

We don’t have to like how our emotions feel to us in order to give them a name, accept them as valid, explore and nurture your needs. What are your emotions telling you? Are you listening?

This message from is the loving reminder we all needed today, don’t ya think?

🌘🌗🌖🌕🌔🌓🌒

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. To me, autumn has always marked new beginnings (maybe because I associate this season with 'back to school,' first for myself and now for my own littles). With the shift in seasons comes organic and consistent change that mimics the flow of life generally - this time of year in brilliant colors and crisp mornings that encourage us to slow down and reflect.

As we settle into cooler, shorter days let us become increasingly intentional about noticing and honoring the goodness in our lives, our world, ourselves. For many, we unintentionally attend to the aspects of life we wish were different, easier or "better." Those longings, while valid, can be limiting. Gratitude helps us find balance in a world that often feels relentlessly heavy. Actively practicing gratitude can rewire our minds and change our experiences in life, even (and especially) parts we can't control. Write it down. Say it aloud. Close your eyes, breathe deep and soak in a moment that may otherwise be fleeting.

What, or for whom, are you feeling gratitude for today?

Parenting is HARD work. Balancing the needs of family, self and other (work, chores, friends, etc.) can feel impossible, and parenting myths seep into our consciousness in ways we often can't name - yet the pressure can be immense.

What myths have you accepted as truths?

Parents (& guardians, grandparents, caregivers) - I see you. I hear your exhaustion, your worries and frustrations. I know you scroll the highlight reel on your social medias and while you try to avoid it, comparisons sneak in to steal your peace and rob some of your joy.

There are no Perfect Parents out there. We don't have "good" or "bad" kids. We're all human, and being a human is kinda a tough gig some days, don't ya think?

Talking about the myths that haunt us dispels their power. You aren't alone.

A little mid-week reminder that your growth, your process, is yours alone and does not happen instantaneously. There is no timeline for when you "should" meet a milestone or achieve a goal. Growth is not linear, nor is it always neat - it is often messy, heavy and confusing.

But out of the mess you will flourish.

We just learned it’s & couldn’t pass up the opportunity to introduce Popcorn, Calla’s sweet (nearly) two year old pup. Popcorn is bursting with playful energy and demands all the snuggles. {She isn’t in office; Popcorn is more of a work from home kinda pooch.}

The bond with a pet can be extraordinarily healing. Companion pets encourage us to be present and connected in a world that so often pushes for high tech, low touch lifestyles. For many, pets were (and continue to be) a lifeline during the early months of the pandemic and resulting isolation. Pets, particularly dogs, bring fun and play into our lives—both of which are vital to our health and wellbeing. We played lots of tug & fetch today! When is the last time you immersed yourself in play?

Crescent Counseling, PLLC updated their address.

Who needs one of these reminders today?

Take a few deep, loving breaths and let these truths settle where the shadows of self doubt and comparison sometimes linger.

As you move through this weekend, are you intent on gifting yourself rest?

Have you asked your body and heart what is needed in this moment?

Summer can be a busy, fun-filled season that can lead us to over schedule our days and under appreciate our need to recharge. Someone shared a quote recently about August being the Sunday of summer, and I couldn’t agree more. Let’s take these last few weeks to reflect on how we can best nurture ourselves and focus on rest & recovery.

Dr. Sarah Sevedge, Ph.D., LMHC beautifully writes on one of my favorite topics, connection to others--how it hurts and how it heals.

Sarah and I first met back in 2011 through mutual social circles, and soon realized we worked for the same mental health agency, only at different locations two hours apart. Since meeting I've had the privilege of watching Sarah follow her passions, earn her doctorate and open her solo practice, Hope in the Hills Counseling. Located in the heart of rural Eastern Washington, Sarah provides educated and compassionate care to the community she loves. Fully telehealth, Sarah is able to support adults throughout Washington and Idaho. For more information about Sarah's treatment modalities and focus, visit www.hopehillspullman.com.

Read Dr. Sevedge's full article on Medium.com (link in comments). Subscribe to The Curious Doctor Sevedge for more insightful posts on caring for ourselves and each other well.

Meet Calla, owner and therapist here at Crescent Counseling. Calla has been providing therapy in the greater Spokane area for the last 11 years, first in community mental health and later in group practice until Crescent Counseling opened its doors in June, 2022. It’s an honor and privilege to be a part of Spokane’s capable and compassionate mental health community!

Calla has extensive experience working with pediatric clients and families, however Crescent Counseling is different in how it seeks to work with adults and understand family systems and cycles to yield sustainable change rather than simply treating a child’s behavioral symptoms. Every kid deserves a healthy adult in their life and every adult–whether you are a parent or not–deserves to have resources and an appropriate place to process their own struggles, transitions, fear, and anxiety. That’s what Crescent Counseling seeks to provide: when you invest in healthy parents and adults, entire families transform.

Calla brings a depth of knowledge and experience working with young children through adults. She is passionate about understanding family systems, and collaborating with clients to work toward their individually unique goals. Emotional distress, life transitions, and a person’s past experiences all have significant impact on relationships and environments, including within family, friendships, school and work. Calla’s goal is to encourage healthy adults to better care for themselves and those for whom they are responsible by becoming more empowered, self-aware individuals. She is a real person, with a warm, open communication style and always integrates a healthy sense of humor into her work.

Originating from the coast of Lake Michigan, Calla moved to Washington in 2009 and the PNW has been home ever since. Whether it be in the kitchen or the arts, Calla loves creating and sharing experiences with her friends and family. Calla is a busy mother of two daughters (and her doodle pup, Popcorn).

This offering looks to be a great (and no cost) resource!

Free Online Parenting Event August 25th Using Neuroscience and "Love and Logic" to Raise Competent People.

A gentle reminder for us all as we enter another full week & a fresh calendar page, to intentionally make time for all the shifting pieces in our lives (and in our minds and bodies) to s e t t l e.

In the busyness of life, how do you make space for integration?