“As a night nurse, I want to be able to tell clients that we are here not just for meds but also to listen to them” Rosemarie Stanton, RN, The Refuge – A Healing Place “Look at me. You called me strong. I always take care of you, my love, my family, my friends and yet I … Read More
I recently had the opportunity to train an amazing group of professionals at a hospital in eastern Oregon, and it had me driving right through the town where I grew up! I decided to take a little detour through the main drag (about a 5-minute endeavor) to enjoy a little nostalgia. When you drive through my … Read More
By: Angela Smith Therapist, The Refuge – a Healing Place Inner Child therapy is vital in understanding how we have become who we are. The first thing I tell anyone approaching inner child work, is that it is NOT about blaming, it is about understanding. Our experiences in childhood have an impact on who we … Read More
By: Cheryl Bailey Therapist, The Refuge – A Healing Place In this western culture we live in there seems to be more and more pressure to get more and more done faster and ever more efficiently. More and more, faster and faster. To just do a job well is no longer enough. If you met … Read More
Trauma can alter our entire being and the way we view our selves and the world around us. This is not a new concept, and perhaps Ancient Talmudic words illustrate this best: “We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Many trauma survivors are still stuck in the past, … Read More
By: Annie Kaja Reed, BA, CAS Counselor, The Refuge – A Healing Place “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness,some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, Who violently sweep your … Read More
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent” -Victor Hugo Entering group each morning I am often drawn to music as a means to quickly connect the energy of the group and set a tone. Not only can it connect a room full of people but it can … Read More
It’s hard to understand addiction sometimes. It’s really hard to understand when it’s someone you care for and they are looking back at you, clearly intoxicated by whatever their favorite form of controlled dissociation is (drugs, alcohol, sex, food/not eating food, gambling), and they are again lying, again manipulating and again doing all the things … Read More
When my father died several years ago, I received a number of sympathy cards from coworkers that suggested that I let my wonderful memories of my relationship with him from childhood and onward comfort me. As a grief counselor my thoughts immediately went to how interesting it is that people who knew nothing about my … Read More
It was one of those awkward first sessions of a grief group at the Refuge. Ten residents ranging from 18 to 40 something sat in a circle looking like they would just as soon be having a root canal. I had learned early on to acknowledge and address the discomfort in the room right off the … Read More
