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 Blog post by: Erin Jones, M.A., M.Ed., LPC, NCC
Image from https://creativecommons.org Why think functionally? A functional approach is a whole-person approach. It is a process, not an event. It is a lens that helps a counselor consider how the physical, emotional, spiritual, and nutritional factors are all connected, and how each influences the whole person. What we put into our bodies, our minds, hearts, relationships, and spirits; emotionally, physically, spiritually, and nutritionally, what is coming out in each area, and the quality of each of these areas all provide data about the whole person. This is not just where symptoms such as depression or anxiety, bloating, fatigue, sleep disturbances, or irritability are treated, but where we can look at how each is connected and what the root causes might be that lead to the symptoms that eventually manifest. Yes, we want to help people feel better and reduce symptoms, but if the root causes of those symptoms are never uncovered and addressed, we are simply applying a band-aid to mask the real issues. Our bodies communicate all kinds of data to us. If we address the foundational issues, we impact symptoms. From the functional perspective, there is rarely a single root cause or issue leading to what are often multiple symptoms. Rather, there are multiple root causes for the symptoms that lead a person to seek care from a therapist or a doctor, and often, these begin long before symptoms are to the point of noticeable consequence for the client. It is also worth noting that honoring what we know about ourselves, or what a client knows about themselves, their body, their values, and goals is as important. Understanding what is working will give a provider important information as well! Consider the analogy of a spider’s web. If you look at the image above, can you decipher where one strand begins or ends? Where one strand in the web is separate, or not connected to another? Spider webs are designed to work as a whole system made of many parts, and those parts are made of many individual strands that all function as a whole for optimal efficiency. Similarly, our whole being, that is from the perspective of a functionally healthy person, operates the same way. As each strand in the web is connected and works in harmony with all the other strands in the web to serve its whole purpose, so too do our systems function best when working in harmony-each connected to the other systems for optimal, whole, well-being...  Blog post by: Erin Jones, M.A., M.Ed., LPC, NCC
Image from https://creativecommons.org Healthy Horizons, LLC, is a counseling practice in Northern Colorado with a strong emphasis on the holistic care of women of all ages and the people they love. As such, it seems appropriate that this month’s blog acknowledges Women’s History Month and the contribution of the women whose constant investment of love, support, and encouragement made the realization of our grand opening possible. As the founder of Healthy Horizons, LLC, I must acknowledge a gracious God and the constant love and support of my family. I am grateful for the steadfast encouragement that enabled me to see so many amazing clients overcome anxiety, depression, trauma, and discover more nutritious, meaningful, and spiritually fulfilling lives! Women have joined forces and participated in various social justice movements over the centuries to break down the sex barrier and secure women’s enfranchisement (Holton et al., 2014). Women’s History Month (WHM), though not the ultimate answer to the challenges faced by women today, can be considered the culminated underscoring of all those efforts. WHM has been celebrated during the month of March across the United States since 1987 and coincides with International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th. In 1978, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to pass Public Law 100-09 (West, 2019), and the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in California began to observe Women’s History Week. In 1980, former President Jimmy Carter formally proclaimed its observance. Soon after, several schools expanded National Women’s Week to a full month, and by 1986, fourteen states had adopted the expansion. Congress formally adopted the full month in recognition and celebration of women’s contributions and achievements in 1987. Today, the observance has its own website (https://womenshistorymonth.gov/), and teachers are encouraged to highlight the achievements of women in history all year long, even drawing attention to the personal female heroes in the lives of students. That is a win for us all! Further, modern researchers in specific fields of study are demanding recognition of their female predecessors who shaped their disciplines (Nature Portfolio, 2021; Nature Immunology, 2020). As a result, the long-overlooked and courageous stories of women who have impacted history are surfacing. For example, when was the last time you planned a trip or hopped on a plane and heard about Mary W. Jackson? Jackson was NASA’s “first Black female engineer and an aeronautics expert who specialized in how air flows around aircraft” (Nature Portfolio, 2021, p. 2). Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in 1849, not only opened the door for other women to enter the medical field, but she was an inspiring model for women’s advocacy and recognition. She was known for refusing assignments in male-run hospitals preferring to open her own hospital for women and children focusing on the poor and providing clinical opportunities for other women doctors (Moore, 2021). Katherine G. Johnson (1918-2020) was considered a trailblazer! She was a mathematician for NASA and her work included “calculating the trajectory for America’s first space trip with Alan Shepherd’s 1961 mission... [and] for the first actual Moon landing in 1969” (Wild, 2020). Women have also changed the perception of trauma and triumph. Consider Maya Angelou whose seminal work “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” (2015) remains so transformational to some that they compose autobiographies just to write about their reading experience with this autobiography (Trower, 2021). Women have shaped politics as well. For example, Jeannette Rankin entered Congress in 1917 and Patsy Takemoto Mink, who was the first congresswoman of color, was elected in 1965 setting an example for other women to follow (Sanbonmatsu, 2020). If you can think of an area in our history important to you, you can find women in history who helped shape it! The list of amazing women who have impacted history is long and diverse. To try and fit even a fraction of them into a single blog post would serve as an injustice to their contributions. Likewise, it is difficult to properly acknowledge the contributions of the many women who offered their love and support to me throughout the process that led to the establishment of Healthy Horizons, LLC. Some are pioneers and advocates for women in their own right! They set an example of exemplary service and dedication in their respective fields. Other women served as a reminder to remain true to one’s calling as wife, mother, friend, and believer in a faithful God eager to provide. Finally, there were a few women who challenged the negative self-concept that made the journey, well, grueling at best. To each of you who stayed the course: Janine, JoAnn, Deanna, Ashley, Molly, Gyann, Anastasia, Coreen, and now, Audra and Megan, Thank you-truly-deeply from the heart. (Read more for References) |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
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Accepting new clients for teletherapy within the state of Colorado or in-person sessions in Loveland or Fort Collins!
All of the therapists associated with Healthy Horizons, LLC are independent professionals with their own practices and are independent wellness businesses, separate from Healthy Horizons, LLC. |
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