Staff Introductions- April Twenhafel

About April I love how everyone has a story that tells how they’ve ended up where they are today. Sometimes it’s a dream that is passionately pursued. Other times it can feel like a series of circumstances that have fallen into place. I see my own journey to becoming a therapist more of an evolution. As a bright eyed and bushy tailed 18 year old, I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Family Life Ministry with a focus on Social Work. I spent…

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People Pleasing

Most people are very uncomfortable with feeling like someone is angry with them or that they have disappointed them in some way. As human beings, we enjoy being liked by others! That is a core experience we long for even as children. For example, a toddler frequently checks in with their parent’s facial expressions because they are looking for affirmation that they are doing something pleasing. What is mirrored back to us as children is a part of how our sense of…

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Technology & Social Media’s Effects on Teens/Adolescents

In the Teen Mental Health Crisis podcast by NPR, I was surprised not just at the amount that mental health has declined for children/adolescents in our country, but also at how little people are aware of this ongoing crisis. We constantly hear of the Opioid Epidemic in our country, rightfully so, but the teen mental health crisis seems to be an issue everyone has forgotten about. The podcast cited research that states episodes of major depression have risen somewhere around 60% among…

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Defense Mechanisms

In the Teen Mental Health Crisis podcast by NPR, I was surprised not just at the amount that mental health has declined for children/adolescents in our country, but also at how little people are aware of this ongoing crisis. We constantly hear of the Opioid Epidemic in our country, rightfully so, but the teen mental health crisis seems to be an issue everyone has forgotten about. The podcast cited research that states episodes of major depression have risen somewhere around 60% among…

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The “Wait” of the World

I reflect about our current times… “Unprecedented times.” “A new normal.”And as I reflect, I feel myself pulling away from the present. I want this “wait” to be over . I spend more time thinking of how to make it to tomorrow than sitting with the world as it is today. When I’m focused on tomorrow I am scared. I feel I don’t have enough… Enough time to figure this out, enough resources to stay protected and healthy for however long and…

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What Anger Means to Me?

Are you curious about why you get angry so quickly? I am too. Often times I ask myself “Daisy you know you don’t want to get upset about this and yet you do …” Many of us were raised with the belief that anger is bad and people should not get or be angry. Although we might be familiar with flight, fight, freeze, we can encounter “fight” at its extremes which can sometimes result in violence, sometimes even death Growing up as…

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