Are You Doing Your Homework??

Whether you belong to the "therapy club" or are doing your personal growth work on your own, there's always homework to do. And at this school, every subject requires not an A, but an E for effort. Continuing effort to learn, grow, change, become enlightened, and Become Your Best Self!

I Believe In You!

New Professional Certification!

I'm proud and pleased to share with all of you that I have just been designated by the American Psychotherapy Association as a national Board Certified Professional Counselor.

You can view their website at http://www.americanpsychotherapy.com/about.php

This is a testament to my current and prospective clients of my commitment to the job I do- helping you Become Your Best Self!

Sincerely,

Karen Ray Israel, M.Ed., LPC, BCPC

New Client Discount!

Dear all Prospective New Clients,

I am offering a great discount on my initial diagnostic session.

Initial Diagnostic session is only $99! That's 25% off!

Subsequent weekly session fees will remain the same so please inquire about those.

This offer is good for a limited time only, so please make sure you let me know that you read this blog to receive the discount!

De-Stress and Eat Less!

Here's a great, cut-to-the-chase article I found on WebMD. If you ever struggle, a little or a lot, with keeping a healthy body as well as a healthy mind, this is the article for you. The best part is: if you can read it, you can do it!

I SUPPORT YOU 100%

Read The Article

Self Respect

http://www.dictionary.com/ defines:

re·spect - [ri-spekt] –noun
esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.

self-re·spect - [self-ri-spekt, self-] –noun
proper esteem or regard for the dignity of one's character.

One may not think of these two words much, and surely no attention to their meaning occurs in conscious thought. But the definitions shown above hold the stuff which makes me who I am and you who you are. Without self-respect, who are you?

Without self-respect you open yourself up to manipulation, exploitation, possible physical, emotional and mental abuse, and the inevitable disintegration of your self esteem. People with low self-respect could presently be or become:

• battered wives/husbands
• batterers
• doormats (easily taken advantage of)
• family scapegoat
• bullies

These people may feel:

• angry/annoyed/irritated/rageful
• resentful
• hopeless
• powerless
• depressed
• anxious

You can easily see how a lack of self-respect, in its smallest and largest forms, could change your life from healthy and productive to sickly and fruitless.

If you recognize any of these traits in yourself, don't wait until your symptoms become so confining that you sturggle to see your way out. Whether your issues are minial or monumental, I can help you overcome them.

Become Your Best Self!

Summer - The BEST Medicine!

Hurray for Summer!

Why, you may ask, am I so excited about summertime and why am I taking you along with me on my journey? Because summertime is Mother Nature's way of allowing us to safely overdose on the strongest and most potent medicine she has to give us! I'm talking about sunlight. The abundance of sunlight during the summer months (as well as spring and fall in some areas of the nation) helps bring about such wonderful healing. There is exhaustive research proving the positive effects of sunlight on our physiology as well as our psychology.

Physiclogically speaking, sunlight helps the body produce Vitamin D. This nutrient, when in ample supply in our bodies, helps prevent depression, lethargy, and sleeplessness, as well as a craving for carbohydrate-rich foods. You'll quickly notice that these symptoms are running rampant in many people during the winter months. And psychologically speaking, a mere 30 minutes out in the sun can surely turn your frown upside down! We feel better, happier, and energized.

Summertime sunlight also motivates us to get out of the house, be active, and exercise. Even at it's most mild, exercise has a tremendous effect on mood- specifically depression and anxiety. Some evidence suggests that exercise positively affects the levels of certain mood-enhancing neurotransmitters in the brain. Exercise may also boost feel-good endorphins, release tension in muscles, help you sleep better and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It also increases body temperature, which may have calming effects. All of these changes in your mind and body can improve such symptoms as sadness, anxiety, irritability, stress, fatigue, anger, self-doubt and hopelessness (Mayo Clinic, 2005).

So, you see- Summertime is here for your total gratification.

Take advantage!

Simply Put...

If you focus on what you don't want, that's what you're creating.

Focus on what you DO want!

Then it's yours for the taking!

Message of the Day

It's so easy to spot what others need to change, isn't it?

It's even easier to point it out to them.

But it's not so easy to give people the freedom they need to access the truth on their own. We think people can't see what's wrong with themselves. But as we know, we judge ourselves more than we judge others.

If there is someone in your life who just isn't "getting it", find a way to support and validate them. And if your instincts are crying out to give them a dose of cold hard truth, make sure you ladle it out with sensitivity and heart. Without that, you will only make them feel worse.

-Yehuda Berg's Daily Consciousness Tune-Up

I am here if you know anyone who may need help or is in need of change.

Pre-Marital Counseling Law?

You may have already seen this story on one of the major news stations and I thought I'd post an article which briefly explores the ramifications and implications of this proposed Pre-Marital Counseling Law.

READ THIS ARTICLE


Whatever should happen with this proposition, my opinion remains the same: entering into a marriage requires so much more than love. Pre-marital counseling can show you the truth behind every major issue that could make or break your marriage.

Have a great marriage!

I can help.

Pre-Marital Counseling

Before you say "I do", you need to make certain you know your future mate very well. You could probably learn a great deal about them just by noticing how they live their life. However, whether you learn by observation or discussion, it's best to get a clear picture of their character, lifestyle, and expectations.

My Pre-Marital program helps both partners evaluate 7 highly important core issues that can greatly affect your new marriage and the course your relationship will take. In-depth questions about lifestyle, children, faith, commitment, finances, ethics and character, and personality traits can bring pertinent concerns to light that you may have otherwise overlooked until the problem became too great to conquer.

Addressing these issues can help you determine what areas you mesh and what areas may be "red flags" that will point toward deeper communication and compromise.

Have the best marriage you can!

I can help.

Quote Of The Day

In the province of the mind,

what one believes to be true

either is true or becomes true.

-John Lilly

Quote of the Day

Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity.

Don't fight them.

Just find a different way to stand.

-Oprah Winfrey

Change

Sometime ago I was speaking with one of my cousins- someone who happens to be a very successful man both in his professional and personal life. We spoke of his job, and while he is a powerful decision-maker and mentor, he also often deals with the inexact science of peoples' psychological issues and how those impact their productivity at work. We talked about how those issues not only affect a person's work environment, but everything else in life as well. So how does one fix such issues...they change. And suddenly, he uttered a phrase that I haven't been able to get out of my mind....

"People aren't afraid of change... they are afraid of loss."

That is to say, we are more afraid of the consequence of change rather than the new act itself. I was astonished. All my professional life I have been focused on helping people find their strength to change, and while I had the concept down pretty well, I was never able to articulate the difficulty in change until I heard his words.

We are afraid to lose...something...anything...that previously brought us comfort, security, ease, manageability, or practicality. We look forward to the new thing we will acquire upon changing, yet have so much trouble letting go of what we must sacrifice to move closer to our goal. The goal could be minute or monumental- that doesn't matter. What matters is what we are leaving behind.

I'm not writing this to lure you into being an emotional pack-rat. I'm not trying to scare you away from reaching for your goals because a sacrifice is inevitable. I'm writing to help you see that what you sacrifice is precisely the thing you have acquired and therefore groomed to be the thing you give up for the next step. If you want to move up the ladder, you must take your foot off of the previous rung...no matter how long your foot rested and no matter the reason for it's long stay. It has served it's purpose and got you ready for your change.

There is no cause for fear.

You can embrace the new thing while you say a greatful and happy farewell to what got you there.

Change is good. Change is opportunity. Change is life. Life is change.

SEX: When Is The Right Time?

Here is a short and sweet article sure to help any adult*, either a novice at dating and sex or a seasoned veteran, make the appropriate and safe choice when deciding to begin a sexual relationship.

Adult: Regarding sexual activity; any person physically and emotionally mature to handle the consequences as well as benefits of embarking on a sexual relationship of any sort with any other consenting adult.

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

Calling All Couples!!

This is my plea to any couple that thinks that they may need counseling:

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL IT GETS SO BAD THAT YOU ARE READY TO THROW IN THE TOWEL!!
Sadly, I have come in contact with so many couples in my office whose last ditch effort starts at my door. Usually one of the partners is already emotionally detatched from the relationship and is coming in to appease their spouse. This is NOT the right way to tell your partner that you want to give your last breath to heal your relationship; it's a manipulation.

**IMPORTANT: We use all kinds of defense mechanisms and manipulations when we think we are not capable or allowed to set a verbal boundary about how we feel in the relationship. I understand this fully.

So, my message is this:

PLEASE DON'T WAIT FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO DIE BEFORE YOU TRY TO HEAL IT

SEEK HELP AT THE FIRST SIGN OF UNMANAGEABLE DISCORD

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WILL THANK YOU!

Welcome

Hello. My name is Karen Ray Israel and I am a psychotherapist serving Plano, Texas and the surrounding cities.
I welcome you.

My goal is to help individuals, couples, and families face their emotional issues with courage and strength while learning to grow and change in a motivating and safe environment.

When you are ready to make the necessary changes that can transform your life, I will be here to help you make it happen. Contact me for more information at karen.israel@gmail.com or at 972-989-8155.

Until then, I hope this site will be useful and enlightening.
-KRI

Let Me Be Your Teacher

What is a teacher?

First and foremost, a teacher is a friend, probably the most important friend you could have. Teachers are essential to our lives not because they’re so much smarter, older, or more knowledgeable about spirituality, but because they can see the heights of our potential, and they aren’t afraid to push us there.

When we feel like we’re below zero and still heading further south, our teachers can boost us back up and make us see things for what they really are. They believe in us when we don’t believe in ourselves anymore.

Teachers don’t help us so we’ll love them more, but they know that they are just a channel for positive energy and that the only way to truly help someone grow is to channel what is best for them. That’s why even when they tell us things that are difficult for us to hear or sometimes downright painful to realize, it can inspire us and make us feel great.

Essentially, they are simply plugging us back into positive energy. A true teacher understands that our soul already knows everything we could ever need to know, and they help reconnect that part of ourselves.

Please remember I am a teacher not because I am so much smarter, older, or more knowledgeable about spirituality or emotional growth, but because I can see the heights of your potential, and I am not afraid to push you there.

I hope for you to see me that way.

Excerpts taken from Yehuda Berg's Weekly Consciousness Tune-Up

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD?

PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder is psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events. The impact of these events last considerably longer than normally expected recovery time.

Read the DSM-IV (diagnotic and statistical manual of mental disorders) criteria

Read a more user-friendly and thorough explanation of PTSD

Causes of PTSD:
Single major life-threatening events: war, act of violence, accident, disaster; prolonged series of events: bullying, harassment, abuse, or living with a violent partner.

Symptoms of PTSD:
*sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
*flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
*impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you
*impaired concentration
*impaired learning ability (i.e., through poor memory and inability to concentrate)
*hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia)
*exaggerated startle response irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts
*panic attacks
*hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical
*obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind
*joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause
*feelings of nervousness, anxiety
*reactive depression (not endogenous depression)
*excessive levels of shame, embarrassment
*survivor guilt for having survived when others perished or for not having done more to help or save others
*a feeling of having been given a second chance at life
*undue fear
*low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence
*emotional numbness, anhedonia (inability to feel love or joy)
*feelings of detachment
*avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
*physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience

If you identify with any of these symptoms and want to know more, please call.

There is courage in seeking help. I can help you.

You serve and protect me...Ditto.

I am creating a new niche in my practice for Police Officers, Firemen and all emergency and crisis responders who struggle with the ongoing trauma that goes along with their respected positions.

Counseling for such individuals may include post traumatic stress disorder recovery, depression and anxiety management and recovery, stress management, and family therapy.

These mentally, emotionally, and physically taxing jobs can take a tremendous toll on a person's mood and demeanor impacting job, family, and self.

There is no shame in seeking help. I can help you.

Quote of the Day

"Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent"

Eleanor Roosevelt