Towards Health: A Blog | Seattle Counseling | Alison Withey

Family Rituals, Children and Divorce

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Alison Withey | 0 Comments

Divorce is hard and painful for everyone in a family. One way to help your children through this time of confusion and change is by maintaining your family’s pre-divorce rituals while also creating new ones. Rituals and traditions provide us with meaning in our lives. We often use rituals to mark transitions, the exiting of old and the entering of…

Resolutions and Reflections, Ushering in a New Year

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Alison Withey | 0 Comments

The New Year is a time of reflection and resolutions. Ellen Goodman writes that often “we spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our…

Finding Strength, Clarity and Peace of Mind

It is when we step outside of our “thoughts” that we can begin to venture into who we truly are.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Alison Withey | 0 Comments

Our brains are constantly active, sending us a constant stream of images and thoughts as we try to make sense of our lives, the world and ourselves. When we examine ourselves we are often our own worst critic, daily judging and finding fault with our abilities and who we are. Over time if our negative thoughts are left unchallenged we…

The Universe will knock upon your door and offer you the breath of no regret. Are you listening?

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Alison Withey | 0 Comments

There are moments in life that take our breath away. These moments alert us to the mystery and wonder of life, leaving us with a deep sense of awe. We also have moments in life that are jolting or shocking. They too take our breath away, and remind us of the fragility of life. They whisper to us that life’s moments are limited,…

It is when we pause our life, that we can find our life

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Alison Withey | 2 Comments

We move through our days, full A jumble of directions, activities and deadlines Infused with worries and joys Our minds They jump from past to future, future to past And then they circle around again At times a blur We anticipate, we remember Always thinking Always thinking But what if All at once we take a pause Allow ourselves to…

It is through your capacity to create change in yourself that you create change in the world

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Alison Withey | 2 Comments

When we are feeling stuck, or let down in our lives we may feel sad, powerless or angry. We may, without even realizing it, engage in certain behaviors in an attempt to deny or mask those feelings. Suddenly we may find ourselves believing nothing ever changes in our lives or that the world has left us behind. The truth is that our world…

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Alison Withey | 0 Comments

Picture in your mind an infant. This child is fast asleep in bed, nestled amongst soft velvety blankets. The fresh scent of baby powder and shampoo permeates the room and next to you are the sounds of a soothing lullaby from a music box on the dresser. Slowly, the child begins to stir. First an arm…

“I” is the most intimate of words

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Alison Withey | 2 Comments

To want to connect with others is instinctual; we are social beings to the core. How we behave, what we do in a large part is driven by our desire to be seen and heard, connected and accepted for who we truly are. These connections, our relationships with others are one of the ways we measure how satisfied we…

Meditations and Reflections on the Meaning of a Life Well Lived

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Alison Withey | 1 Comments

The measure of a life well lived is an intensely personal belief, shaped in part by one’s family and one’s cultural norms, as well as one’s age and experiences in life. But for all the differences that may be found, there is also a vast number of commonalities. Our commonalities I believe are what…