Writings from a Virginia Therapist who loves horses and helping.
Blog
Summer Stress: Managing Expectations When “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” Feels Like a Lot
Somewhere along the way, summer got recruited into the same marketing department as the holidays. It's supposed to be all lake days, barefoot evenings, and the kind of easy joy you see in sunscreen commercials. And yet — for a lot of adults, summer is actually one of...
Beyond the 50-Minute Hour: Why Therapy Intensives Might Be Your Shortcut to Feeling Better
Let's be honest: adulthood did not come with a manual, and if it did, someone lost it before shipping. Between work, kids, aging parents, and the sheer logistical Olympics of getting anywhere on time, the idea of committing to therapy every single week, indefinitely,...
How EMDR Intensives Can Jump-Start Your Therapy Journey
By Courtenay Baber, Gray Horse Counseling You've finally done it. You picked up the phone, made the appointment, and showed up. You are in therapy. And for a while, things are moving. You're making connections. You're having those "oh, that's why I do that" moments....
Are EMDR Intensives Worth It? Let’s Talk About It.
By Courtenay Baber, Gray Horse Counseling Let me paint you a picture. You've been in therapy for a while. Maybe a long while. You've got the coping skills. You can name your triggers. You've journaled until your hand cramped, cried until your mascara gave up, and you...
When the Past Shows Up Uninvited: The Long-Term Effects of Trauma on Life Transitions
Life transitions are supposed to feel like turning a new page — fresh start, clean slate, maybe a little confetti. And sometimes they do. But if you've lived through significant trauma, you may have noticed that major life changes have a peculiar way of dragging the...
EMDR Therapy vs. EMDR Intensives: What Is Best for Me?
So you've heard about EMDR. Maybe your therapist mentioned it, maybe you went down a late-night rabbit hole researching trauma treatments, or maybe a friend told you it changed their life. Either way, you're here — curious, maybe a little skeptical, and wondering what...