Uncategorized | Holistic Counseling in Richmond, VA Laura Giles, LCSW

What Is Your Princess?

Posted on August 10, 2021

When working with someone new, one of the first questions that I often ask is, "What is your princess?" If you think about the fairy tale template, it's pretty much the same from story to story. The prince sees a lovely maiden and wants to be with her, but there is a terrible obstacle. It could be a curse, a dragon, poverty, or a geographical impasse like a volcano. If the prince can't overcome the obstacle, the princess is forever out of reach. It's important to know what your princess is when starting therapy because we all need something to keep in front of us that keeps us going. So, your princess has to be something compelling or else you may turn and walk away when the going gets tough. In...

Toxic Goodness: Why Your Goodness Hurts You

Posted on June 10, 2021

in Uncategorized

by Laura

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Is there such a thing as toxic goodness? Can you ever be "too good." Isn't goodness universally, well, good? Anything that is out of balance can be harmful. Let's take a look at why your goodness hurts you. Everyone grows up in a family that shows them what is expected. When we behave outside of those rules, we can be shamed or punished. For example, if we share our toys, we are praised and given positive attention. If we don't, we might be scolded and corrected. Worse, we may be told we are being bad. Since we all have a desire to belong and no one wants to be negatively judged, we learn to toe the line. In addition to family rules, there are social rules that vary from place to place....