Coastal Beaches Therapy
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
    • Therapy >
      • Specializations & Approaches
      • Services Not Provided
    • Sports Health Counseling >
      • Sports Health Counseling
      • Mental Performance
      • Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
    • Fees & Insurance >
      • Fees & Insurance
      • Insurance Reimbursement for Psychotherapy
  • FAQS
  • Resources
  • Let's Connect
  • Blog

www.coastalbeachestherapy.com

Coastal Beaches Therapy Blog

Amy Pope-Latham, LCSW

Mother's Day

5/7/2021

 
This weekend and especially Sunday will be difficult for women I know both personally and professionally of all ages and backgrounds.

My post here is not to take away the pleasure and joy of this holiday for people who genuinely enjoy it, but rather to give voice to the alternative experiences. This is my alternative experience. This Sunday and every day I remind myself of all the women who have in many ways been maternal figures to be throughout my life. Not just my own mom. 

The Mother's Day narrative that is pushed into reality as a Hallmark holiday isn't everyone's story. And recognizing other people's grief does not and will not take away from your joy. There are many people out there who are eager to have their own Mother's Day stories witnessed and acknowledged. This post is for you.

To those who are celebrating on Sunday please have your nice things! Delight in your parade. Savor them. And remember what you are experiencing is not a given. 

Vulnerability And Mental Toughness

9/11/2020

 

.@notthefakeSVP on Dak Prescott's transparent comments about his mental health and the humanity of professional athletes: pic.twitter.com/E5VwWwj6sz

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2020
In recent news, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Dak Prescott had the courage to speak openly about his depression and grief. A sports columnist openly dismissed Presscott's vulnerability, going as far to say it weakens his leadership qualities. ESPN anchor, Scott Van Pelt responded to the remarks by using his voice to acknowledge the person behind the helmet who spoke openly and bravely about his mental health and emotional pain. Van Pelt also took the opportunity to use his platform to validate and empower athletes to speak openly about his or her mental health. Thank you Scott Van Pelt for saying what needed to be said. We must continue to build a culture within sports where we can drop the veil of shame in speaking openly about mental health. There is NO shame in mental health. 

Grief is The Price We Pay for Love

2/12/2020

 
Picture
As a therapist specializing in grief therapy, I want to hear about the person who brought joy, purpose, and love to the life of my client. I am a firm advocate of applying a non-violent approach to my therapy practice. That being said, one of the most violent acts a therapist can do is try to help and "fix the pain". To clarify, a violent act is not a punch to the face. A violent act in therapy is the therapist taking over a client's organic process of feeling, healing, and grieving by trying to offer "expertise" on how to fix something.  So how does one "fix" grief? You can't.
​I am not here to take over the process of grieving for my clients. 
​I strive to create a space where my clients can grieve but also feel connected to their loved ones. Talking about a loved one, talking out loud to a loved one, and speaking the name of a loved one out loud in conversation are all normal processes of grief. There is no "right" way to grieve. 
"While grief may look like an expression of pain that serves no purpose, it is actually the soul's acknowledgment of what we value most" 
One thing you need to know about grief: We never move on from grief. If anyone ever tells you that you will move on after someone has died, please tell that person to go sit down somewhere and leave you alone with that poor advice. We learn to move forward carrying the love and eternal memory of the person with us. 

Meeting of the Minds with Kacie Main and The Better You Podcast

9/17/2019

 
Picture
I am so excited to share the news of this freshly released podcast episode with you! 
I recently sat down for a conversation with Jacksonville local, Kacie Main, who is both the author of her book "I Gave Up Men for Lent" and host of "The Better You" podcast. 
Kacie beams with joy and she is clearly passionate about learning and inspiring others. During our conversation, Kacie (with permission of course) picked my brain about my most favorite topics in mental health, including EMDR therapy, the neurobiology of trauma, and mindfulness! 
​
Click here for the link to Episode 7 of my conversation with Kacie for Apple 
Click here for the link for Episode 7 of my conversation with Kacie for Stitcher

Picture
This community continues to surprise me in the most incredible ways and I am so thrilled to be here in Ponte Vedra Beach knowing people like Kacie are here shaping the world into a better place. I know I for sure look forward to hearing more from Kacie. Something leads me to believe she is on to something special with the work she is doing. 
If you have not done so yet, please give a follow to the incredible Kacie Main Instagram account @kaciemain_writes and of course, tune into and give a follow to the podcast @thebetteryoupodcast. 
​

Therapy and The Whole Person Perspective

2/18/2019

 
Picture
I am a huge advocate for using a strengths-based perspective. So when I meet with someone for session, I am going to ask "what's strong in you?" rather than "what's wrong in you?" 

When I would have resident physicians shadow me as a therapist in Tallahassee, I would often get asked questions that focused on finding connection with adolescents and finding ways to get to the roots of presenting mental health issues.

 I will never forget a specific conversation I had with a resident one day. He told me that during his rotation in the emergency room, he said he had seen an adolescent patient who attempted suicide by slitting his/her wrists and didn't know where to begin or how to begin talking to the teenager. I encouraged him to start where the patient is. 

Through his lens, it would have been expected of the resident to look at the physical cuts to the wrists and begin treatment there. But I invited him to acknowledge that patient, that person's pain. Yes, physical pain is obvious, but clearly that person was in a kind of pain that modern medicine, no matter how advanced, could not directly touch. 

That kind of pain can be more significant than any physical pain you or I can experience considering we can find refuge in knowing a blood test, IV infusion, or over the counter prescription can locate the root of the issue and give us relief. 

Healing begins the moment we feel heard. So why are we not making greater efforts to listen? 

Grief and Loss

1/28/2019

 
Picture
Grief is not a linear process. Grief changes the various ways we make sense of our world with one less important person in it. When I encounter things such as these John Lennon stamps, I don't think back to the Beatles themselves. My thoughts take me back to warm memories of a beloved best friend and our connection that was founded on the Beatles and their music and I am so grateful for receiving this random yet powerful reminder of her. Find what soothes you and connect to that. Find refuse in your memories. 

Setting Boundaries

1/28/2019

 
Picture
Do not let fear steer the wheel of your life decisions. You can accomplish a lot more looking at things through the lens of love rather than the lens of fear. Once we can acknowledge we are saying no with love instead of saying yes with fear, setting boundaries could become a lot less painful for some. Have a great start to your week! 

An Alternative Thought on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

1/25/2019

 
Picture
Generally speaking, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works by breaking down the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes and how these processes relate to how a person behaves (and emotionally responds). 
.
.
Let’s look at this model from a different lens, or a somatic lens: you experience an event your BODY responds with a feeling (e.g danger, fear, excitement, happiness, pain) feeling gets translated into thought/opinion/memory (e.g Is it safe? Is it going to be painful? Can I get hurt from it? Maybe I should post that selfie to show my ex how I’m thriving) you respond and go from there (aka your behavior) 
.
.
.
What’s my point? I hear A LOT of horror stories of folks having their feelings invalidated. Your feelings are so important. YOU are important. And when you are able to identify what you FEEL you can identify the thought and if you can do that, you can do ANYTHING.

    Author

    Amy Pope-Latham, LCSW is a board certified mental health professional in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
    ​Amy specializes in working with high performance athletes and adolescents. 
    Amy is a certified EMDR therapist and also works with a variety of issues including: grief, anxiety, depression, panic, obsessive compulsive disorder, and perfectionism.

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018

    Categories

    All
    Adolescents
    Anxiety
    Athlete
    Beaches
    Biology
    Coping
    Coping Skills
    Counseling
    Eating Disorders
    EMDR
    Family
    Grief
    Healing
    Insurance
    LCSW
    Loss
    Medical
    Medicine
    Mindfulness
    Parenting
    Ponte Vedra Beach
    PTSD
    Sports
    Sports Psychology
    Substance Abuse
    Therapist
    Therapy
    Trauma
    Trauma Recovery

    RSS Feed

Follow along for the latest updates!
COPYRIGHT © 2023 COASTAL BEACHES THERAPY​. 

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
    • Therapy >
      • Specializations & Approaches
      • Services Not Provided
    • Sports Health Counseling >
      • Sports Health Counseling
      • Mental Performance
      • Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing
    • Fees & Insurance >
      • Fees & Insurance
      • Insurance Reimbursement for Psychotherapy
  • FAQS
  • Resources
  • Let's Connect
  • Blog