Many men avoid therapy not because they think it won’t work, but because the version of therapy they imagine doesn’t fit who they are. They picture being told to talk about their feelings on command, getting handed worksheets, or sitting across from someone who won’t understand their life experience. The reality is often very different. Good therapy is not about changing who you are. It is about understanding what is keeping you stuck and finding a way forward. In this article, therapist Jacob Fike explores why men often hesitate to seek support, what therapy actually looks like, and how it can help with anxiety, grief, relationships, and life’s biggest transitions.
Read moreWhen Your Voice Goes Silent: How Somatic Vocal Awareness and IFS Therapy Can Help You Reclaim Your Power
Your voice isn't just how you communicate — it's how your nervous system signals safety, connection, and belonging. When early attachment experiences taught you that being fully heard wasn't safe, that learning doesn't stay in childhood. It shows up in the throat that closes mid-sentence, the words that disappear in conflict, the boundary you couldn't quite finish saying out loud.
At Green Willow Counseling, Christy Peterson, AMFT, brings a rare combination of classical vocal training and IFS-based trauma therapy to this work — helping clients understand not just why their voice goes quiet, but what it takes to bring it back.
Read moreWhat OCD Really Feels Like: Understanding Obsessions, Compulsions, and the OCD Cycle
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common, yet most misunderstood, mental health conditions. Despite how frequently it occurs, many people wait years, sometimes over a decade, before receiving an accurate diagnosis. That delay isn’t random. It stems from a mix of stigma, misinformation, and the way OCD actually shows up in real life—often very differently from what people expect.
Read moreUnderstanding Your Window of Tolerance: A Guide for Trauma Survivors
There is a concept in trauma therapy called the window of tolerance. It is one of the most useful frameworks for understanding what happens inside your body when childhood trauma still impacts you in your adult life. At Green Willow Counseling in Murray, Utah, we use this framework every day with clients across Salt Lake County who are working to heal from past trauma, abuse and neglect.
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