The Pilot Program for free counseling being offered by New Hope Counseling and Services is in full swing in Marysville. MJ is in her final phase of her graduate program and is available for individual and marriage counseling. She is trained to help with a wide range of mental health concerns as well as communication issues in marriage and parenting, or in the workplace setting. MJ presents a very kind and gentle atmosphere and, if needed, works with the client to help them decide what their priorities are for therapy. Please call or pass along this phone number to anyone who might be interested in free counseling to apply for this limited-time offer:  425-330-3898

Thanks so much!

I have GREAT NEWS! 

The PowerPoint presentation titled “How To Help Our Kids Get on the Right Track With Communication and Social Skills” given at the Issaquah Middle School Seminar is now available online.  (Just click the title above, and another box will open up with the presentation.) 

I’m so glad because I’ve included so much information that I frequently give in parenting classes and counseling sessions that often gets forgotten quickly because there is SO MUCH TO LEARN! 

It’s hard to change our style of relating when there is so much to remember. 

This is the nuts and bolts information that offers alternatives to reacting and opens up opportunities for connection, modeling, and developing skills for you with anyone.  With the open-ended questions, we can help others with processing difficult situations and feelings, or help with learning from their mistakes.  (Mistakes are SUCH GREAT opportunities to LEARN!)  And we can model respectful communication instead of reinforcing with our behavior the very behaviors that we want others to stop doing.  We can foster deeper relationships which is the greatest protection we can give against promiscuous sex, addictions, and the rise of crime.  (A blog about connecting and the positive effects on self-esteem will follow on another day.)

By contributing to our little community, which could be our family or our workplace or our team, we help others find the importance of communication (connecting), of working together (cooperation), of being open to trying new ideas or focusing on solutions instead of problems (creativity), and of giving to benefit others (contributing), and this is a GREAT way to counteract our culture of self-centeredness (propelled by low self-esteem) which leads to unhealthy competitiveness and materialism (and probably many other negative outcomes.)

One might think – what is so special about THIS information? 

But these very basic principles are applied by communicators throughout many different settings, from homes, to schools, to the workplace, and even in the efforts toward global reconciliation.  These simple-appearing skills have phenomenal possibilities.

So take a look at that PowerPoint presentation and please feel free to let me know what you think of it.  You can email me at skosh@skosh.org or leave a comment below.  I’ll look forward to hearing from you!  And thanks for coming to Hard Wired!