By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC "Have you tried meditation?" "Maybe you should keep a journal." "Just take a few deep breaths." If you've ever responded to well-intentioned coping suggestions with an internal eye roll, you're not alone. In my years working...
By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC "The most dangerous narratives are the ones we don't realize we're telling ourselves." Three weeks ago, at exactly 11:43 PM on a Tuesday, I found myself standing in my kitchen, surrounded by more sticky notes than any reasonable...
By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC The sanctuary felt different that morning. Not the building—the feeling inside my body as I stood there. A tightness in my chest. A subtle current of electricity running through my limbs. My breath shallow, caught somewhere between...
By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC Let's talk about something real for a minute. As a therapist, I've had the privilege of witnessing and holding space for many women as they navigate the complex terrain of suppressed rage and silenced emotions. What I've learned from...
By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC The grocery store at 2 AM. The closet that stays shut for months. The garden suddenly planted in December. The playlist that loops endlessly through the night. The obsessive reorganizing of photo albums. The coffee cup that sits...
By Dr. Colleen Cira For generations, women and feminine-presenting people have been taught to fear their anger. We’ve been conditioned to believe that rage is dangerous, unfeminine, and something to suppress. We’ve been called irrational, dramatic, hysterical—our...
By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC Let's talk about that moment when you're standing in your kitchen at 9 PM, eating ice cream straight from the container, trying to numb whatever feeling you're desperately avoiding. Or maybe you're doom-scrolling through...
By Austin Newcomb, M.Ed., LPC, NCC Have you ever noticed how your body feels when you're trying to be who you think you "should" be? Maybe it's a subtle tension in your shoulders, a tightness in your throat, or an unsettled feeling in your stomach. These quiet...
By Austin Newcomb, LPC Have you ever noticed how some days everything feels overwhelming – the sound of your phone notifications makes you jump, the overhead light seems too harsh, and even simple decisions feel impossibly hard? Then there are other days when these...
I’m writing to you at a difficult time in our world. It is a time when most of us are overwhelmed, and many of us aren’t safe. A time when the world is literally and metaphorically on fire. A time where hate, division, and fear seem to be...