The weather’s been gorgeous. The tulips are blooming. The first day of spring has arrived here in Northern California. A perfect day to share my big news with you: on February 27th I passed the final test and am now officially a licensed professional clinical counselor! You might be wondering what all this means. Well, … Continue reading
Look Deep Love Deep Work Deep Play Deep * * * * * Comments are closed since I’m madly studying for exams (although blogging continues). I’m on at least a two month social media hiatus too but love hearing from you by email: pattybechtold (at) gmail (dot) com. You can also sign up for my … Continue reading
A warm night. The kitchen window wide open. I’m unloading the dishwasher, second nature. Feet moving along the well-worn path between cupboard and drawer. Hands depositing glasses, forks, bowls in their waiting places. Suddenly, I hear something that stops me in my tracks: the unmistakable sounds of a small group of people gathering. Laughter. Lilting … Continue reading
What if all the advice out there about needing a clear vision and destination for your life is misguided at best and harmful at worst? I sincerely believe that the people giving this advice are well-intentioned. Still, I cringe a little every time I see a variation of it (and there’s a lot of it out … Continue reading
Maybe I have a love-hate relationship with callings. I mean, they’re so wonderfully confusing aren’t they? The tug. The deep yearning. The promise. The daunting truth that sometimes it feels like you’re tracking a wily stranger who’s an expert at disappearing around every corner. Some people, I’ve noticed, receive very clear callings and are propelled … Continue reading
Want to know what I love about Charlotte Rains Dixon? She’s real. She’s present. She’s fun. She’s right here, right now. Charlotte lives in Portland and wears quite a few hats: Writer. Author. Writing Teacher and Mentor. Writing Coach. Blogger who writes about everything from how to use semicolons to the intersection of creativity and … Continue reading
Long ago it was David Burns who got me thinking differently about motivation. I still remember reading his classic, Feeling Good. There was a moment when my spine straightened, body coming to full attention as I read a certain passage over and over again. Within that passage was this nugget of wisdom: waiting around for motivation … Continue reading
During that whirlwind of destruction and letting go that I mentioned last week, I came across a marketing piece I wrote over 10 years ago when I started my business. It outlined the process of how I worked with clients, and spelled out each step: session one we do this, session two we do that, … Continue reading
I have to thank Charlotte, over at Wordstrumpet, for inspiring me to take on the topic of balance. Back in April she wrote a thoughtful post about balance that stayed with me for weeks. So I figured it was high time I wrote about balance too. As Charlotte tells it, there’s been some talk lately about how … Continue reading
Back in October I casually mentioned that not only was California the last of the 50 states to finally pass a law to license professional counselors, but that I had decided to go for it. I also said that because I’ve been a counselor for 10 years, I get a pretty good deal: the chance to … Continue reading
living deep studio 