Signs You May Be Experiencing Vicarious Trauma You work with people carrying heavy stories. But are you carrying them too? Vicarious trauma happens when you absorb the trauma of the people you serve. If you’re a caseworker, social worker, nurse, or frontline worker, this might feel familiar: Common signs: -Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected -Hypervigilance: […]
Burnout doesn’t always look like exhaustion. Many people experiencing burnout are still showing up for work, caring for others, and getting through their day. On the outside, they seem fine. Underneath, they may feel anxious, emotionally exhausted, disconnected from themselves, or unable to truly relax. Common signs of burnout can include: • Feeling constantly “on” […]
I was on a podcast recently (Airdrie Inside, if you want to track it down) and the host asked me to explain EMDR. I reached for the metaphor I always reach for, because it works: think of the way your mind processes experience like a paper shredder quietly running in the background. Most of […]
Many people come to therapy saying, “I have anger issues.” What often follows is a story of feeling misunderstood, values undermined, boundaries pushed, overwhelmed, dismissed, hurt, exhausted, or pushed beyond their limits. The truth is that anger is one of the most misunderstood emotions. We are often taught that anger is bad, dangerous, disrespectful, or […]
Sometimes we know that a belief is no longer helping us—and still cannot seem to let it go. It may sound like: “I have to handle everything myself.” “If I make a mistake, people will think I am incapable.” “If I set a boundary, they will leave.” “I need to know exactly what will happen […]
She described her morning the way a lot of my clients do, as evidence that she was handling it. This was a typical morning with six decisions before 10am. A complicated email from a colleague, managed. A question about a project deadline, answered. Two back-to-back meetings, covered. She was responsive, competent, and visibly on top […]
Why High Achievers Struggle With Rest: Understanding Burnout, Guilt, and Overfunctioning | Amority Health June 7, 2026 Austin, TX Written By: Rachel Cooper, MS, LPC Associate Supervised by Dr. Amber Quaranta Leech, LPC-S Why Rest Feels So Hard for High Achievers For many high-achieving adults, rest doesn’t feel restorative, it […]
Is It Introversion or Avoidance? How to Tell the Difference | Shifting Perceptions | Amority Health Written By: Rachel Cooper, MS, LPC Associate Supervised by Dr. Amber Quaranta Leech, LPC-S Is It Introversion or Avoidance? We all say no sometimes; skip plans, leave early, or prefer quiet time. But how do you […]
Burnout is a form of emotional exhaustion that can occur in response to persistent and unrelenting stress. Since COVID-19 lockdowns, many people struggled to establish boundaries between work and home, and, in some cases, to juggle the twin demands of work, home school and childcare with no supports in place – the perfect combination of […]
Your anxiety is not just chemical. Your depression is not just trauma. Underneath, almost always, there is a quiet idolatry no one ever taught you to look for. I am not talking about statues and altars. I am talking about the much more painful kind — the kind that happens when a wounded soul, in […]
