Nurturing growth, one session at a time
In-Person and Virtual Counseling Services for Individuals
About Happy Cactus Counseling
I'm Jourdan, MA, LPC
I am here to meet you where you're at with unconditional positive regard, empathy, compassion, and expertise.
It's nice to finally meet you!
Why Happy Cactus?
As an Arizona native, I have always been in awe of and admired cacti.
The cactus is a truly remarkable plant and draws many parallels to the human experience.
They are adapted to thrive in the harshest of conditions, exhibiting resilience in the face of so many challenges. They draw strength from within and continue to stand tall and strong in our desert landscape.
They come in a great variation of shapes and sizes, from the towering Saguaro to the small barrel cacti and everything in-between. Despite their many varieties they are unique and special in so many ways.
The cactus is incredibly resilient and despite their tough exterior, many cacti produce vibrant and truly stunning flowers. They can encompass both challenges aplenty and moments of beauty.
The cactus has needed to develop unique strategies for survival and these strategies have contributed to their growth and resilience. Despite what they experience they continue to grow.
Some even showcase a form of interdependence, surviving and thriving through connection and support.
While these comparisons are metaphorical, they shed light on the idea that, like cacti, us humans possess an inherent capacity for adaptation, resilience, and the ability to find beauty and growth even in the most challenging of times.
Both cacti and the human experience are complex, diverse, and shaped by the the various interactions and elements of life.
Trauma
Trauma results from exposure to an incident or series of events that are emotionally disturbing or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. It is normal to feel anxious in certain situations, such as before a test or when meeting new people. However, if you feel anxious most of the time and it interferes with your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder.
Depression
Depression is a mental illness that can cause a person to feel sad, hopeless, and worthless. Some people may experience changes in their appetite or sleep patterns, and many people feel like they can't concentrate or make decisions.
Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are behavioral conditions characterized by a severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological and social function. Types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorder, pica and rumination disorder.
Body Image & Health At every size
Body image is a combination of the thoughts and feelings that you have about your body. Body image may range between positive and negative experiences, and one person may feel at different times positive or negative or a combination of both. Body image is influenced by internal (e.g. personality) and external (e.g. social environment) factors.
At its core, Health at Every Size (HAES) is about accepting your body size and focusing on health, rather than weight. It encourages people to eat healthy foods and exercise for their own sake, rather than to lose weight.
There is a lot of debate around the HAES movement. Some people believe that it is the key to ending the obesity epidemic, while others believe that it encourages unhealthy habits.
Attachment
Attachment is the emotional bond that forms between infant and caregiver, and it is the means by which we get primary needs met. It then becomes an engine of subsequent social, emotional, and cognitive development. The early social experiences stimulates growth of the brain and can have an enduring influence on the ability to form stable relationships with others. Attachment provides us our first coping system.