Recovering from Gaslighting with Effective Trauma-Informed Care

A woman sits on the floor, her back up against the back of a gray couch. She holds her hand to her chest, and has a distressed look on her face.

We see people with a wide range of experiences. It’s common that some people we encounter in our work are recovering from gaslighting—a term that has grown in awareness in recent years. Trauma Informed Care (TIC), can help guide us to be supportive of those we serve who are recovering and healing through gaslighting experiences. …

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Well-Beingness: Caring for Your Whole Self on the Journey to Equity + Inclusion

We’ve previously discussed the vital importance of wellness for human service professionals. Not only does a focus on self-care reduce burnout and turnover, but it helps you better care for the people you serve.   We’ve shared service provider wellness skills adapted from our Healing-Focused Care model on our last Ripple blog. Today, continuing on …

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4 Tips for Minding Your Own Wellbeing as a Recovery Coach

A woman walks through a dark tunnel towards and opening of light, her shape silhouetted by the bright natural light.

Wellbeingness is vital for those working in many different fields, but for those in human services, and especially recovery, minding your own mental health is critical. If you work in recovery support services, you likely know that burnout and exhaustion are very real concerns.   So, how can we be aware of our own mental …

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Validation vs. Affirmation: What is the Crucial Difference?

An African American man's hand rests on a small rectangular chalkboard. "Impossible" is written in chalk, with the man's hand covering the first two letters, so it reads "possible".

In Motivational Interviewing, you may hear the term “affirmation” frequently. In Motivational Interviewing, we use affirmations vs. validation or confirmation. What’s the difference between affirmation and validation? Is it just a matter of semantics?   As we explore the techniques of Motivational Interviewing, we can learn how to affirm and hold space for those we …

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Guided Sharing Circles: Creating a Safe Space to Process Emotions + Connect

A woman sits at a desk, working on a laptop. She rests her head on her hand in distress and exhaustion.

Many of us feel overwhelmed by the prevalence of hate crimes and identity-based terrorism that surrounds us. How do we even start to unpack feelings when we see a shooting at an LGBTQ+ club that was supposed to be a safe space? When people are shot at the grocery store in a terrible hate crime? …

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Integrating the Principles of Healing Focused Care with Client-Centered Case Management

Two African American adults - a man and a woman - give each other a high five. They are sitting at a table outside, having coffee and working on a laptop.

These days, we hear a lot about being “client-centered” in our work, but many folks may wonder, what does that really mean?”   It’s a good question—after all, isn’t all service work client-centered? Client-centered case management sounds almost redundant.   But the truth is, if we want to build that all-important rapport with clients that …

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How to Build Motivation in Motivational Interviewing

A white lightbox sign sits on a workspace desk and displays the words "I can and I will" in black letters.

If you work in human services, chances are high that you’re familiar with Motivational Interviewing. Further, you may know a key component of MI is helping people build motivation to embrace healthy behavior changes. But how to build motivation can sound like a tall order and can sometimes be elusive to new learners of MI. …

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