Blog - Cheerful Heart Mental Health Counseling PLLC

Temptation Bundling for Women with ADHD, Endometriosis & PMDD

The laundry has been in the dryer for three days. Your inbox is a crime scene. And ‘just do it’ has never sounded more laughable. If you’re navigating ADHD, endometriosis, PMDD, or PME, your brain isn’t broken — it’s under-rewarded. Temptation bundling is the science-backed strategy that works with your brain instead of demanding more from it.

When Your Body Feels Like a Stranger: Medical Trauma, Dissociation, and the Long Road Back to Yourself

You know that feeling when someone asks, “How’s your body doing today?” and you genuinely have no idea how to answer? If that resonates, you are not imagining things. And you are not broken. What you may be experiencing is dissociation, one of the most common and least talked about responses to medical trauma.

It’s Not All in Your Head: Understanding Medical Gaslighting vs. Medical Trauma for BIPOC Women of Faith

You’ve rehearsed your symptoms in the car. You’ve chosen your words carefully, trimmed the details, decided what sounds “credible.” If you’ve ever left a doctor’s appointment feeling more dismissed than when you walked in, this is for you. Medical gaslighting and medical trauma are two different wounds, and for BIPOC women of faith living with chronic illness, both deserve to be named, understood, and healed.

Faith-Based Trauma Therapy: What It Is, What It Costs, and What to Expect on the Journey

Faith-based trauma therapy blends clinical trauma treatment with spiritual support, but what does it actually cost, and how does healing work when your faith is woven into the process? This guide breaks down real pricing, explains what faith-integrated trauma therapy involves, and shares practical tips for making care accessible. Whether you’re navigating medical trauma, chronic illness, or spiritual wounds, you deserve support that honors your whole self.

Out-of-Network Therapy: Why Cheerful Heart Left Insurance Panels

Leaving insurance was not a decision we made lightly. We chose out-of-network therapy because your care should stay between you and your therapist, free from the audits and clawbacks that managed care imposes. Here is what that choice protects, and how out of network reimbursement can still work for you.

GTEP for Endometriosis: An EMDR Group for Medical Trauma

Endometriosis lives in the body long after the appointment ends, in the bracing, the flares, the dread before the next visit. GTEP for endometriosis is a group EMDR protocol built to ease that stored medical trauma, gently and without making you retell your story. Here’s what the group involves, who it’s for, and how to join.

Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP) FAQ for Patients

GTEP (Group Traumatic Episode Protocol) is a gentle and structured form of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). It helps people process difficult or traumatic medical experiences, like ER visits, surgery, or ongoing medical stress, in a safe, supportive group setting.

The Theology of Suffering: Faith, Chronic Illness, and Healing for Black Women

This post explores what it means to hold onto God when your body is tired, your faith feels stretched, and your pain is often misunderstood. For many Black women living with chronic illness, suffering isn’t just physical; it can be spiritual, emotional, and shaped by medical trauma, cultural expectations, and the pressure to “stay strong.” This post offers a faith-centered, trauma-informed lens on lament, endurance, and healing.

Healing Vicarious Trauma in Healthcare Workers: G-TEP FAQs

The Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (GTEP) is an evidence-based adaptation of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing). It allows participants to:
– Process distressing professional experiences in a structured, confidential group format.
– Reduce symptoms of stress, guilt, and emotional exhaustion.
– Strengthen resilience, self-compassion, and professional well-being.

Chronic Pain and Medical Trauma Guide for BIPOC Women

Chronic pain is personal. When medical trauma is part of your story, healing requires more than symptom management. It requires care that sees all of you. Explore how trauma-informed, faith-integrated care helps BIPOC women break the cycle of pain and reclaim their bodies, their peace, and their wholeness.

Resources for Therapists

Running a therapy practice means you’re always supporting others but you deserve support too. In this post, I’m sharing practical resources for therapists to help you stay grounded, organized, and protected as a clinician and business owner.

When God Feels Far Away: Understanding a Crisis of Faith and How to Find Your Way Through It

You used to pray with ease. Now the words feel hollow. If God has felt distant, silent, or impossible to trust lately, you are not broken, and you are not alone. A crisis of faith is one of the most disorienting experiences a person can go through, and it has a name, a history, and a path through.