by Melanie VanderPol-Bailey, MSW, CSW-PIP

It has been a long winter.  Many of us are anxiously awaiting the days when the warmth of the sun allows us to linger outside and the trees and landscapes begin to explode into the bright green hues only Spring knows how to create.  We trust, that even though our current surroundings are white and still quite barren, that the geese, in their movement, know that changes are just around the corner.   We trust the calendar and climate will align and a new season will appear.

This place, in between the cold and gray before the bursting of new life can be a visual for transformation.  Each of us has a unique inner world, made up of our biological, psychological and spiritual experiences.  Our outer world, includes experiences within the context of community, culture and relationships.  Our inner world impacts our outer world and vice a versa.

When we get stuck, in unproductive, unkind or unhelpful thoughts or patterns of behavior; our interior landscape can feel gray and barren.  It feels difficult to connect with others and it is easy to get stranded in this spot.  This can be a time when unhealthy ways of coping with these feelings feels like a solution.  Another time, another drink, another episode, another snooze, another distraction, another relationship, another day…. These temporary choices often keep people feeling caught and moving through to a healthier way of being feels tough.

Often our inner world, how we think about ourselves and life around us becomes the foundation of how we exist and participate in our outer world.   Transformation truly is an inside job!  There are many paths to new ways of being and thinking.  Therapy is one path that   provides a safe place to begin.  At River Counseling Services in Platte, Sioux Falls Psychological Services, and Stronghold Counseling Services in Sioux Falls and in Yankton we will meet you where you are, offering hope. That is our mission. You may schedule an appointment at the Platte office at 605-337-3444 or meet with one of our Sioux Falls or Yankton based therapists from your computer, smartphone, or in person at any of our clinics. To schedule an appointment, please call 605-334-2696.