
Mental Health Blog
Advanced Counseling of Bozeman believes you are your own best healing resource — and you don’t have to do it alone.
Explore our blog for perspectives and tools to support your journey toward better mental health and lasting wellbeing. We believe in using evidence-based, heart-centered methods and trusted, effective modalities to achieve the peaceful, purposeful, and fulfilled life that you deserve.
Acquaint yourself with the work of our experienced clinicians and see if their work speaks to you.

Navigating Unsolicited Advice: Boundaries and the Power of Choice
When advice comes uninvited, it can feel more like pressure than support. This post explores why people give unsolicited advice, how it impacts us, and ways to respond without resentment or disconnection.

Harassment in the Workplace: The Hidden Mental Health Toll
Workplace harassment doesn’t just impact job satisfaction — it can quietly wreak havoc on mental health. In this post, we unpack the many forms of harassment, explore why it often goes unspoken, and offer support strategies for those affected.

Why I Unplug from Social Media for the Month of August
Unplugging from social media each August helps me reset, reconnect, and practice the presence I encourage in therapy. This post explores how a digital detox can reduce stress, improve sleep, and support emotional well-being.

How Do We Play?: Incorporating Play as an Adult
Play isn’t just for kids — it’s a powerful part of adult mental health, too. In this post, we explore the 8 “play personalities” and how you can rediscover what lights you up. Not sure what your play style is? That’s okay, let’s get curious together! Because the more we play, the more fully alive we feel.

Keeping a Routine in the Summer: Why It Matters (and How to Make It Work)
Summer can be a blast — but the lack of routine can throw kids (and parents) off balance. This post shares simple, flexible ways to build a summer rhythm that supports regulation, reduces stress, and still leaves room for fun.

Grief, The Last of Us, and What it Means to Keep Going
Grief doesn’t follow a script — it can be quiet, angry, numb, or all of the above. This post explores how The Last of Us reflects the many faces of grief and what it means to carry love forward after loss.

Cultivating Wellness: How Gardening Nurtures Mental Health
Gardening can be a powerful complement to trauma-informed therapy — offering stress relief, a sense of purpose, and connection to nature. This post explores how tending plants can support mental health and well-being, especially in Bozeman’s unique climate.

Understanding Setbacks in the Brain
Setbacks are a part of life — but how we respond to them can shape our resilience. This post explores how the brain processes failure, why mindset matters, and how small, intentional steps can help rewire your brain for growth. Learn practical tools backed by neuroscience to turn challenges into opportunities for strength and adaptability.

People Need Play: Why is Play Important?
Play isn’t just for kids, it’s a vital part of how we grow, connect, and regulate at every age. This post explores how play supports brain development, emotional resilience, and lifelong wellbeing (yes, even for adults).

Your Body Remembers: Healing After an Abusive Relationship
Leaving an abusive relationship is only the beginning. This post explores how the nervous system continues to respond after leaving—and what healing can look like with support, patience, and compassion.

From EMDR to Movement: The Power of Movement for Mental Health
Movement-based activities like walking, swimming, and biking don’t just boost physical health — they also help regulate your nervous system and support emotional processing. This blog explores how rhythmic, bilateral movement mirrors therapeutic techniques like EMDR and why your daily exercise might be offering you more mental health benefits than you realized.

Living with Grief
Whether you've lost a loved one, a relationship, a job, or even future dreams, grief lives in the spaces where love and stability once bloomed. It’s messy, personal, and unpredictable.

What Therapists Wish Their Clients Knew
Therapy can feel like unfamiliar territory — but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Here are a few honest, supportive reminders to help you feel more grounded, seen, and empowered in the process.

Becoming a New Parent: What No One Tells You (but Should)
Becoming a parent is a major life shift — and it’s okay if it feels messier than you expected. Whether you gave birth, adopted, or became a parent another way, this post explores the emotional complexity of early parenthood, the mental health challenges that can come with it, and ways to care for yourself during this transition.

The Healing Power of Animals: How Pets Boost Mental Health
In today’s fast-paced, disconnected world, mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, and loneliness are on the rise. Amidst the search for effective coping strategies, one solution stands out for its simplicity and profound impact: caring for animals.

When Connection Hurts: Understanding Toxic Relationships and Their Impact
Not all relationships are supportive. Learn how to recognize toxic dynamics, understand their impact on your mental health, and take steps to protect your well-being.

Everyone Has a Story: A Therapist’s Reflection on Narrative Therapy
We all carry stories that shape how we see ourselves. Narrative therapy helps uncover the moments we’ve overlooked — the ones that remind us we are more than our struggles.

Coming Home to Yourself: The Healing Power of Inner Child Meditation
Have you ever noticed how part of you still reacts like a child in certain situations — feeling scared, small, rejected, or unseen, even as an adult? That’s not a flaw.

Understanding Postpartum Depression: You’re Not Alone
Bringing a new baby into the world can be a joyful experience but it can also come with unexpected emotional struggles. This post offers compassionate, practical insight into postpartum depression (PPD), including signs to watch for, causes, and steps that can help you feel more supported and understood.

Why Belonging Matters for Mental Health
We all want to feel like we belong. Whether it’s with friends, family, coworkers, or within a neighborhood, a sense of connection is a basic human need — and it plays a powerful role in our mental health.