TJ Walsh Counseling, LLC

One of the things that I'm most thankful for is the time that I spent at Eastern University. Not only did I receive a stellar education in the field of Counseling Psychology but I had the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with some amazing people. Two of those amazing people now work with me here at TJ Walsh Counseling. Recently, Eastern came out to my office to interview Tim, Emily and myself about our experiences at Eastern and now in private practice together. Check it out here (and be sure to scroll to the bottom and view the video): https://www.eastern.edu/samecloth

Is art worth it? Hell yeah, says graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks art has the power to scare dictators, inspire multitudes and change hearts and minds across the world. Reflecting on his journey to become an artist at a time when the world felt like it was burning, Brooks shares how creating something from a place of sincerity and passion can positively impact people in ways you may never know.

We are so excited to introduce you to our new website! Check it out and share with your family and friends - we are here to support you. www.tjwalshtherapy.com

We’re hiring a contract therapist! We are excited to announce an opening for an independent contractor therapist position. TJ Walsh Counseling, LLC provides counseling services for young adults, couples, artists and athletes. Special consideration give to therapists with advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, EMDR practitioners, art therapists.

"We have a biological need to be in connection with others that’s being challenged right now. Even if we’re staying at home with otherschildren, a partner, a petour nervous systems are asking to be cared for in a way that we're not used to doing."

https://www.decontemporary.org/appearances For this exhibition, Peters' asked a selection of respected and admired artists to create their interpretation of her 2016 piece self-portrait (orange), using the painting itself for inspiration and/or the source photo. This collaboration will transform the portrait with different hands and unique styles. "We critically judge each other on appearances, and I organized this group to break this one singular idea into layers reflective ...of the many ways we could choose to see ourselves and each other." Collaborating Artists: Dennis Beach, Katee Boyle, Monika Bullette, Joe del Tufo, Brandan Henry, Rick Hidalgo, M.K. Komins, Kelly Kozma, Max Levenson, Jenna Lucente, Chloe McEldowney, Adam Montgomery, Lauren Peters, Shawn Baron Pinckney, Bonaia Rosado, Terrance Vann, and TJ Walsh (TJ Walsh Studio) Image by: Lauren Peters and Terrance Vann

I often think that couples therapists have a certain experience with polarized relationships. We sit very often with two people who have no shared well of facts. You wonder if what they’re talking about happened in the same relationship. They systematically think that they are a rainbow with many nuances and their partner is all in black and white. They think that when they do certain things that are not nice, then it’s circumstantial. And when their partner does mean things..., it’s characterological. And they have very little ability to not experience the other person’s point of view as a threat. In that sense, there are quite a lot of similarities with what’s happening on a national level. We have actually shifted at this moment. Anand Giridharadas said a beautiful sentence, We are a nation that is no longer just in disagreement, we have disgust. And in intimate relationships, contempt is the killer.

We are excited to announce an opening for an independent contractor therapist position. TJ Walsh Counseling, LLC provides counseling for young adults, couples, artists and athletes. Special consideration given to therapists with advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, EMDR practitioners, art therapists. Therapists must be fully licensed (LPC, LMFT, LCSW, psychologist) with all clearances and have proof of liability insurance ($1/$3mil).... Electronic record system, HIPAA-encrypted email and telehealth platform provided. TJ Walsh Counseling is a private pay practice. As an independent contractor, you set all of your own hours. We are currently looking for therapist to provide telehealth counseling services. The therapist must be licensed in PA and be able to provide these services from their home office.

I recently sat down with my friend Kat from Create Magazine for a conversation on her podcast Art and Cocktails about why I believe artists sometimes feel stressed, inadequate, and behind on their work. Check it out!

TJ Walsh is featured in this article on Blood & Milk about how to prepare emotionally and mentally for the upcoming election. "The negative effect that President Donald Trump has had on the mental health of countless Americans over the past four years has reared its ugly head in a myriad of ways. What’s been called Trump Anxiety Disorder by some, the President’s polarizing rhetoric has been shown to give people feelings of a loss of control and helplessness, and fretting about what’s happening in the country and spending excessive time on social media.

TJ Walsh Counseling is growing! We are happy to announce that two new therapists have joined TJ. Tim Massaquoi, MA LPC and Emily Jubeck, MA LPC are excited to work with clients. Both are Licensed Professional Counselors in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They bring a wealth of diverse experience and look forward to meeting with you soon! Check out this link to learn more about Emily and Tim! https://www.tjwalshtherapy.com/therapists.html

So. That was #summer2020, huh? We made it. Against all odds. We made it. I hope that this summer brought you some joy amidst the grief and sorrow that we are all walking through. I can look back and see a bunch of high points. But mainly I prayed for you. I prayed that you would find peace in the midst of chaos. I hope that this next season will bring about a dying off of all that needs to pass away so that we can awake in the spring renewed.

Today has been about self care for me. I have been feeling FRIED. I’m not sure about you. But we finally have some sun and I went out for a quick run and also got some painting time in. How about you? What are you doing with your day? #selfcare #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealth #soulcare #therapy #therapist #tjwalsh #tjwalshtherapy

You guys. Today was a f-ing Monday, #amiright? I just couldn’t hold it together. Don’t get me wrong, I had really good sessions with my clients but I just couldn’t remain grounded very long either. I decided that I needed to do something to hold the frame so I went to the studio between clients calls today. This canvas is 3x5ft and it was blank at the beginning of the day. This is what it looks like now at 10:30 right before I close my eyes for the night. The image communicat...es to me a bind. It is comprised of several dialectics. Light and dark; windy/meandering and grounded; layered deeply and surface only. These contradictions or opposites represent how I feel lately. I’m trying to find my way to clarity and I know many of you are, too. Let’s find it together. #searching #being #human #clarity #oppositeday #grounding #mindfulness #bind #life #meaning #purpose #monday #tjwalsh #tjwalshtherapy #tjwalshartist

You all. This week was bonkers. I don’t know about you but the way that life is lately I often feel like I’m both coming and going, sitting still and running a race, breathing and holding my breath... I need to find some time for myself. A time where I can get away from whatever stresses me out. I call this time Nope Time. Nope Time can be a really engaging activity - for me right now it’s exercise (trying to learn how to run again ) or working in my studio (the photo is a detail of the painting I began today). Nope Time can also be a disengaging activity (for me, it’s watching trashy TV- something that doesn’t require a brain). The important thing here is that I escape any judgmentself or other inflictedfor a while and just...nope. What do you do after (or during!) a bonkers week to just...nope?

Hey everybody. Our world is once again mourning the loss of an important cultural figure, #chadwickboseman. For some of us, we may be experiencing intense feelings of grief over his passing. We might wonder why we find ourselves so upset over the loss of someone we never met, asking yourself why am I feeling this so intensely? Well I’m here to tell you that this experience is completely normal. In fact, anyone who we are capable of loving or developing an attachment to, we...’re totally capable of grieving. Anyone who plays an important role in anchoring our sense of who we are and what we value, someone with whom we identify, we experience the death of that person as the death of a part of ourselves. As human beings, we develop connections to those whose lives inspire our own. That’s how we deal with the sadness off a loss that differentiates the process of moving forward. One healing suggestion: speak with others who share the same loss whether you know those people or not. In the case of Chadwick Boseman, it’s important to acknowledge the sadness that you feel but also take time to emphasize what he symbolized in your life. Grief is the tax we pay for loving. And when we love someone greatly, whether we know them personally or not, we will also grieve them correspondingly.

So...a lot of my work as a psychotherapist consists of helping individuals and couples work through very difficult relationship challenges, and nearly everyday, I have a person sitting across from me in tears expressing frustration, hurt and anger. They often say something like: "He said I am sorry, but it’s at least the tenth time! I don’t know what to do. I am told that it’s my duty to forgive, and the y'all know I’ve tried. But each time I forgive him, he changes for a lit...tle while and then returns to the same behavior. I have a gut feeling I am handling things the wrong way. He never really changes, and I just get angrier. What should I do, TJ?! Sometimes we hesitate to forgive because we think it must automatically include reconciliation, but in reality these are two separate processes, and one does not always lead to the other. Check out this video to learn more about these two processes!

Hey everyone! Are you ready? The end of summer is quickly approaching (WTF, right?) and we are getting ready to send our kids back to school...well, sort of. For many of us, our kids will be home with us doing school virtually. Thankfully school districts have had time to plan and they are ready to implement both synchronous and asynchronous learning to provide your kid with the structure that they need in the classroom to learn well but we also have to do our part at home to provide structure that will work well for our families. Check out this video where I discuss three important ingredients for building out that structure!

Today is a beautiful day!

Have you ever noticed that when there is conflictor stalematein your relationship, it feels like you are stuck in a déjà vu cycle? You’ve experienced this before. The same argument, tense silence, or hurt feelings happen again and again. You don’t like getting sucked into the same conflict over and over, but it seems hard to break the cycle. You want the closeness you once had, and you’d like things to get back to normal so you can enjoy each other again. You’d like to know how to tame your relationship conflict cycle, but you’re confused about why you can’t. Check out this video to learn more about the cycle and then decide if you want to send me a message to get started in couples therapy!