Category: Start Here

  • #8: Re-Authoring Your Story: Vision, Reflection, and Integration

    After learning to regulate the nervous system, map trauma responses, and understand family patterns, the next step is re-authoring. Healing isn’t just about noticing what happened in the past — it’s about imagining what could be possible in the future. At Creative Fox Counseling, vision boards, journaling, and integration practices are part of our work Read more

  • #6 Seeing the Bigger Picture: Understanding Family Connections

    🌱 At Creative Fox Counseling, we believe that healing isn’t just about regulating the present moment — it’s also about understanding the story we carry. One of the most powerful tools for this is a genogram: a family tree that goes beyond names and dates to map patterns, relationships, and emotional dynamics across generations. *you Read more

  • #5 Mapping Your Story: Trauma & Resilience Timelines

    Once we’ve built tools for regulation, the next step is understanding. At Creative Fox Counseling, we often use trauma and resilience timelines to help clients see their life story in a new way. A timeline is more than a list of events. It’s a way of noticing the ups and downs of the nervous system: Read more

  • #4 Understanding Trauma Responses: How Childhood Neglect Shapes the 4Fs

    🌱 When we hear the word trauma, we often think of one-time, catastrophic events. But trauma also comes in quieter, ongoing forms — especially in childhood. Neglect, misattunement, or emotional absence can shape the nervous system just as powerfully as visible abuse. When no one consistently met our needs, our bodies learned ways to survive Read more

  • #3 Grounding with the Four Elements

    Once we know about the window of tolerance, the next question is: how do we get back inside it when stress pushes us out? One of our favorite tools is Grounding with the Four Elements, created by Dr. Kathy Malchiodi. Each element — earth, water, fire, and air — gives us simple ways to reconnect Read more

  • #2 Finding Your Window of Tolerance

    At Creative Fox Counseling, we often talk about the window of tolerance. Think of it as the space where your nervous system feels steady enough for learning, connection, and growth. Inside the window, we can pause, notice, and choose how to respond. Outside the window, survival instincts take over. The Three Zones 🌪️ Hyperarousal — Read more

  • #1 Checking In: Why do you start with the nervous system?

    Pause. Breathe. Connect: Meeting Your Wise Owl, Watchdog, and Possum At Creative Fox Counseling, we believe our clients are the experts in their own experience. One of the most powerful ways we begin is with a compassionate check-in — a moment to pause, notice, and connect with what’s happening inside. Instead of judging or pushing Read more

  • #7 The Drama Drama (Karpman’s Drama Triangle)

    In many family systems, drama serves to hold the family together. Many clients find this representation of changing roles in a family helpful as they begin to realize they want to identify as survivors instead of victims. Relationship Drama? Karpman’s Drama Triangle can help you Evaluate Your Role  During long-term conflict, people often switch between Read more