Positive Process Counseling & Consulting

07/16/2026

Your nervous system isn’t working against you. It’s working for you.
One of the most common things I hear is: I know why I feel this way… so why can’t I change it?
The answer often isn’t a lack of insight. It’s that your nervous system is still doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect you.
When your body has learned that the world isn’t safe, your brain will continue predicting danger even when you’re no longer in it.
That’s why healing isn’t just about changing your thoughts.
It’s about helping your body experience enough safety that your brain can begin updating its predictions.
This is why therapies like EMDR, Brainspotting, somatic therapy, and other nervous system-informed approaches can be so transformative. They don’t just help you understand your story, they help your body recognize that the danger has passed.
Healing doesn’t happen because you force yourself to “get over it.”
Healing happens when your nervous system no longer has to fight so hard to protect you.
Your symptoms aren’t proof that you’re broken.
They’re evidence that your body has been trying to keep you alive.

*What if your symptoms have been protection instead of failure?

06/21/2026

Today is the Summer Solstice, a reminder that light reaches its fullest expression before beginning its return inward. For centuries, people have honored the solstice as a time to celebrate growth, abundance, gratitude, and the power of intentional change.

This year, the day feels especially meaningful to me.

Today would have been my mother’s 80th birthday. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. Your love, strength, and light continue to shine through my life in ways both seen and unseen. I carry pieces of you with me every day.

As it is Father’s Day, I’m also reflecting on my dad. One of life’s unexpected gifts is that I now work from the home office where he spent so many years of his life, and I tend the flower garden in the yard he loved and cultivated. There is something sacred about planting, growing, and creating beauty in a space that once belonged to him. It reminds me that love doesn’t disappear it just changes form.

In the book Consolations, by David Whyte, he writes about friendship and relationships continuing even after people have passed:

“Friendship transcends disappearance: an enduring friendship goes on after death, the exchange only transmuted by absence, the relationship advancing and maturing in a silent internal conversational way, even after one half of the bond has passed on.”

I think this is one of the most comforting things Whyte ever wrote. His idea is that a deep friendship doesn’t end when someone dies. The conversation continues internally. We still consult them, hear their voice, imagine their response, carry their values, and continue growing in relationship to them. The friendship changes form, but it doesn’t disappear.

I am forever grateful for my parents, their love and support, and our continued relationship, even after their time on this earth has passed. Wishing everyone a beautiful summer solstice, full of hope, faith, and ever enduring courage.☀️

03/23/2026

03/15/2026

Introducing Angie Lake to the practice! Angie has a few openings available and here’s what she has to say about her therapeutic approach: “ I have a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and I am an ally for the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. I am a Certified Grief Informed Professional and a member of the LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah. I enjoy working with older children/teens, young adults, and adults having concerns with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, LGBTQ+ support, life transitions and changes, and religious trauma. I believe a strong therapeutic relationship and a variety of treatment modalities are the keys to successful therapy.”
Angie takes most insurances and EAP benefits! Message to get in and start working with Angie. Drop your insurance for EAP benefits in the comments so we can make sure we’ve got you covered!

03/11/2026

Before we used EMDR, when I was new to clinical counseling, my mentor, Cindy Jones, trusted me to help run trauma therapy groups with her. This was a poem that she shared with the group members. Those early experiences shaped the way I understand healing and what it means to truly sit with someone in pain. 16 years later, I was able to use this poem to help someone. It was a reminder of what a gift and pleasure it was to be trained by the best of the best thank you, Cindy. 💚

02/22/2026

Last night I took myself to the ballet.
No date.
No friend.
No distraction.
Just me.
It was the first time I’ve done something like that completely on my own, and it was surprisingly liberating.
There’s something powerful about learning to enjoy your own company in beautiful places. To not wait for someone to join you before you let yourself experience art, music, nature, or joy.
When we practice showing up for ourselves:
• We strengthen self-trust.
• We build emotional independence.
• We quiet the fear of being alone.
• We remember that we are enough company.
At Positive Process, we talk a lot about regulation. Sometimes regulation looks like doing something nourishing just because you deserve it.
Take yourself somewhere beautiful this week!
You might be surprised by how steady and whole you feel. 🩰🧚‍♂️❤️

02/14/2026

Research shows that connection with a pet can lower stress hormones, increase oxytocin, reduce loneliness, and create a felt sense of safety in the body.
That steady presence, warm weight beside you, and unconditional acceptance can be deeply healing to the nervous system.
This Valentine’s Day, we’re honoring all forms of attachment; especially the kind that helps us feel calm, connected, and well. 💌

02/04/2026

1. Breathe
Breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds exhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds. 3X
2. Cold Reset
Splash cold water on your face or hold something cold to your cheeks or chest.
3. Move & Shake
Stand up tall. Shake your arms, legs, and shoulders. Let your jaw relax. End with a power pose.
4. Grounding Statement
I am safe, I am secure, I am in charge of myself, I will be okay.

02/01/2026

As a mental health counselor, I deeply appreciate resources that meet new parents with compassion, honesty, and practical support—and Diamonds in the Rough does exactly that. This workbook gently normalizes the emotional complexity of the postpartum period while offering grounding tools, reflective prompts, and reassurance that struggle does not equal failure. It reminds new parents that even in exhaustion, overwhelm, and uncertainty, there is resilience forming beneath the surface. I would confidently recommend this workbook to any new parent navigating postpartum mood challenges who wants to feel less alone and more supported on their healing. ❤️ https://a.co/d/3apZHMZ

02/01/2026

🚨 Welcoming a Trusted Clinician for First Responders & Their Families 🚨

Positive Process Counseling & Consulting is proud to welcome Jodi Walker, CMHC to our clinical team.
Jodi brings years of experience supporting first responders and their families, with a grounded, compassionate approach to the realities of the job. She specializes in:
• PTSD & trauma
• Addiction & recovery
• ADHD
• Mood disorders
• Stress, burnout, and life transitions
Jodi is currently licensed in Utah and paneled with SelectHealth, with additional insurance panels coming soon.
If you’d like to get started now—or be placed on her priority waitlist as new panels open—reach out today:

📞 435-592-4150
🌐 www.natalietownsend.org