Family gatherings are coming, and if dread is creeping in alongside the anticipation, you're not alone. In this post, we explore how Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy can help you understand why certain relatives trigger protective responses—and how to set boundaries that honor all parts of yourself. Whether you're navigating complicated family dynamics, identity differences, or unspoken trauma at the dinner table, discover practical tools for staying grounded and integrated this holiday season.

You Are Not Broken. You Are a Masterpiece in Progress. Trauma can make you feel fragmented, like a collection of disconnected pieces. But what if those pieces are actually the beautiful components of a powerful, resilient mosaic? At Mosaic Bloom Counseling, we don't just help you survive – we celebrate the unique, intricate artwork of your healing journey. Your experiences aren't flaws to be fixed. They are evidence of your strength, survival, and remarkable capacity to adapt. Every challenge, every protective mechanism, every moment of resilience is a vibrant piece of your story. We approach healing through a lens of radical compassion – honoring your full identity, recognizing the impact of systemic challenges, and supporting you in weaving your fragments into a breathtaking whole. Your story matters. Your healing matters. You are not broken – you are a masterpiece.

There's a kind of trauma that doesn't make headlines or fit neatly into diagnostic categories, yet it shapes countless lives in profound ways. Gender-related trauma is woven into the everyday experiences of those who face discrimination, invalidation, or harm because of their gender identity or expression. Unlike other types of trauma that happen at specific moments, gender-related trauma is often chronic and ongoing—the accumulation of being dismissed, invalidated, or told that who you are is somehow wrong. It targets your core identity, making you feel unsafe simply existing as yourself. At Mosaic Bloom Counseling, we understand that healing from gender-related trauma requires specialized, affirming care. Through approaches like EMDR and Internal Family Systems, we help you process these experiences while honoring all parts of your story. Your experiences are valid, your feelings make sense, and your healing journey matters.

"Just get over it already." "That was so long ago—why are you still stuck on that?" Sound familiar? Our culture loves the myth that healing should happen on a timeline, like checking off boxes on a to-do list. But here's the truth: your healing journey looks more like a spiral than a straight line—and that's exactly how it's supposed to be. In this post, I explore why the pressure to "move on" hits especially hard for marginalized communities, how your internal family system heals at its own pace, and why going "backward" in healing is actually a sign you're ready to heal at a deeper level. Your trauma didn't happen to a timeline, and your healing doesn't have to either. Every piece of your story—even the difficult ones—has a place in your beautiful mosaic.