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In the Writing
Here at Untangled Mind℠, you'll discover my deep passion and ongoing pursuit of rigorous, evidence-based mental health care. Through this blog, I share thoughtful insights, practical strategies, and reflections drawn from the Untangled Mind Pathway℠, my structured, measurement-based framework designed to move beyond subjectivity toward real, trackable progress. I love exploring ideas that elevate standards in therapy and empower both clients and clinicians. Most posts have a companion episode on the podcast, so be sure to check out both.
Welcome, let's untangle the mind together!
After the Blast: On Endurance, Witness, and the Meaning of Survival
In studying moral injury, I became increasingly aware that trauma is not only psychological but profoundly ethical—a fracture in one’s sense of goodness, trust, and belonging. Through this work and continued research, the term Post-Impact Survivor emerged as a way to describe those living in the aftermath of such invisible ruptures. My thinking was shaped in part by Robert W. McChesney’s The Soul Also Keeps the Score , which explores how guilt, shame, and moral dissonance al
Piper Harris, LPC
Oct 26, 20256 min read
When the Soul Breaks
By the time she sat across from me, the uniform didn’t fit anymore. Her badge still shone, but it no longer meant what it once did. She had spent twenty years as a police officer, running toward what others ran from, believing that courage could redeem the chaos she’d been born into. Her childhood was marked by neglect and violence, the kind of wounds that teach a child to survive by control. She learned early that love was unreliable, that safety had to be earned, that worth
Piper Harris, LPC
Oct 20, 20257 min read
Seen
There are few experiences more powerful, or more painful, than the experience of being seen. To be truly seen by another human being can feel like standing in the light after a long season in shadow. It’s disorienting, intimate, sometimes terrifying. And yet, it is the very thing that allows transformation to begin. The Ache of Being Unseen I recently experienced this myself. To be within a group, yet unseen. Surrounded by people, yet unseen. What I felt was a tumult of emoti
Piper Harris, LPC
Oct 13, 20259 min read
Why Going Into Therapy “Dumb” Might Be the Smartest Thing You Ever Do
Let’s just say it; most people don’t walk into therapy hoping to feel like a student again. You’re likely overwhelmed, stressed, or...
Piper Harris, LPC
Oct 6, 20257 min read
Catching Flak: When Pushback Becomes a Wall
When I speak directly about problems in our field, as I did in a recent LinkedIn exchange , the reactions are telling. Many colleagues...
Piper Harris, LPC
Oct 4, 20256 min read
Overcoming Flight Anxiety: How a Structured, Data-Driven Approach Works
Flight anxiety is one of the most common fears I encounter in my practice. For some, it shows up as mild worry at the thought of...
Piper Harris, LPC
Sep 29, 20254 min read
The Tyranny of Choice
AI Generated Image We live in a culture that celebrates options. From careers to relationships, from what to stream on Netflix to how to...
Piper Harris, LPC
Sep 22, 20254 min read
When Tragedy Strikes: Understanding the Psychological Impact of Trauma
In the past weeks, headlines have once again reminded us how fragile life can be. When innocent lives are taken, whether through...
Piper Harris, LPC
Sep 15, 20255 min read
What Makes Counseling Work? Here’s My Answer.
What makes counseling actually work? It’s a question clients often carry into their first session, and one I’ve asked myself for years as...
Piper Harris, LPC
Sep 8, 20254 min read
When Contradictions in Care Leave Clients Unsafe: Why Termination Was the Only Option
As counselors, our first responsibility is always the well-being of the client. That commitment can sometimes place us in uncomfortable...
Piper Harris, LPC
Aug 28, 20259 min read
Steering the Ship: Standards, Boundaries, and Expectations in Relationships
Every relationship is like a ship. Some sail steadily toward their destination, while others drift off course or sink under pressure....
Piper Harris, LPC
Aug 25, 20254 min read
Unfinished Business and the Power of the Unsent Letter
The Gestalt Concept of Unfinished Business Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt therapy, often spoke of “unfinished business”: the...
Piper Harris, LPC
Aug 18, 20253 min read
Why “Resolved” Matters: The Missing Goalposts in Therapy
Most therapy models encourage clients to set goals , but too often, those goals are vague. “I want to feel better.” “I want less...
Piper Harris, LPC
Aug 11, 20253 min read
Food Is Memories: The Tangerine
In her short piece Borderland , found in The Art of Eating , M.F.K. Fisher captures something that neuroscience would later confirm: food...
Piper Harris, LPC
Aug 3, 20253 min read
What a 17th-Century Philosopher Got Wrong About Trauma (and What We Know Now)
Image: Lin Health In the 1600s, René Descartes famously wrote, “Cogito, ergo sum” ," I think, therefore I am . With that phrase, he drew...
Piper Harris, LPC
Jul 27, 20252 min read
Chasing Happy
A few weeks ago, I gave myself space for a practice I use quarterly: free association. Originally a psychoanalytic tool, free association...
Piper Harris, LPC
Jul 21, 20253 min read
You’re Not Too Much—You’re Just in the Wrong Room
There’s a lie that creeps into too many minds, especially the ones I work with. It doesn’t usually sound like “I’m worthless.”It sounds...
Piper Harris, LPC
Jul 14, 20252 min read
Truth Over Comfort: What I Say as Your Therapist Without Sugarcoating It
There’s a trending reel format circulating on Instagram: “What I’d say as your therapist if I wasn’t worried about your feelings.” But...
Piper Harris, LPC
Jul 7, 20252 min read
All I Need to Know If We Could Work Together Comes Down to a Shopping Cart
Small acts reveal big truths. The parking lot of a home goods store gave me all the data I needed. A mother and her teenage daughter...
Piper Harris, LPC
Jun 30, 20253 min read
When Talking Helps—And When It Doesn’t:
When Conversation Becomes a Loop, Real Progress Stalls Therapy is a space where people often expect to “just talk”—and there’s a reason...
Piper Harris, LPC
Jun 23, 20252 min read
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