Counselor Johnson

Today, my high school best friend is on my mind and I wanted to share this post that I shared on facebook from when he committed suicide just over two months ago.   I’m going to talk about something that may make a lot of you uncomfortable. Feel free to stop reading, if this is not something you are ready to hear a different opinion on. But, if we keep “not talking about” it is going to keep happening more and more and more. And, I am slowly realizing that talking about is something we need to do more often. I’m talking about suicide and the numbers are on the rise. I’ve looked at the statistics, but I also know it from personal experience. Chances are you know someone that has committed suicide or attempted it, but I guarantee there are people in your life (maybe even you) that have seriously considered it. I am far from an expert on the matter, but I do have lots of experience both personally and professionally in this area. Sadly, “suicide” is a word that comes out of my mout...

Let's talk about your (elementary age) kids and the internet!  Just like the "real world" is a scary place, the internet is too.  The same people that your child could encounter if you let them roam freely in the world, they could meet online as well.  The thing about the internet, though, is that the bad people out there can gain access to millions of kids instead of just a few and they are doing it right under your nose.  While I do still believe that most people are inherently good at heart, we all know that evil exists in the world and as parents you want to protect your children from that evil as much as possible.  Let's talk about some ways you can keep them safe during those times that you need them to be entertained and have handed them a tablet or phone. When it comes to unsafe things online, you can't keep up with the latest scary thing out there because it is constantly changing.  There's always something new.  So, it is important to talk ...