Articles by Yvette Seltz

Not long ago, I observed a father playing with his young baby in our waiting room. The father and mother had been unable to secure a sitter and chose to bring the baby to their Discernment Therapy appointment. “Peekaboo! I … More

The party has ended. The guests have departed. I find myself vacuuming, cleaning, and laundering from the week’s festivities. Our daughter’s long-planned wedding reception has come and gone. Oh, the love, laughter, and joy that this house enveloped these past … More

Knock knock …hear that? It is the sound of opportunity knocking. What is that you say? It wasn’t loud and clear enough for you? My daughter texted me late this evening. She and her husband were about to view the … More

Most parents desire to shelter their children from discomfort, pain, and fear. Still, there will be times when our children will experience emotional and/or physical distress. The ability to manage stress and recover from trauma and adversity is termed resilience. … More

Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom far away, there lived… Anthropologists believe that storytelling is important to human existence. We use stories to make sense of our world, find meaning, and share understanding. Fairy tales teach values, ethics, … More

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. This ditty is so untrue. Most children have experienced teasing or bullying and felt the sharp sting of hurtful words. Helping children process this pain and develop … More

Our dog Bear is decked in her snowflake Christmas sweater anxiously pacing back and forth at my feet. My body is tired, but my heart is jubilant as my family arrives home tonight to spend the last week of Advent … More

As promised, here is my two-cents worth of advice to complete our 3-part discussion. This time of year, we tend to reflect and assess our lives, our purpose, and our impact on others. Invariably, there are people we have hurt … More

What if I hadn’t called? What if I said what I needed to say? What if I hadn’t lost my temper? What if I had listened? What if I got a chance to do it again, differently? (Insert deep sigh) … More

A penny for your thoughts? This phrase goes back to the year 1522 when the value of a penny was much higher than it is now. The question is frequently asked of a person who appears unusually quiet, distracted, or … More

There it sat. The last piece of pie was sitting in the pie tin, literally screaming my name. I longed to reach out and put it, and myself, out of misery. I remember this scene every Thanksgiving of my youth. … More

In part one of this series, I stated that friendship is one of the greatest blessings we can receive and give. Aside from family, a friendship circle is the place where we best practice love. Friendships invite us to not … More

Last week I mentioned how selectively making friends could open possible new worlds to us. This is especially true when we greet people with genuine warmth and interest regardless of age, culture, and social status. There are various ways we … More

Friendship is one of the greatest blessings we can receive and give. God’s intention of friendship is love. I believe God gives us friends for many reasons. One is to help us move forward when we are too frozen in … More

I got “ducked” on a beautiful night last week. Leaving Cottleville Wine Sellers, my friends and I returned to my Jeep to find a small, yellow, masked, rubber ducky sitting on my door handle. I was at once amused and … More

It all started with two lollipops. Recently, I witnessed a young mother take two lollipops out of her purse and hand one to each of her children. The candy was to occupy them quietly so that she could return to … More

Ah, the leaves have begun to turn. Coffee shops now offer their pumpkin-spice pastries, coffees, and teas. And the smell of cinnamon lingers in the air. Autumn has arrived. We say “goodbye” to longer days of light and hello to … More

I was coaching a client a few years ago who stated that since his divorce and job loss he felt like he was walking through fire. He expressed feeling fearful of an uncertain future and the compounding of the ever-present … More

As America tries to return to some semblance of our previously scheduled life, many of us are racing to keep appointments, get the kids to school, pick the kids up, get to work, etc. Old feelings of frustration and stress … More

Does the title of my article make you uncomfortable? It is a bit disconcerting, isn’t it? Lying…why do we do it? There are many reasons we choose to lie. We do it to avoid trouble, to not hurt feelings, to … More

This week I would like to talk about the term focus. We first learn about this term when we start school or attempt to learn something new as a child. As we enter mid-life, it is likely that we may … More

There are general expectations most of us have of life. We expect to celebrate anniversaries when we marry. We expect to celebrate high school and college graduations once all criteria have been met. We expect to gather to honor and … More