Setting boundaries comes up in nearly every therapy session I have — and one of the biggest obstacles isn't knowing why boundaries matter, it's knowing how to actually set them. DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) offers some incredibly practical tools for exactly this. In this post, I'm sharing three of my favorites: the Dime Game, DEAR MAN, and Check-the-Facts, and how I use each one with clients.

Somewhere along the way, self-care stopped being a gentle invitation and became a performance. For those in healthcare, caregiving, or high-pressure roles, that pressure can make self-care feel like one more thing to fail at. Drawing on KC Davis's framework from How to Keep House While Drowning, this post explores what it looks like to release the all-or-nothing standard and find a gentler, more realistic approach to caring for yourself.

I've now been through CE audits in two different states in less than one year. One ended with a failed result, a permanent NPDB report, and real consequences for my practice and my patients. The other was resolved in 2 weeks with clear communication, no punitive fallout, and a process that actually felt fair. This post is about the second one — the Arizona BBHE audit I passed — and what it taught me about what ethical, proportionate licensing oversight can look like when a board gets it right.