“It’s a little thing, but it’s a big thing.”

That was the thank-you message Michelle Livingston received from a friend who had shared a screenshot of her daily joke board with her middle school son, still in Zoom classes during the height of the pandemic. Her son would always reply—sometimes with a “haha,” sometimes with a groan—but always with connection.

Michelle Livingston lives in Davis, CA—where I live, too! One of Davis’s most distinctive features is its extensive network of bike paths and greenbelts. Michelle’s home is right along one of the city’s most heavily trafficked paths, popular with bikers, walkers, and joggers. In early 2020, as anxiety and uncertainty over COVID mounted, Michelle—who runs the farmers markets for a third-generation family farm and was worried about her frontline workers—wanted something concrete to keep her grounded and connected to her community.

Then came a simple idea: 

Get back in touch with hope, creativity, and the joy that brought you to be a helper in the first place. No extra supplies needed, just a pen and paper. This workshop will introduce It StARTS With You, a partnership between Origins Training and A Creative Leap focusing on using art to support the cultivation of resilience in helping professionals. Join us for a hands-on 60 minute workshop to discover how this series can bring the joy back into your work and life.

By: Andi Fetzner, LPC, PsyD In this cartoon by Liz Fosslien, we see two contrasting images that illustrate the impact of conflict. The first shows a tangled ball of yarn between two people—one on the left and one on the right. The individuals’ expressions convey anger and sadness, emotions likely resulting from the stress of […]

Written by: Andi Fetzner, LPC/PsyD Fred McFeely Rogers (better known as Mr. Rogers) famously offered the advice during times of trouble: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Many times throughout my life, I have needed that reminder and have found someone to lighten the weight of the stress of […]

Written by: Andi Fetzner PsyD You may have heard the phrase “hurt people hurt people” and thought that it’s just some fluffy way for people to avoid accountability for their actions. But what if this is the foundation for doing just that? When I know I have an injury, I can work to heal it […]