Just Try Counseling Blog

This blog is a mix of reflections, insights, and real-world observations about therapy, mental health, and everyday coping strategies. I write about what I notice in my work, in life, and in the messy in-between moments that shape us.

You’ll find posts on topics like anxiety, stress, relationships, self-awareness, and personal growth, but don’t expect a one-size-fits-all guide or a list of “shoulds.” Therapy isn’t about thinking the right way; it’s about exploring what’s real and useful for you.

Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and I hope something here helps you feel seen, supported, or a little more grounded.

All Posts

Mind Mapping for Mental Health: A Simple Way to Journal When You Feel Overwhelmed

Mind mapping is my favorite journaling technique when my mind feels cluttered or overwhelmed. It’s one of the best tools I’ve found for mental health journaling , especially when you need to dump out everything swirling around in your head. I first discovered mind mapping back in high school during a creative writing exercise, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Sometimes our thoughts, emotions, and worries are so tangled that it’s hard to make sense of them. That’s where mind

Jessica Schladt

20 hours ago2 min read

Let's Talk About Journaling Part 3: Using Prompts

Journaling can take endless forms. The important thing is that there’s no right way to do it. There are completely unstructured ways where you can just open up your journal and start writing. If you feel free to do so, please write to your heart’s content. What I’ve found in my work, particularly among people new to journaling, is a desire for more structure. Structure can help bring focus, and it can also help when people need assistance finding the words to express themselv

Jessica Schladt

Oct 304 min read

Let’s Talk About Journaling Part 2: 8 Suggestions How to Start

Before diving into specific journaling techniques, Journal to the Self: Twenty-Two Paths to Personal Growth by Kathleen Adams, M.A, gives eight suggestions that, regardless of how you journal, are helpful to follow. She emphasizes multiple times that there is no “right” way to journal. There are no rules; journaling can happen in whatever place, time, materials, mood, etc. that you want it to take place. At the same time, a touch of structure can be beneficial so Adams sugge

Jessica Schladt

Oct 232 min read

Let's Talk About Journaling Part 1: Why to Give it a Try

Earlier this year, I completed a continuing education class entitled "Incorporating Journaling and Expressive Writing into Clinical Practice". When talking about coping strategies, journaling is one of those I occasionally get eye rolls over. The largest pushbacks I get are concerns around privacy, time, or just not knowing how to start. My hope in taking the class was to learn some strategies to shine a better light on the journaling process. And the class helped! The prese

Jessica Schladt

Oct 162 min read

Reading Reflections on Change

You should expect my blog to be eclectic. I am going to write about the things I notice, the things I’m thinking about in relation to therapy, and some generalized coping strategies. Topics will jump around. Do not use these posts as a road map of what you “should” or “shouldn’t” be doing. If you have one session with me, you will know I’m not about trying to help you think the “right” way anyhow (bc for most things there is no “right” way etc etc). Maybe more on that later.

Jessica Schladt

Oct 82 min read

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All Posts

Mind Mapping for Mental Health: A Simple Way to Journal When You Feel Overwhelmed

Let's Talk About Journaling Part 3: Using Prompts

Let’s Talk About Journaling Part 2: 8 Suggestions How to Start

Let's Talk About Journaling Part 1: Why to Give it a Try

Reading Reflections on Change