Heart and Mind Therapy

09/04/2026

Self-care is not always a bubble bath.

Sometimes it is a boundary. Sometimes it is a nap. Sometimes it is an honest conversation with a therapist.

September is Self-Care Awareness Month, and we want to widen the picture a little. Real self-care often looks less like a spa day and more like a decision: saying no to something that drains you, asking for help before you are running on empty, or finally naming what you have been carrying alone.

Regulate, relate, reason (Dr. Bruce Perry) is not just a framework for kids. It applies to all of us. We cannot think clearly, connect with the people we love, or make good decisions when our own nervous system is running on fumes.

What does real self-care look like for you?

If the honest answer is "I do not know where to start," that is a good place for us to begin together. heartmindrva.com

09/02/2026

Today's events at a Waynesboro elementary school are a reminder that kids don't process scary news the way adults do. Even though Waynesboro is about an hour and a half from Richmond, news like this can still feel close to home, especially for kids who hear about it at school or catch adults talking about it. If your child picked up on what happened, even secondhand, they may need extra reassurance this week. We're here if your family needs support.

09/01/2026

A new study found something worth sitting with: nearly 1 in 5 young people are now turning to AI chatbots when they're sad, stressed, or overwhelmed. That number has grown fast, and most never tell a single person they're doing it.

We understand why. Getting help can feel hard to access, confusing to start, or just plain scary. A chatbot is always there, and it never seems to judge.

But a chatbot isn't trained to catch the warning signs a real therapist would. It isn't built to sit with you through a genuine crisis, or to notice the things you don't say out loud.

If you or your teen have been leaning on an app just to get through the day, that isn't a failure. It's a sign that real support might help, and that support is closer than it feels.
We're here, and we're built for exactly this.

Source: NBC News, "Young people are using AI chatbots for mental health advice"

08/29/2026

08/26/2026

Please join us in welcoming Wendy to the Heart & Mind Therapy team.

She brings a warm, patient, and collaborative approach to working with children, teens, and adults, drawing on play therapy, ACT, CBT, and mindfulness.

In-person at our Lakeside office, telehealth across Virginia.

Learn more and request services: heartmindrva.com/firststep

08/21/2026

A quick story before the announcement.

In 2020, we brought Robyn Gobbel to Richmond for a training. We had already adjusted the format as COVID risk was rising, and partway through the training, lockdown was announced. Robyn had to rush to get back to Michigan before travel shut down entirely.

Five years later, we are proud to help sponsor Robyn's return to Richmond for Baffling Behaviors LIVE, celebrating the launch of her new book, The Guided Journal for Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors.

Friday, September 25, 9:30am to 2:30pm. Admission is free with a pre order of two copies of the book, one for you and one to give away. If that presents a financial barrier, our event partner SCAN is offering a limited number of scholarship spots. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more.

If you work with kids and families navigating big, confusing behaviors, Robyn's approach connects nervous system science to real, usable tools for the adults raising and supporting them.

We are looking forward to a much calmer visit this time around.

Details at RobynGobbel.com/LIVE

08/18/2026

Some days, showing up is the whole victory.

Today is Never Give Up Day, a reminder that healing is not about being perfect, it is about staying in the process.

That is true for the kids we work with too. When a child keeps trying and it keeps not working, the answer is rarely more effort. It is understanding what their brain and body are doing under stress.

That is what our founder Amy Reamer wrote Toby the Tiger Tamer for. Copies at heartmindrva.com/tobythetigertamer.

We are here when you are ready to keep going.

08/14/2026

Who owns your therapy practice actually matters. ❤️

Across the country, more therapy practices are being purchased by large corporations and investment companies. You may never notice the difference when you’re searching online for a therapist—but ownership can influence how a practice operates and what it prioritizes.

Heart & Mind Therapy is therapist-owned and therapist-led.

That matters to us because the people making decisions about our practice understand what happens inside the therapy room.

When you work with a Heart & Mind therapist, you’re not just getting one clinician. You’re getting a therapist who is part of a larger clinical community.

❤️ Our therapists have support, too.
They have opportunities for supervision, consultation, mentoring, and collaboration instead of having to figure everything out alone.

❤️ We invest in learning.
Our team receives ongoing training and opportunities to develop specialized skills in trauma-informed, neuroscience-informed, developmental, play-based, somatic, and creative approaches to therapy.

❤️ We talk to each other.
When appropriate and with respect for your privacy, your therapist can draw on the knowledge and experience of colleagues with different specialties.

❤️ We believe therapists are people—not productivity numbers.
Supporting clinicians matters because therapists who feel connected, supported, and valued are better able to be present with the people they serve.

❤️ Clinical decisions stay clinical.
We’re not answering to outside investors. Our decisions about how we practice, train, grow, and care for our community are made by people who understand therapy.

At Heart & Mind, we spend a lot of time talking about regulation, connection, and the importance of feeling safe enough to grow.

We believe those things matter for therapists, too.

Because supported therapists are better able to support you.

08/13/2026

Yesterday was International Youth Day, a good moment to pause and think about the young people in our lives. Not just what they're doing or achieving, but how they're doing on the inside.

Showing up consistently, listening without judgment, and knowing when to bring in extra support go a long way. We also share a bit about Dr. Bruce Perry's Regulate, Relate, Reason framework, and how it connects to the Tame Your Tiger™ framework from our partners at CoRegulate Media.

Read the full reflection here: https://www.heartmindrva.com/post/supporting-the-young-people-in-our-lives-a-reflection-for-international-youth-day

08/07/2026

Recent data on mental health hospitalizations across Virginia tells a story many of us are already feeling in our communities. Hospitalizations for depression rose 26 percent over the past five years, and PTSD diagnoses rose 45 percent, driven in part by rising substance use and youth anxiety. Virginia currently ranks 22nd nationally for mental health care access.

There is good news too. The state recently launched a pilot program aimed at improving crisis response, and providers here in the Richmond area have been expanding mobile crisis and walk in care.

This is exactly why we believe in getting ahead of crisis, not just responding to it. Our approach, built on Dr. Bruce Perry's Regulate, Relate, Reason framework, helps people find steady ground before things escalate. Local, trauma informed support is not a luxury. It is part of the access puzzle.

Read more on our blog: https://www.heartmindrva.com/post/when-care-feels-out-of-reach-why-local-access-to-mental-health-support-matters