AK Skoog Counseling and Supervision

06/12/2026

This really hits me in my play therapist feels — I went to a conference in San Diego back in 2018 where he was a speaker and he said something that really resonated with me — “If you do for children what they can do for themselves you teach them how to be weak.” It is a sentiment that I have shared with the parents I work with ever since.

He was such an amazing pioneer in the field . . . Such a loss in the play therapy community 🥺🥺

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Garry L. Landreth, EdD, LPC, RPT-S. While the world knew him as a foundational pioneer, author, and beloved leader in the play therapy community, his greatest pride and joy was his family. Garry was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and our thoughts are foremost with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

Garry dedicated his life to championing the emotional lives of children through his teaching, research, and unwavering mentorship that will continue to inspire generations of professionals. As the founder of the Center for Play Therapy at the University of North Texas and a longtime, cherished pillar of the Association for Play Therapy, Garry helped shape the play therapy profession from the ground up. His groundbreaking work in Child-Centered Play Therapy and his influential book, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship, taught us all how to truly connect with the healing power of a child's world.

To the APT community, Garry was so much more than a leader in play therapy. He shared his knowledge as a teacher, his wisdom as a mentor, and his heart as a friend. His strong sense of humility and deep belief in the capacity of every child to heal left an indelible mark on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

Garry’s remarkable legacy lives on through the thousands of clinicians, he trained the countless children and families touched by his legacy, and the gentle wisdom he brought to our field.

On behalf of the Association for Play Therapy, we extend our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends, his former students, and all those around the world who are mourning this immense loss.

06/06/2026

“Sometimes healing is saying:

“I love you, but I can no longer abandon myself to stay connected to dysfunction.”

And that takes extraordinary courage.”

❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

The hardest part about healing from family trauma is not the anger.

It’s the grief.
Because the people are still alive.

But the relationship you needed is not.

Nobody prepares you for the heartbreak of realizing that some parents will never become the parents you deserved.

Some apologies will never come.

Some conversations will never happen.

Some wounds will never be acknowledged by the people who caused them.

And that realization can feel like a second abandonment.

So you grieve in layers.

You grieve the parent who never protected you.

The parent who never listened.

The parent who loved you only when you were useful, successful, quiet, or convenient.

You grieve the childhood you should have had.

The safety you deserved.

The home that never felt like home.

The version of “family” you spent years hoping would finally exist.

Then something uncomfortable happens.

You start setting boundaries.

You stop tolerating disrespect.

You stop sacrificing your mental health to keep everyone else comfortable.

And suddenly you’re called selfish.

Difficult.

Ungrateful.

The problem.

But healing often looks like becoming the person dysfunctional systems are most uncomfortable with.

Not because you’re doing something wrong.

But because you’re no longer playing the role they assigned to you.

The peacemaker.

The fixer.

The caretaker.

The child who stayed silent to keep the peace.

Sometimes healing isn’t reconciliation.

Sometimes healing is saying:

“I love you, but I can no longer abandon myself to stay connected to dysfunction.”

And that takes extraordinary courage.

If this resonates with you:

❤️ I Didn’t Choose to Be Born — for healing family trauma, emotional neglect, and the grief of the childhood you deserved but didn’t receive.

❤️ Chasing Love That Hurts — for understanding how those early wounds can show up in adult relationships, attachment patterns, limerence, and emotional fixation.

Both available via the link in my bio.

What is something you had to grieve that nobody talks about

06/02/2026

😏😏😏🦄

06/01/2026

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

05/31/2026

I see you and I’m proud of you ❤️‍🩹

04/30/2026

Such a needed resource 🙌

988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline

Twenty years ago, I lost my sister to su***de.

This time of year always hits me hard. She took her life on April 26, but it took days to piece things together, searching for her until our worst fears became a reality on May 1. The stretch between those two dates always feels impossibly long... much like how impossibly long it can feel to get help when someone is in crisis.

Which is why, in the middle of this long stretch of days, seeing this paper come out felt like a rainbow in the middle of a storm — a glimpse of hope.

A new JAMA study (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2848066) found that since the 2022 launch of the 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline, su***de mortality among people ages 15–34 has declined by 11% nationally — about 4,400 fewer deaths than projected. The states with the highest 988 uptake saw an 18% drop. Contacts to 988 have surged — over 16 million in the first 30 months.

More per capita are reaching out for help than in any other state. And the study found that states where more people reached out saw the biggest drops in su***de rates. Let's hope this translates to fewer Alaskans dying.

Dr. Jay Butler is fond of saying: statistics are people with the tears wiped away. This is hope for a few less tears — and a reminder of how much further we have to go.

I'm sharing this because depression festers in the darkness. Talking about my sister, talking about 988, talking about the fact that help exists — that's how we let some light in.

If you're struggling, please call or text 988. Someone is there.

Love and miss you, sis. 💛

04/20/2026

I’m just going to leave this here . . . 💯

04/02/2026

So incredibly disappointing . . .

The American Counseling Association (ACA) is profoundly disappointed in today's ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Colorado's ban on conversion therapy. Despite the ruling, the evidence remains clear: conversion therapy is harmful, discredited, and unsupported by science, and its risks to client well-being are well documented. ACA, SAIGE and other leading mental health organizations remain committed to ethical, evidence-based, and affirming care, and will continue to oppose practices that violate these standards of care.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bUJdbE

02/25/2026

🙌🙌🙌

02/21/2026

So true . . .