Karuna Counseling

11/04/2026

🏺 What does King Tut’s tomb have to do with trauma?

More than you might think.

On November 4, 1922, the entrance to King Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered after being hidden for more than 3,000 years.

In her work on trauma and dissociation, Sandra Paulsen, PhD, uses the imagery of King Tut’s tomb to help explain how early experiences can remain outside our conscious awareness.

Sometimes, we don’t have a clear memory or words to explain why something affects us so deeply.

Yet our nervous system may still respond through emotions, physical sensations, or protective reactions that seem disconnected from the present moment.

Not remembering something doesn’t necessarily mean it hasn’t affected us.

And healing doesn’t require forcing open every door or uncovering every memory.

Trauma-informed therapy emphasizes safety, stabilization, and understanding our responses with compassion rather than judgment.

💚 Sometimes healing begins not by asking, “What’s wrong with me?” but by becoming curious about what our mind and body have been trying to communicate.

Happy King Tut Day!

Inspired by the work of Sandra Paulsen, PhD, author of Looking Through the Eyes of Trauma and Dissociation.

10/31/2026

🎃👻 Things that are scarier than Halloween…

🕸️ Setting a boundary and NOT immediately explaining yourself.

🧛 Saying “no” without adding a 12-paragraph apology.

💀 Letting someone be disappointed in you.

🦇 Having an uncomfortable conversation instead of rehearsing it 47 times in your head.

👻 Actually telling your therapist, “There’s something I’ve been avoiding talking about.”

And perhaps the scariest of them all…

Realizing that growth sometimes means getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

All jokes aside, sometimes the things that scare us most aren’t hiding under the bed. They’re the everyday moments that ask us to trust ourselves, communicate honestly, and do something a little differently.

Here’s to facing our fears, one awkward conversation at a time. 💚

Happy Halloween from Karuna Counseling!

10/26/2026

🐾💚 Sometimes, you just need someone to lean on.

No advice. No solutions. No pressure to explain what’s wrong.

Just someone who’s willing to be there.

Olive apparently takes that VERY seriously!

And Buddy? Well, he’s mastered the art of simply showing up, being patient, and letting someone else have their moment.

There’s something we humans can learn from that.

We don’t always have to fix what someone is going through. Sometimes the most meaningful thing we can offer is our presence, a little patience, and the reassurance that they don’t have to face everything alone.

Sometimes love looks like a hug. Sometimes it looks like letting someone hold on a little longer. 💚

Karuna Counseling
Helping our communities heal, one conversation at a time.

10/22/2026

🌿 Boundaries, Burnout & Balance 🌿

💚 You can’t pour from an empty cup! 💚

We are excited to offer a FREE 8-week virtual support group focused on managing burnout, setting healthy boundaries, practicing self-care, and finding balance in everyday life.

✨ Join Brittany in a supportive, judgment-free space to connect, learn, and grow together!

📅 Starts November 13th

⏰ 4 PM MST / 6 PM EST

💻 Virtual | Completely FREE

💕 You deserve the same care you give everyone else!

📩 Interested in joining? Email [email protected] for more information!

10/21/2026

💚 Nebraska. Honestly, it’s not for everyone.

Remember that tourism slogan? 😂

Well, Nebraska might not be for everyone… but access to mental health care should be.

We live in a world where we can connect with people across the country—and even across the world—with just a few clicks. So why should getting mental health support depend on how close you live to a counseling office?

At Karuna Counseling, our roots are in western Nebraska, but our reach extends across the entire state!

From Harrison to Wynot, Haigler to Rulo… and yes, even Surprise! 😂💚

Maybe you’re a farmer taking a break from a long day in the field.

Maybe you’re sitting in your parked car on your lunch break because it’s the only quiet moment you have.

Maybe you’re staying with family or friends while navigating one of life’s unexpected challenges.

Or maybe you live in a small community where the nearest counseling office is an hour away.

Life doesn’t always fit neatly into a traditional office schedule. And sometimes, neither does getting help.

That’s one of the beautiful things about telehealth.

Through secure, confidential virtual appointments, our Nebraska-licensed clinicians can connect with clients throughout the state, provided they have a safe, private space and reliable internet access.

No long drives. No need to live near one of our offices. Just the opportunity to connect with someone who genuinely cares.

And here’s where we’d love your help! 💚

Think about your friends, family, coworkers, and loved ones scattered across Nebraska. Maybe someone you know has been considering counseling but doesn’t realize they can access services from the comfort of their own community.

Share this post. Tag a friend. Help us spread the word beyond the Panhandle!

Because whether you’re in Omaha, Lincoln, Valentine, McCook, Surprise, or somewhere along a gravel road without a town sign…

Mental health matters everywhere. And so do the people who live there. 💚

Karuna Counseling
Helping our communities heal, one conversation at a time.

The word karuna, or more properly pronounced karuṇā, literally means compassion. Here at Karuna Counseling, our motto is Compassion through action. Using a variety of modalities and methods, as well as empathy and compassionate conversations, we strive to help our clients heal from traumatic si...

10/17/2026

🍝 Happy National Pasta Day!

Who knew spaghetti could teach us something about relationships? 😂

Years ago, Bill and Pam Farrel wrote a book called Men Are Like Waffles—Women Are Like Spaghetti, using two familiar foods to illustrate different ways people organize their thoughts and experiences.

And whether you’re a waffle, spaghetti, or some combination of both, there’s something worth thinking about in that analogy!

🧇 Waffle thinking: Life has compartments. One thing at a time. Let’s focus on this issue before moving to the next.

🍝 Spaghetti thinking: Everything connects! One thought leads to another, which reminds you of something else, and suddenly we’re discussing six things that somehow all make perfect sense together.

Sound familiar?

Of course, people are far more complex than breakfast foods and pasta. These aren’t scientifically defined brain types, and neither style belongs exclusively to any gender.

But the analogy offers a fun reminder:

Just because someone processes things differently doesn’t mean they’re doing it wrong.

Sometimes communication means learning to slow down, listen, ask questions, and recognize that the other person’s mind may take a different route to the same destination.

And sometimes it means realizing that while you’re trying to solve one problem, someone else is connecting seventeen of them.

💚 Different thinking styles. Different perspectives. Same need to feel understood 💚

Happy National Pasta Day from Karuna Counseling!

10/16/2026

💚 Someone misunderstanding you doesn’t automatically mean you explained yourself poorly. 💚

You can communicate clearly.
You can choose your words carefully.
You can be kind.
You can have good intentions.

And someone can still hear something completely different.

Because none of us receives another person’s words in a vacuum. We hear them through our own experiences, fears, expectations, relationships—and sometimes simply through whatever we’re carrying that day.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t reflect on how we communicate or take accountability when we’ve hurt someone.

But there’s a difference between taking responsibility for how you communicate and taking responsibility for how every person interprets you.

Sometimes, after you’ve communicated honestly and respectfully, the work is tolerating the fact that someone may still misunderstand you.

A helpful question to ask yourself:

Did I communicate with honesty, kindness and integrity?

If you did, you may have to let the rest belong to them. 💚

Karuna Counseling
Helping our communities heal, one conversation at a time.

10/12/2026

💚 Meet Amber | Karuna Counseling 💚

For Amber, becoming a counselor grew from something her mom had recognized in her long before she recognized it herself.

Growing up, her mom often told her that she was someone people naturally felt comfortable opening up to. After losing her mom in 2021 and taking time to grieve, Amber began thinking about what came next. She knew how meaningful it could be to have someone who truly listens—and decided she wanted to be that person for others. 💚

Today, Amber works with children, teens and adults and is especially drawn to grief, postpartum concerns, addiction and life transitions. Her approach is person-centered and collaborative, incorporating cognitive behavioral strategies and play-based approaches when working with children.

Amber describes herself as warm, honest, curious and down-to-earth. Having experienced therapy herself, she understands how vulnerable it can feel to sit on the other side and share personal parts of your life.

Her goal is simple:

“I want clients to feel comfortable showing up as themselves, because that’s how I show up, too.”

And you don’t have to walk into her office knowing exactly what to say—or even exactly what you want from therapy. Amber believes part of her job is helping you find that starting point.

Outside the office, you’ll find her thrifting, baking, gardening, watching horror movies, restoring old furniture or teaching herself her latest random skill. She’s taught herself everything from crocheting and acrylic nails to making tamales. And if you visit her office, her love of gnomes, mushrooms and antiques won’t exactly be a secret. 😂🍄

💚 Amber is currently accepting new clients in person at our Sidney, Nebraska office.

And if you’ve been wondering whether what you’re going through is “serious enough” for counseling, Amber would tell you:

If it’s serious to you, it’s serious enough to deserve support.

10/09/2026

💚 SHE DID IT!!! 💚

Please help us congratulate Anita Rushman on officially becoming a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner!

This is a BIG milestone—and one that represents so much more than a new set of letters behind her name.

When Anita first joined Karuna Counseling in 2023, she was beginning the next stage of a journey that had actually started somewhat unexpectedly. She entered college thinking her future might be in education, but one psychology class changed the direction of her career. Somewhere along the way, she realized that helping people through mental health counseling was where she was meant to be.

Since joining Karuna, we’ve had the privilege of watching Anita grow from a provisionally licensed clinician into the confident, thoughtful therapist she is today.

Independent licensure represents years of education, thousands of hours of clinical experience, supervision, continued learning, challenging moments, celebrations, and—most importantly—countless hours spent sitting alongside people who trusted her with some of the most vulnerable pieces of their lives.

When we asked Anita recently about reaching this point in her career, something she said stood out:

“I never want to take for granted how much my clients have taught me.”

And that says a whole lot about the kind of clinician Anita has become.

She also shared how grateful she is for the clinicians who have supported and taught her along the way and how excited she is to continue serving individuals and families throughout our region.

As the owner of Karuna, and Anita’s direct supervisor, there are some moments that hit a little differently. Watching a clinician learn, question, stretch, gain confidence, find her own therapeutic voice, and ultimately reach independent licensure is absolutely one of them.

Anita, you earned this. 💚

We are incredibly proud of how far you’ve come, grateful that you’ve chosen to grow alongside Karuna, and SO excited to see where this next chapter takes you.

Congratulations, Anita Rushman, LIMHP! 🎉

10/07/2026

Every. Single. Time. 😂🐾

Telehealth is convenient.
Telehealth is accessible.
Telehealth lets you attend therapy from the comfort of home.

Telehealth also means your pets become unpaid—and occasionally VERY disruptive—members of the treatment team. 😂

Olive would like everyone to know that she takes this responsibility very seriously.

💚 Karuna Counseling 💚