River Pines Counseling

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River Pines Counseling Clients: adults & couples. Specialties: healthcare providers, pet owners, leaders, first responders, EMDR, art therapy, Gottman couples. In-person Stillwater MN.

Insurance: UHC, UMR, UBH, BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, Medica, Health Partners. MN & WI Telehealth.

A gentle reminder as we head into the weekend…You don’t have to respond to every message, say yes to every request, or h...
10/09/2026

A gentle reminder as we head into the weekend…

You don’t have to respond to every message, say yes to every request, or have everything figured out.

Sometimes, taking care of your mental health looks like slowing down, setting a boundary, putting your phone away, or allowing yourself to simply be without feeling like you need to do more.

As the seasons change, give yourself permission to check in with what you need, too.

You deserve rest without guilt. You deserve boundaries without explanation. And you deserve space to recharge.

What is one thing you can give yourself permission to let go of this weekend?

At River Pines Counseling, we believe caring for yourself is just as important as caring for everyone else.

SelfCare StillwaterMN

Sometimes life keeps moving while you’re grieving.You may still have to go to work, care for children, answer messages, ...
10/01/2026

Sometimes life keeps moving while you’re grieving.

You may still have to go to work, care for children, answer messages, show up for appointments, make decisions, attend events, and keep up with everyday responsibilities — even when part of you feels like everything has changed.

Some people stay very busy while grieving. Others find that ordinary tasks suddenly take far more energy than they used to. Both experiences can be part of grief.

Being able to function doesn’t mean your loss isn’t affecting you.

And struggling to function doesn’t mean you’re grieving “wrong.”

Grief can exist alongside work, family, routines, laughter, exhaustion, distraction, and moments that feel surprisingly normal. There isn’t one correct way for it to look.

Therapy can offer a place where you don’t have to perform being okay or explain why you’re still affected. You can simply have space for what you’re carrying.

grief support | grief counseling | coping with loss | bereavement support | grief therapy | life after loss | emotional support | Stillwater MN therapist | River Pines Counseling

Not every experience is easy to explain.Sometimes you know something is affecting you, but finding the language for it f...
09/29/2026

Not every experience is easy to explain.

Sometimes you know something is affecting you, but finding the language for it feels difficult. Brainspotting is one therapeutic approach designed to help clients attend to internal experiences using focused visual attention alongside the support of a trained clinician.

At River Pines, Brainspotting may be incorporated as one part of individualized therapy rather than as a one-size-fits-all approach.

Kate is trained in Brainspotting and can help clients explore whether it may be appropriate for their needs and goals.

brainspotting | trauma therapy | trauma informed therapy | nervous system regulation | therapy approaches | Stillwater MN therapist | River Pines Counseling

We’re grateful when clients take the time to share their experience with River Pines Counseling.Finding the right suppor...
09/25/2026

We’re grateful when clients take the time to share their experience with River Pines Counseling.

Finding the right support can feel like a big step, and we’re honored to be part of that process.

If you’ve been considering therapy, we invite you to learn more about our providers and services to see who might feel like the right fit for you.

River Pines Counseling | Stillwater MN therapist | therapy in Stillwater MN | mental health support | individual therapy | couples counseling | trauma informed therapy

09/24/2026

Progress rarely moves in a straight line.

Some days, you may feel grounded, confident, and like the work you’ve been doing is finally clicking. Other days, an old thought, reaction, trigger, or habit may show up again.

That doesn’t erase the progress you’ve made.

Growth often looks like noticing a pattern sooner. Pausing before reacting. Recovering more quickly. Setting a boundary you wouldn’t have set before. Asking for support. Or simply responding to yourself with a little more understanding than you used to.

Healing isn’t about never struggling again. It’s about building new ways to move through the difficult moments when they happen.

A hard day doesn’t mean you’re back at the beginning.

If you’ve been feeling stuck in the same patterns or could use support navigating what comes next, therapy can offer space to slow down, understand what’s happening, and keep moving forward at your own pace.

emotional growth | therapy progress | coping skills | self compassion | emotional regulation | personal growth | Stillwater MN therapist | River Pines Counseling

Independence can be empowering. Knowing you can handle difficult situations, make your own decisions, and care for yours...
09/23/2026

Independence can be empowering. Knowing you can handle difficult situations, make your own decisions, and care for yourself is a strength.

But sometimes self-reliance becomes so important that receiving help feels uncomfortable - even when you need it.

You might automatically say, “I’m fine.”
Take on more than you realistically have capacity for.

Feel uneasy depending on someone else.
Or believe needing support means you’ve somehow failed.

Patterns of extreme self-reliance can have many origins. For some people, past relationships or experiences have taught them that relying on others doesn’t always feel safe or dependable.

Therapy isn’t about making you less independent. It can be a place to understand where these patterns came from and explore what it might look like to be both capable and supported.

You can trust yourself and still let other people show up for you.

hyper independence | self reliance | asking for help | emotional support | relationship patterns | attachment patterns | boundaries | trauma informed therapy | therapy for adults | Stillwater MN therapist | River Pines Counseling

09/20/2026

Curious about how River Pines Counseling got started? Owner Darcy Stivland gives you a background of her history and the reason she started this practice!

Stillwater Therapy | Nature Focused Therapy | Couples Counseling | Trauma Therapy | CBT therapy | EMDR Provider

Meet one of the sweetest optional additions to a therapy session. 🐾💗Clients working with Darcy can choose to have a ther...
09/16/2026

Meet one of the sweetest optional additions to a therapy session. 🐾💗

Clients working with Darcy can choose to have a therapy dog join their session when available and when it feels supportive to their therapeutic experience.

There’s something uniquely grounding about the presence of an animal — especially during conversations that may feel vulnerable, emotional, or difficult. Gentle interaction and touch with a dog may support the body’s stress-regulation systems. Research on human-dog interaction has found associations with lower cortisol, increased oxytocin, and changes consistent with parasympathetic nervous system activity — the part of the nervous system involved in rest, recovery, and regulation.

More recent research continues to find promising effects of dog-assisted interventions on physiological stress responses, although researchers note that individual responses vary and more standardized research is still needed.

For some clients, having a therapy dog nearby may offer a comforting sensory experience, a grounding point when emotions feel intense, or simply a little companionship while doing hard work.

And of course, it’s completely optional. Your therapy space should feel comfortable for you.

Interested in incorporating a therapy dog into your sessions? Ask Darcy or our team about availability. 🌲🐾

Therapy Dog | Animal-Assisted Therapy • Nervous System Regulation • Stress Management • Anxiety Therapy • Trauma-Informed Therapy • Therapy in Stillwater MN • River Pines Counseling

Some thoughts deserve our attention. Others keep asking for more attention without actually helping us move forward.Rumi...
09/14/2026

Some thoughts deserve our attention. Others keep asking for more attention without actually helping us move forward.
Rumination is the tendency to repeatedly revisit the same concern, conversation, mistake, or possibility. It can feel productive because your mind is working hard—but the result is often more tension, self-doubt, and mental exhaustion rather than clarity.
You may notice yourself replaying what you said, imagining different outcomes, analyzing someone else’s reaction, or trying to find absolute certainty before letting yourself move on.
Therapy can help you recognize the difference between reflection and rumination, explore the fears or beliefs underneath repetitive thinking, and develop tools for responding with more flexibility.
Sometimes the goal isn’t to find the perfect answer. It’s learning when your mind has already done enough.

rumination | overthinking | anxious thoughts | anxiety therapy | intrusive thoughts | emotional regulation | stress management | CBT therapy | therapy for adults | Stillwater MN therapist | River Pines Counseling

Sometimes avoiding an emotion doesn’t look like avoidance at all.It can look like staying productive, keeping yourself b...
09/11/2026

Sometimes avoiding an emotion doesn’t look like avoidance at all.
It can look like staying productive, keeping yourself busy, scrolling until you’re tired, making a joke, overthinking every detail, or telling yourself you’ll deal with it later.
These strategies can bring temporary relief, especially when emotions feel overwhelming or unfamiliar. But when avoidance becomes the default response, the same feelings and patterns often keep resurfacing.
Therapy can help you slow down enough to notice what you’re feeling, understand what your avoidance may be protecting you from, and build new ways of responding that feel more intentional.
You don’t have to force yourself to feel everything all at once. Awareness is often the first step.
River Pines Counseling offers support for adults navigating anxiety, stress, trauma, life transitions, relationships, and recurring emotional patterns.

emotional avoidance | emotional patterns | anxiety therapy | stress management | coping skills | therapy for adults | trauma-informed therapy | emotional regulation | Stillwater MN therapist | River Pines Counseling

Address

105 New England Place Suite 150
Stillwater, MN
55082

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 7pm
Tuesday 8am - 7pm
Wednesday 8am - 7pm
Thursday 8am - 7pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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