Mental Health Blog

Advanced Counseling of Bozeman believes you are your own best healing resource — and you don’t have to do it alone.

Explore our blog for perspectives and tools to support your journey toward better mental health and lasting wellbeing. We believe in using evidence-based, heart-centered methods and trusted, effective modalities to achieve the peaceful, purposeful, and fulfilled life that you deserve.

Acquaint yourself with the work of our experienced clinicians and see if their work speaks to you.

Welcoming Every Feeling: Mental Health Lessons from Rumi’s The Guest House
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Welcoming Every Feeling: Mental Health Lessons from Rumi’s The Guest House

Inspired by Rumi’s The Guest House, this post explores what it means to welcome every emotion — joy, sorrow, shame, and all — as temporary visitors. Through mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), we learn to notice thoughts and feelings without letting them define us, becoming steady, compassionate hosts to our inner world.

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Halloween and Mental Health: Finding Balance Between Fun and Fear
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Halloween and Mental Health: Finding Balance Between Fun and Fear

Halloween can be a playful and creative time — but for many, the season’s focus on fear, costumes, and crowds can bring unexpected stress or painful memories. This post explores why some people love a “safe scare,” while others find it overwhelming, and offers simple ways to protect your mental health during the holiday.

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Dance as a Practice for Emotional Regulation
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Dance as a Practice for Emotional Regulation

Dance isn’t just movement, it’s medicine. You don’t need rhythm or choreography; you just need the willingness to move. This post explores how dance supports emotional regulation, why it works, and how you can use it as a simple, daily tool for mental health.

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Managing Political Stress: Protecting Your Mental Health in Turbulent Times
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Managing Political Stress: Protecting Your Mental Health in Turbulent Times

Political stress is taking a real toll on mental health — from constant news exposure to tense conversations with loved ones. In this post, we explore five practical ways to protect your wellbeing while staying informed, from setting media boundaries to engaging more mindfully in difficult discussions.

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Building Healthy Phone Habits in Times of Crisis
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Building Healthy Phone Habits in Times of Crisis

Our phones keep us connected — but they can also keep us anxious. This post explores how constant scrolling and news updates can heighten stress, and offers three simple ways to create healthier phone habits. A reminder that balance, not avoidance, is what helps us stay informed and grounded.

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Like the Trees in Autumn, We Turn: Embracing Seasonal Change with Grace
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Like the Trees in Autumn, We Turn: Embracing Seasonal Change with Grace

Seasonal change isn’t just happening outside — it’s happening within us too. Fall has a way of stirring reflection, unease, and quiet transformation. This piece invites you to slow down, honor what’s shifting, and embrace change with the same patience and grace we see in nature.

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Simple Tools for Stress Relief
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Simple Tools for Stress Relief

Stress is part of being human, but it doesn’t have to take over your day. With a little awareness and some simple tools, you can shift from feeling overwhelmed to feeling grounded.

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Clearing Up Misinformation About Autism
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Clearing Up Misinformation About Autism

Autism has long been surrounded by myths and misinformation. This post unpacks what science actually shows — dispelling the false links to vaccines, Tylenol, and parenting — and highlights genetics as the primary factor. It also explores how sensory sensitivities shape health experiences for autistic individuals and why accurate information and empathy matter more than ever.

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Anxious Generation: Why This Book Matters
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Anxious Generation: Why This Book Matters

Reading The Anxious Generation shifted how we parent — less screen time, more freedom, and a lot more joy. By loosening fear and giving kids space to grow, we’ve seen our children become happier, more capable, and more connected. This book has been life-changing, and I recommend it to every parent I know.

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School Support: Understanding 504 Plans and IEPs
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

School Support: Understanding 504 Plans and IEPs

If your child is struggling in school, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Schools offer formal supports like 504 Plans and IEPs — tools designed to remove barriers and help kids succeed. Both require a team approach, and as a parent, your voice matters most. Advocacy starts with asking questions and putting requests in writing — because no one knows your child better than you.

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The Seven Core Issues of Adoption: What Adoptees Want You to Understand
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

The Seven Core Issues of Adoption: What Adoptees Want You to Understand

Adoption is often celebrated as a story of love and belonging — and it can be. But it also begins with loss, which shapes an adoptee’s lifelong experience in complex ways. Sharon Kaplan Roszia and Deborah Silverstein’s Seven Core Issues of Adoption highlight themes like loss, rejection, identity, and intimacy — not as flaws to “fix,” but as natural responses to adoption. Naming these issues opens the door to deeper understanding, healing, and connection for adoptees and the people who love them.

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Book Review: Will I Ever Be Good Enough? by Karyl McBride
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Book Review: Will I Ever Be Good Enough? by Karyl McBride

Will I Ever Be Good Enough? by Karyl McBride explores the lasting impact of maternal narcissism and offers a clear roadmap for healing. It’s a powerful resource for anyone navigating patterns of self-doubt or striving to break free from family dynamics that no longer serve them.

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What It’s Like When Your Teen or Preteen Starts Therapy with Me 
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

What It’s Like When Your Teen or Preteen Starts Therapy with Me 

Starting therapy can feel like a big step for both kids and parents. My approach with teens and preteens begins with building trust, meeting them where they are, and giving them tools they can carry for life — like self-advocacy, healthy boundaries, and clear communication. Therapy isn’t about “fixing” your child, it’s about helping them grow into themselves with confidence and resilience.

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Mood-Boosting Activities That Cost Nothing
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Mood-Boosting Activities That Cost Nothing

Taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to be complicated — or costly. Small, free actions like stepping outside, dancing to your favorite song, or sending a kind text can reset your mood and bring a little more light to your day.

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Embracing Seasonal Change: How Shifting Weather Affects Our Mental Health
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Embracing Seasonal Change: How Shifting Weather Affects Our Mental Health

Seasonal shifts don’t just change the weather — they can change how we feel. From less daylight to disrupted routines, it’s common to notice shifts in mood, energy, or focus. The good news? By tuning in and caring for yourself through these transitions, you can move with the seasons instead of feeling stuck in them.

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A Little Background on the Nervous System
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

A Little Background on the Nervous System

Your nervous system is always working to protect you. Sometimes it kicks into fight-or-flight, other times it shuts down, and sometimes it settles into calm and connection. None of these states are “bad” — they’re signals. By paying attention and responding with curiosity, you can support your body and strengthen your sense of safety.

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Couples and Compromise
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

Couples and Compromise

Compromise is rarely perfect — everyone gives something and everyone gets something. What matters most is feeling understood and respected. Drawing on Gottman’s research, this post walks through three practical steps to help couples identify core needs, find flexible areas, and create workable compromises, even when values feel at stake.

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How I Talk to Myself During an Anxiety Spiral
Ashlee Owens Ashlee Owens

How I Talk to Myself During an Anxiety Spiral

Ever find yourself in an anxiety spiral, stuck in worst-case scenarios? Liz shares her personal go-to strategies for naming what’s happening, grounding in the present, and challenging racing thoughts. Her simple self-talk tips show how spirals can become signals to slow down — not stop signs.

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