As we prepare to start the new year, many of us feel the need to slow down and take stock of where we’ve been. In this episode of A Better Way to Heal, faith-based therapist, Eleanor Brown (Elly) and her co-host Isamary (Isa) explore year-end reflection as a grounding practice that helps settle the mind, calm the body, and bring clarity before moving into a new season.

Rather than rehearsing regret or pushing ourselves toward unrealistic resolutions, this conversation offers a better way to start the new year, one rooted in grace, awareness, and whole-person healing through faith and therapy. Together, they walk through five meaningful ways to reflect on the past year, including noticing emotional growth, reviewing relationships and boundaries, understanding what supported or stressed your nervous system, and identifying what you’re ready to leave behind.

Elly also shares how faith, surrender, and stillness have shaped her own reflection process, including letting go of performance-driven expectations, shame-based stories, and trauma-informed control patterns. The episode closes with a gentle invitation to reflect through a whole-person lens using the seven dimensions of wellness and a preview of what’s coming next in Part 2 on Vision Casting.

Resource mentioned in this episode:
If you want a simple starting point as you reflect on the past year, Elly invites you to take the Shame Quiz on her website. It’s a short, free tool designed to help you understand how shame may be showing up in your life as you prepare to start the new year.

https://www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie

This episode is for anyone seeking a grounded, compassionate, faith-informed approach to year-end reflection, without pressure, perfectionism, or shame.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

Healing from shame and walking into the new year shame-free is essential if we want to grow, heal, and move forward without being tethered to the past. In this solo episode, Eleanor Brown, a faith-based therapist and licensed professional counselor, explores how shame forms, how it shapes identity, and why releasing shame is a critical step before starting a new year with clarity and intention.

As a faith-based therapist, Eleanor explains how shame often develops through childhood trauma and emotional wounds, how it impacts emotional regulation, relationships, and faith, and why healing from shame is essential for whole-person healing. Drawing from trauma-informed therapy approaches, including EMDR, and a faith-meets-therapy perspective, this episode offers practical insight into recognizing shame-based beliefs and replacing them with grace and truth.

This episode is especially helpful for those seeking support from a faith-based therapist, navigating childhood trauma, or exploring online trauma counseling options while integrating faith into the healing process.

Key Takeaways:

• Shame shapes identity and keeps people stuck in the past
• Healing shame restores emotional regulation and nervous system balance
• Jesus consistently removes shame and restores belonging
• Childhood trauma often creates shame-based beliefs that persist into adulthood
• Identity work creates space for growth, healing, and forward movement
• Releasing shame allows us to approach the new year with clarity and grace

Notable Quotes:
“Shame is not my identity.”
“You are not what happened to you.”
“Healing shame changes the nervous system.”

Resources Mentioned:

• Free Shame Quiz - https://www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie
• EMDR therapy for shame and trauma healing

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

As the year winds down, many people sense that gentle nudge, "Something has to change". But knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming. Should you look for a therapist? A counselor? Does it matter? And what if your faith is part of your healing journey?

In this compassionate conversation, faith based therapist Eleanor Brown, LPC, and her co-host Isamary Nieves-Banks break down the real differences between a therapist and a counselor, how to choose the right support, and why asking for help takes courage not weakness. Isa brings honest questions from the layperson perspective, and Elly offers clear, grounded guidance as a therapist in Texas and Florida who integrates faith and emotional healing for those who want it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The simple difference between a therapist and a counselor
• How to choose a therapist who fits your story, your values, and your goals
• Why people hesitate to reach out and how shame and fear keep them stuck
• What Christian listeners often misunderstand about therapy and faith
• Biblical encouragement for seeking wisdom, support, and guidance
• Practical steps to help you find a therapist in Texas or Florida that feels right for you

Whether you’re exploring therapy for the first time, rebuilding after a hard season, or looking for faith based counseling support, this episode offers clarity, comfort, and a gentle next step.

Free Resource:
If you’re ready for a place to begin, download Elly’s Healing Starter Kit — a simple, faith-aware guide to grounding, resilience, and emotional clarity. Here's the link:

https://www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/healing-starter-kit

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

The holiday season can bring joy and ... it can also bring stress, pressure, and familiar shame spirals. In this solo episode, Eleanor L. Brown, Licensed Professional Counselor and faith based therapist serving Texas and Florida, shares how pottery has become a grounding creative practice that helps her find peace during overwhelming seasons. (Most people call her Elly, and you’ll hear her use that throughout the episode.)

From centering clay on the wheel to navigating collapsed pots, Elly explores how creative practices interrupt the cycle of shame and help us return to emotional and spiritual center. This conversation blends faith, therapy, and hands-on creativity in a gentle and practical way. It is especially helpful for anyone navigating holiday stress.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:
• Self care during the holidays
• Signs you’re off center (snapping, overwhelm, shame spirals)
• How creative practices regulate the nervous system
• Why pottery helps Elly stay grounded and mindful
• Faith based tools that restore peace during stressful seasons
• Understanding and naming your shame cycle
• Encouragement for anyone facing holiday overwhelm or emotional fatigue

👉 Take the free Shame Quiz for insight and your next steps:
https://www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie

Perfect for listeners searching for support from a faith based therapist in Central Texas, Florida, or anyone looking to overcome shame, explore creative self care, and find peace during the holiday season.

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

Holiday overwhelm is real, and choosing presence over perfection can feel harder than it sounds. In this episode, we share three simple steps to reduce holiday stress and make the season feel lighter: breathe and simplify, protect your peace, and practice daily renewal.

As a faith based therapist serving Texas and Florida, Elly brings the emotional wellness lens, while Isa brings the real life, down to earth perspective listeners love. Together we talk about setting gentle boundaries, navigating blended family expectations, making space for grief, and letting traditions adjust with your season of life. We also explore daily renewal through rest, prayer, movement, and creativity. These small rhythms help your nervous system settle.

If you’re craving a calmer, more connected holiday season, these steps can help you slow down and enjoy what matters most. Save this episode, share it with a friend, and tell us what you’re choosing to let go of this year.

🌿 Free Resources:
• Take the Shame Quiz to see how shame might be showing up in your life
www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie
• Download the A Better Way Guide and learn Elly’s 6-step BETTER Framework for healing www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

Ever feel like you’re walking on eggshells with a friend? In this episode of A Better Way to Heal: Where Faith Meets Therapy, Elly, a faith based therapist in Central Texas, and co-host Isa explore what it means to be caught in a one sided friendship—and how to move toward healthier, more balanced connections.

They unpack texting misunderstandings, anxious attachment, people pleasing, and mismatched seasons of life, then share a simple Notice Name Nurture framework to help you set boundaries, guard your peace, and repair relationships without cutting everyone off.

In this episode:
• Signs of one sided or emotionally draining friendships
• How texting slips and silence fuel conflict
• Recognizing anxious attachment and people pleasing
• Healthy confrontation and honest repair
• Boundaries around gossip, time, and emotional labor
• Honoring different friendship styles and seasons

If this message resonates, share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode.

🌿 Free Resources:
• Take the Shame Quiz to see how shame might be showing up in your life
www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/shame-quiz-freebie
• Download the A Better Way Guide and learn Elly’s 6-step BETTER Framework for healing
www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

In Part 2 of Healing Holiday Relationships, Elly and Isa continue the conversation about what it really takes to find peace and connection during the holidays.

This episode dives into how to adjust expectations, build small safe connections, and recognize when it’s time to gracefully step away. You’ll hear real stories and faith-filled insights about setting boundaries, extending grace, and protecting your peace when family dynamics get complicated.

Together, they explore how faith and therapy work hand in hand to reduce holiday stress, heal shame patterns, and create healthy relationships built on understanding rather than assumptions.

✨ In this episode:
• Adjust expectations with grace and self-awareness
• Build small connections that nurture belonging
• Redirect difficult conversations with compassion
• Know when to pause or step away without guilt
• Understand how shame and unmet expectations overlap
• Learn how active listening builds deeper connection

A Better Way to Heal: Where Faith Meets Therapy is hosted by Eleanor L. Brown, LPC, a Central Texas trauma therapist integrating Christian counseling and evidence-based tools to help you move from simply surviving to thriving, with co-host Isamary Nieves Banks.

🌿 Free Resources:
• Take the Shame Quiz to see how shame might be showing up in your life

• Download the A Better Way Guide and learn Elly’s 6-step BETTER Framework for healing

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store

As the holidays approach, family gatherings can stir up old wounds as easily as warm memories. In this episode, Elly and Isa explore how to heal holiday relationships by identifying emotional triggers and protecting your peace.

Licensed Professional Counselor and Central Texas trauma therapist Eleanor L. Brown shares faith-based insights and practical therapy tools for navigating family dynamics through the lens of Christian counseling. Together with co-host Isamary Nieves Banks, she blends Scripture and psychology to help you create emotional safety, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with others in healthy ways.

Drawing from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, they focus on love and belonging—why connection matters and how to build it during the holidays without losing yourself in the process. Whether you struggle with family tension, old pain, or holiday stress, this conversation will give you tools to respond instead of react.

✨ In this episode:
• Awareness of emotional triggers and stress responses
• Understanding fight, flight, freeze, and fawn in family gatherings
• Setting boundaries that protect peace without creating walls
• Inviting God into your emotional healing process
• Blending faith and therapy for whole-person healing
• Finding grace for yourself and others this holiday season

🕊️ A Better Way to Heal: Where Faith Meets Therapy is hosted by Eleanor L. Brown, LPC, a Central Texas trauma therapist, author, and speaker helping individuals move from simply surviving to thriving through faith and therapy.

📘 Learn more or find Elly’s book A Better Way: Integrating Faith and Psychology to Heal Inner Wounds at www.eleanorbrowncounseling.com.

Looking for a faith-based path toward emotional healing?
Download Elly’s free A Better Way Guide, a 6-step BETTER Framework that blends faith and therapy to help you recognize emotional triggers, build resilience, and start healing from the inside out.
Start your journey today at eleanorbrowncounseling.com/a-better-way-guide-freebie.

Connect with us on Social Media or Visit our website!

Website: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/

Facebook URL: facebook.com/EleanorBrownCounseling/

Instagram URL: instagram.com/eleanorbrowncounseling/

Bookstore: eleanorbrowncounseling.com/store