August 2026 Newsletter

Welcome to the August edition of The Cascade!!!

In this Issue:

New groups start in September!
Hot Take: YOU'RE IN LUCK!!
Learning your nervous system
Diving into Life

Sometimes the easiest way to make change is with the support of others...

New groups are starting in September!

Connection-Based Parenting Groups

Have you wondered how to have more peace and ease with your kids? Would you like to feel confident as you help them grow up?

Cascade supports parents so they can support their kids!

Adult Skills & Connection Group:

Do you want to be more present and engaged in your life and experiences?

ACT is a skills and connection-based group where you'll learn to grow your psychological flexibility and respond more adaptively to pain and struggle to help you create a rich, full, and meaningful life.

Click here to learn more about our therapy groups.

YOU'RE IN LUCK!!

YOU’RE IN LUCK!

If you’ve been looking for more support as a parent, our next Connection-Based Parenting group starts in late September! If you’re getting more frustrated than you’d like, seeing your kiddo struggle more than they need to, or wondering how things could be a little easier, we’ve got you.

We’ll help you learn and practice the principles and skills of Connection-Based Parenting so that your toolbox is full of ways to create deeper connection, have fewer battles, enjoy more laughs and snuggles, and relax into a calmer, more peaceful home.

You’ll learn what your kids’ actions can teach us about their insides; what to do when your child cries, yells, hits, withdraws, or melts down; how to build cooperation that flows from connection; how to get real support from other adults; and lots of other fun stuff that’s more effective than bribing, consequence-ing, and yelling!

Insurance is accepted for this group; we’ll meet for 1.5 hours, 8 consecutive weeks.

Click here for more information and to schedule an informational call!

Learning your Nervous System

An important skill for accessing our ability to feel well and connected is to understand and learn to interact with our nervous system. In this blog post, I’m talking about the Autonomic Nervous System or the ANS.

I like to think of our nervous system (ANS) like the Operating System in our cell phone. It’s always running in the background, taking in information, and making decisions about how to run applications, and use and conserve energy.

Our nervous system is connected to lots of organs in our body: lungs, heart, brain, digestive system, to name a few.

There’s a constant feedback loop happening in our bodies that we aren’t usually aware of:

Here is an example: I am on a walk with my young nephew, and he starts to run to the road. My nervous system takes in the information that my nephew is in danger. I act without thinking and sprint to scoop him up before he can get near a car. My nervous system has sent a message out to my organs to prepare for swift action, which includes a burst of adrenaline.

Helpful, right? When there is danger, we want this system in our body to help us automatically do what’s needed. What a helpful set of tools in our body! Hooray!

Here is another example: I am about to give a presentation in class to all my peers and teachers. I step up to the front and look at the crowd. My nervous system takes in the information that people are watching me and may judge me. My heart rate increases. My stomach starts to clench. It feels a little hard to think clearly. My nervous system has sent a message out to my organs to prepare because to me, this doesn’t feel very safe!

Less helpful. My nervous system has identified this situation as unsafe, but right now I need to be calm and clear-headed to do well. The tools have malfunctioned! Help!

Click here to read the rest of the blog post and find out more about how your nervous system operat es

Eva Morrison, MSW, LICSW

Eva is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Cascade Therapy Group with a masters in social work.

Click here to get scheduled or learn more about Eva.

Recent blog posts

Mental health resources, self-care, and more

Gliding through the topsy-turvy transitions…

The season is starting to change. Daylight is getting shorter (by three minutes a day right now!), the State Fair is HERE (!!!), and the start of school is coming up quickly for many families. Transitions can bring feelings of excitement, dread, or anything in between. Even if a change is welcome, it still takes energy and time. If you’ve ever wondered how to soften the sometimes-rough edges of big changes, here are three things that tend to make rough times gentler:

Routines - keep or build in little rituals or habits that keep the rhythm of each day feeling familiar, even though big things are going on in the background. These can be small - the same breakfast every day, or five minutes of coffee or tea time and birdwatching near a window, or getting fully dressed first thing in the morning to signal to your brain and body, “I’m ready!”

Sleep - It’s easy to say, but it can be hard to remember that sleep is (nearly) everything. When we protect our sleeping time and get enough sleep, everything else is a little easier - we have more brainpower to think through and solve our problems, and we have more physical energy and emotional flexibility.

Laughter - Have you ever paid attention to what your whole body feels like after a belly laugh? It’s one giant release for all of our organs, including the brain. When we laugh, we understand in body and mind that we are safe, which paves the way for a calm, connected mood.

Telling one dumb joke to someone who isn’t expecting it can change the day for both of you. We’ll get you started:

Why does a chicken coop have two doors?

Because if it had four, it would be a chicken sedan.

Here’s a great source for more.

If you'd like to talk with someone, need to schedule an appointment, or have a resource question, please reach out anytime! We are here and would love to hear from you.

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