Tyler Rogers
A Key to a Fulfilling Marriage

Many people spend time reading and asking about the best advice for a successful, happy marriage. There are lots of answers to this question. Perhaps you have heard to never go to bed angry. Or maybe to always check with your spouse before committing to plans. Or don’t discuss your marriage business with your parents. These are in and of themselves great ideas, however, they are simply that- ideas. 

What people often do not ask is this- what is one skill I need to have a successful marriage? Well often don’t think of marriage as requiring skills. We think of it in ideas. But I would rather give you direction on a skill than advice on an idea. 

A Key to a Fulfilling Marriage
Relationships, Mental Health
Stevie Kay Hockett
Personality Differences: Embracing Strengths ...

When two people say “I do,” they are not just committing to love, they are committing to navigating a variety of differences. Understanding these differences can deepen your connection and help you navigate life’s ups and downs with greater compassion. Let’s explore some common personality contrasts that often show up in marriage, and how they can both enrich and test your partnership.

Personality Differences: Embracing Strengths and Navigating Challenges
Amy Achata
A Unique Path to Healing Trauma

Have you ever found yourself talking about the same struggles in therapy over and over, but nothing seems to change? You’re not alone—and there’s a good reason for that. Healing from trauma often requires more than just talking. Real transformation involves the whole body and a deeper connection to your inner world.

That’s why I use an approach called Internal Family Systems (IFS). It offers a fresh, powerful way to work with trauma that goes beyond traditional talk therapy. Instead of focusing only on what happened, IFS helps you build a relationship with the parts of yourself that are still carrying the pain.

A Unique Path to Healing Trauma
Relationships
Stevie Kay Hockett
Sex, Intimacy, and Marriage: Let's Talk About It

Marriage is an exciting new chapter filled with love, dreams, and the promise of a shared future. Along with choosing a venue and planning your honeymoon, one of the most important, and often overlooked, parts of preparing for marriage is understanding sex and intimacy. Whether you are waiting until the wedding night or you have already been physically intimate, the way you approach this part of your relationship can set the tone for years to come.

Sex, Intimacy, and Marriage: Let's Talk About It
Mental Health, Emotions, Leadership
Amy Achata
What is Emotional Safety?

When we think of emotional safety, most of us imagine being truly seen, heard, and understood. And while those things absolutely matter, there’s a deeper layer we often overlook. Real emotional safety doesn’t come from how others respond to us—it comes from knowing we won’t abandon ourselves, even when we feel misunderstood.

What is Emotional Safety?

A Key to a Fulfilling Marriage

A Key to a Fulfilling Marriage

Many people spend time reading and asking about the best advice for a successful, happy marriage. There are lots of answers to this question. Perhaps you have heard to never go to bed angry. Or maybe to always check with your spouse before committing to plans. Or don’t discuss your marriage business with your parents. These are in and of themselves great ideas, however, they are simply that- ideas. 

What people often do not ask is this- what is one skill I need to have a successful marriage? Well often don’t think of marriage as requiring skills. We think of it in ideas. But I would rather give you direction on a skill than advice on an idea. 

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Personality Differences: Embracing Strengths and Navigating Challenges

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Personality Differences: Embracing Strengths and Navigating Challenges

When two people say “I do,” they are not just committing to love, they are committing to navigating a variety of differences. Understanding these differences can deepen your connection and help you navigate life’s ups and downs with greater compassion. Let’s explore some common personality contrasts that often show up in marriage, and how they can both enrich and test your partnership.

A Unique Path to Healing Trauma

A Unique Path to Healing Trauma

Have you ever found yourself talking about the same struggles in therapy over and over, but nothing seems to change? You’re not alone—and there’s a good reason for that. Healing from trauma often requires more than just talking. Real transformation involves the whole body and a deeper connection to your inner world.

That’s why I use an approach called Internal Family Systems (IFS). It offers a fresh, powerful way to work with trauma that goes beyond traditional talk therapy. Instead of focusing only on what happened, IFS helps you build a relationship with the parts of yourself that are still carrying the pain.

Sex, Intimacy, and Marriage: Let's Talk About It

Sex, Intimacy, and Marriage: Let's Talk About It

Marriage is an exciting new chapter filled with love, dreams, and the promise of a shared future. Along with choosing a venue and planning your honeymoon, one of the most important, and often overlooked, parts of preparing for marriage is understanding sex and intimacy. Whether you are waiting until the wedding night or you have already been physically intimate, the way you approach this part of your relationship can set the tone for years to come.

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What is Emotional Safety?

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What is Emotional Safety?

When we think of emotional safety, most of us imagine being truly seen, heard, and understood. And while those things absolutely matter, there’s a deeper layer we often overlook. Real emotional safety doesn’t come from how others respond to us—it comes from knowing we won’t abandon ourselves, even when we feel misunderstood.

Why Premarital?

Why Premarital?

Why Premarital? 

Getting engaged is such an exciting time with cake tastings, venue tours, and dreaming about your future together. However, between picking a color scheme and writing your vows, it is easy to forget that marriage is about so much more than just the big day. It is about building a life together and that takes more than just love and good intentions. That is where premarital counseling comes in. 

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Time for a U-Turn?

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Time for a U-Turn?

Maybe you have come across the term Internal Family Systems (IFS), or heard it described as “Parts Work.” It’s been showing up more in therapy circles—and maybe even on your social media feed. As a therapist, I’ve found IFS to be one of the most compassionate and transformative approaches out there. Let me tell you why.

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Surviving the Holidays with Family

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Surviving the Holidays with Family

The holiday season has quickly descended upon us and for many, it can be a time of tremendous anxiety over people pleasing, getting the perfect gifts, and trying to make everyone’s family happy with your choices of how you spend your few precious days off work. For others, it may mean navigating an extended break from school with your family and introducing that special someone to the family for the first time. No matter how chaotic, stressful, or conflicting your holiday time may be, here are a few simple things to think about and reflect upon before excessive turkey and shopping consume every ounce of free brain capacity.

Be Curious, Not Judgmental

Be Curious, Not Judgmental

Ted Lasso believes it. Walt Whitman said it. But do you do it?

If you were to ask me What’s the one piece of advice you have for a successful relationship?, my answer would be this: Be curious, not judgmental. Easier said than done, right? This is an issue that plagues many of the relationships that I help on a day in and day out basis. So why does this simple issue plague so many relationships?

Recognizing Your Spouse's Dysregulation

Recognizing Your Spouse's Dysregulation

Lips tightening. Arms crossed. Tone harshening. Heart rate increasing. Palms sweating. Breath shortening.

These are a few things I see in my office daily, not part of an Eminem song. Well, mostly. They may also be things you experience in your marriage, whether it be something you do or something you are the recipient of. Becoming dysregulated in a conversation or conflict can be a common pattern, particularly in relationships that feel strained or tense often. Dysregulation can be described as entering into a state of hyperarousal (fight or flight) or hypoarousal (freeze). These states are something every person is capable of doing, and we hope so because they are adaptive for our survival and ability to navigate certain challenges in life.

Task Balancing in the Home

Task Balancing in the Home

Many families today face a growing, quiet threat outlined in Eve Rodsky’s book Fair Play – a long list of responsibilities that overwhelm and stress the typical family. Partners must handle the obvious tasks such as paying bills, cooking, home maintenance, doctor’s appointments and cleaning, as well as the less noticeable items requiring energy like social planning for the family, choosing, signing up and attending kids activities, arranging rides or play dates, and building the annual Valentine’s box. This constitutes what some call “invisible labor” in the home, labor that is required or expected, but not compensated. If this labor is not acknowledged or shared, a sense of imbalance can develop that often spills over into greater forms of conflict. The issue is pervasive and usually starts to enter a relationship upon the introduction of a first child.

Now Accepting Residency Applications

Now Accepting Residency Applications

The Residency Program at Scout provides residents opportunity to refine and grow their clinical skills in the post graduation, pre licensed stage of their career while being a part of a team. If you are a pre licensed mental health professional seeking licensure (LMFT or LPC), and willing to pursue licensure in TN, we would love to consider you!

My Experience with Residency

My Experience with Residency

I have met very few in the mental health field that don’t dream of the cozy office, coffee mug in hand, one on one with clients, pursuing your licensure and to make a good living doing it. But the reality of achieving that dream straight out of school is really difficult to do and can take a long time to accomplish. I feel lucky to have found Scout Counseling at the end of my graduate school experience. Along with providing great care to our clients, Scout’s second mission is the training of excellent counselors and creating a program to provide all the resources needed develop a private practice business and achieve licensure within the minimum timeframe after a master’s program.

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What Sets Scout Apart

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What Sets Scout Apart

Finding a counselor that can help navigate life’s challenges can be an overwhelming process. There are many disciplines and practices committed to the helping profession, and as a client, it may be hard to know the differences in each and how to find a good fit. Scout has sought to define elements of our practice that make us who we are and we share them here in the hope that it can make it easier to know if we are the place to come for healing, growth and change in your life.

Training the trainer: Are you equipped to provide premarital counseling?

Training the trainer: Are you equipped to provide premarital counseling?

The date is set. Plans are being made. Excitement is filling the air, except it is not your enthusiasm, but the wide-eyed, hand holding, “lovey dovey” couple sitting before you in your office. They cannot wait to get married, and you, perhaps, maybe cannot wait to get them married. Whatever role you have, and in many cases, I suppose a pastoral one, you are attempting to garner the attention of these two lovebirds over the pushy mothers and mother-in-laws, the wedding planner, and a number of other things pulling on these two. Perhaps you hope to give them one or two magical “nuggets” that will set them on a course for success, but you feel that your efforts may even fall short, as it can be difficult to articulate what has worked for you if you are married yourself and have experienced some marital success, but that may not even be true. So my question is- are you desiring to be better able to effectively deliver premarital counseling to the number of couples you engage with annually who are seeking to make the walk down the aisle to marital bliss?

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Surviving the Holidays with Family

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Surviving the Holidays with Family

The holiday season has quickly descended upon us and for many, it can be a time of tremendous anxiety over people pleasing, getting the perfect gifts, and trying to make everyone’s family happy with your choices of how you spend your few precious days off work. For others, it may mean navigating an extended break from school with your family and introducing that special someone to the family for the first time. No matter how chaotic, stressful, or conflicting your holiday time may be, here are a few simple things to think about and reflect upon before excessive turkey and shopping consume every ounce of free brain capacity.

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Finding a New Way...Again

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Finding a New Way...Again

In 2017, I moved to Chattanooga with just the name “Scout Counseling, PLLC” on a piece of paper. At that time, I post this about my move, and about the changes in my practice at that time. The Scout I built in Memphis was no more, and the move to the Scenic City had me dreaming of what this practice could be in this new phase of life. I began to think about the place and the people that would embody the type of practice I would be proud to be a part of and own. I knew that things would most likely change from being a solo practice, but I was not sure what that would be. After three years after dreaming and thinking, scouring real estate listings, and imagining what it would be like to have others in practice with me, I am excited to announce some major changes at Scout.

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Staying Mentally Well: Be Purposeful

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Staying Mentally Well: Be Purposeful

It is probably just as important during this time to take note of how to stay well emotionally as much as physically. Yes, hand-washing, social isolation and now mask wearing are important, but the conversation that is crucial to staying mentally, emotionally and spiritually well. These are issues that many are vulnerable to beyond the immuno-compromised, so it is time we do some gut checking on our emotional competency. Truth be told, these are probably things we all need to be doing anyway - there is nothing like a little “encouragement” in the form of a pandemic!

Today, after talking about being sad , being angry, being afraid, examining our limits, and being intentional, we will close out this little series talking about being purposeful with the time we do have now.

Be Purposeful

We are relational beings, and so it is difficult to imagine going weeks without much relational connection. The current pandemic is going to require many of us to feel our weakness - yikes! Again, something we do not like to do! After taking stock in everything, it’s a great time to reach out in purposeful ways, being purposeful with our time and with our words.

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Staying Mentally Well: Be Intentional

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Staying Mentally Well: Be Intentional

It is probably just as important during this time to take note of how to stay well emotionally as much as physically. Yes, hand-washing, social isolation and now mask wearing are important, but the conversation that is crucial to staying mentally, emotionally and spiritually well. These are issues that many are vulnerable to beyond the immuno-compromised, so it is time we do some gut checking on our emotional competency. Truth be told, these are probably things we all need to be doing anyway - there is nothing like a little “encouragement” in the form of a pandemic!

Today, after talking about being sad , being angry, and being afraid, as well as examining our limits, it’s a great time to turn to being intentional with our current life.

Be Intentional

Now that you and your family are likely home and if your workplace is closed or asking you to work from home, it is a great time to evaluate all things in your life not only that you are grieving, but also what you are not grieving. You read that correctly. Take a moment to see what you are not missing.

Get your life on track today.

Start the process →