First Step Consultation – Brian Farr M.S. in Ed., C.A.S.A.C.

  52 weeks ago I set down a challenge for myself.  I wanted to see if I could post a weekly blog for one year.  Now I have done that.  Hooray! And now, much like I assume Forest Gump felt like when he began running across the country and eventually realized he had no tangible […]

Here is some free and unsolicited advice for you: if you are ever mandated to go for any type of evaluation with a counselor, and they ask questions about your family of origin, DO NOT say that things were “fantastic, wonderful, or, the worst choice of all – normal”. Any of these answers will quickly […]

Last week, my family and I spent a few days in what can best be described as paradise.  Well, for some it might be paradise “unplugged”.  And for others it may just be tedious, boring, torture.  But for us it was magnificent.  The place I am talking about is a resort hidden deep in the […]

  The question I have this week is rather delicate, so I decided to just come out and ask it:  As a parent, have you ever found yourself watching your child/children at play and thought “Wow, what they are doing right now is really not too intelligent?”  Not that the behavior is necessarily dangerous, although […]

To the trained eye, many things around our house may look substandard .  Substandard may be a tad too harsh, though – I’ll go with “slightly askew” instead.  If a contractor, or handyman, or anyone with a background in professional building was to stroll through the rooms and hallways of our home, their eyes may […]

  For anyone who has been in or around a 12 Step program, the concept of “people, places, and things” is nothing new.  One of the first suggestions for people trying to recover from any addictive or destructive behavior is to focus on, and to change these three key areas.  At first glance, it may […]

My lawn looks good.  Not great.  But good.  I don’t know if it will ever look great.  I certainly don’t think it will ever meet the standards of my neighbor whose turf looks like it was transplanted from a P.G.A. golf course.  Every blade of rich, dark green grass on their lawn appears to be […]

  We have been having some fun at my house recently by watching some of the iconic movies from the past with my kids.  They are at the age now where they understand many of the deeper meanings in these films, and it is also interesting to see just how far film-making, technology, and the […]

“When we grew up and went to school, there were certain teachers who would hurt the children any way they could…” Those lyrics by the band Pink Floyd are ominous, filled with pain, and hard to fathom.  Why would teachers want to intentionally hurt students?  What is harder to believe is that the song, though […]

  I realized something odd this week.  I feel O.K.  Peaceful.  Tranquil.  Serene.  And this is odd for me, because my life circumstances haven’t changed in any significant way to cultivate these feelings.  If anything, my life situation today is more uncertain, unpredictable, and downright scary than ever before.  And it would seem that I […]