In this first episode of the Women and Wellness Series, Terry Folks describes how she uses the Wellness Wheel in her practice.
The Wellness Wheel allows us to examine our self-care and find balance in each of the four major domains of life: Spiritual, Emotional, Mental/Intellectual, and Physical.
“Women in our culture are too often expected to assist with other people’s self care – at their own expense,” Terry notes. “What I see most often in my practice is ‘imbalance’ as women attempt to juggle so much service to so many others in only so many hours.”
Terry uses the Wellness Wheel in a variety of ways in her practice. She shares some of the self-care strategies that come directly from working with the wheel.
“Self Compassion is key to reflecting on your current balance (or lack of balance),” says Terry. “We all have ‘wobbly wheels’ occasionally, especially as we move through life’s transitions. That’s understandable. My concern is what can happen to our sense of ourselves (our “I Am-ness”) if we stay un-balanced for too long.”
If you’d like to follow along with us, download the Wellness Wheel template and the Wellness Wheel Questions.
About Terry
Terry Folks is a Canadian Certified Counsellor, Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapist and Registered Clinical Counsellor.
She maintains a thriving practice in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island where she specializes in women’s issues.
Her clients include professional women (working or semi-retired) and professional “Moms” (women dedicated to parenting, home schooling, house management without pay, etc).
Terry also facilitates “Sophia” Women’s Wisdom groups for like-minded women who wish to explore their inner wisdom as reflected in the ancient global Wisdom Traditions.
As a Healing Touch practitioner, she also offers treatments with co-practitioner Wendy Turner at SpiritFirst Counselling and Healing Touch in Comox.
Visit www.spiritfirstcounselling.ca to learn more about Terry.
Resources Mentioned
- Dr. Jane E. Myers (not Linda Myers) Counseling For Wellness: Theory, Research, And Practice
- Rumer Godden Quote
- Brene Brown: Men, Women, and Worthiness: The Experience of Shame and the Power of Being Enough
- On Sleep: Matthew Walker interview
- Michael Singer: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
- Carol Gilligan: In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development
- Susan Cain: TED talk on Introverts and her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
- Starhawk: Spiral Dance, The – 20th Anniversary: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition
Insights?
Terry and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. What did you learn about yourself in this episode and what are the actions you plan to take to bring more balance to your wheel?
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FABULOUS podcast, Kara. Congratulations. You’ve done a great job and I’m so happy you have put this up.
Also… how does Terry have so much information about my life? This Wellness Discovery Tool is such an important tool for me in my life right now. This podcast and handouts can be of great help to the patients and family caregivers I come into contact with.
#IAmTheWobblyWheel
Thanks so much, Beth. I’m so glad you found this tool as useful as I did. And great to know you’re going to use it in your very important work with caregivers. xo (Love the hash tag :))
Beth! Thank you for your feedback on this Podcast. I love that you can use the material for yourself and the people you are serving. Kara is a fine interviewer so it was easy to share these strategies that I use in my own life and practice.