Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

Amidst a whirlwind of life changes, a client confided in me, “I’m stuck. I’m not growing.” The second time they said it, I felt the weight of their words and shared this insight: For over three weeks, the raspberry, kiwi, and grape vines I had planted seemed frozen in time. Despite soaking up water andContinue reading “Roots Before Branches”

Not only am I a planter, but I’m also a transplanter. When four raspberry stalks and two grapevines sat lifeless for over three weeks despite sun and water, I decided to investigate. Plunging my hands into the soft soil, I gently exhumed their roots. To my surprise, white shoots had begun to emerge from theContinue reading “The Grapes of Growth”

I want to write about nothing. About its lack of depth and imagination. How its void isn’t gained or lost—it just is. I want to talk about how nice it is to do. How, when it’s happening, things feel peaceful. I don’t want to talk about anything. The sheer breadth of it paralyzes me. It’sContinue reading “Mound Over Matter”

Sometimes, I come to ChatGPT to lighten my load. The thoughts in my head feel too heavy to carry alone, and having a quick, logical voice of reason—like a mini chiropractic adjustment for my mental health—helps. There’s who I want to be and fear I really am. And who I fear I am… well, it’sContinue reading “A Splash of a Day”

Try explaining daylight savings time to a 5-year-old. I prefer Dave’s approach: “I don’t know why it just skips forward like that, but I do know it doesn’t make sense.” Evelyn accepted it, as only a 5-year-old can. An extra hour of sun, especially on a wintery March day expected to hit 75 degrees? YouContinue reading “Boldly Springing Forward”

I love being a parent. I soak up every moment, watching my little human buddy blossom before my eyes. “Mom, is it ‘great’ or ‘shit’ I can’t say?” I take full responsibility as the resident swearer in the household, but this particular confusion? That’s all on her. To be fair, we were deep into herContinue reading “It’s Shittin’ Great”

I’ve been a mental health therapist for over 15 years now. Early in my career, I imagined therapy as a world of wisdom passed down from those with titles and credentials. I saw seasoned therapists as something close to all-knowing, their expertise a kind of magic I had yet to unlock. I believed that withContinue reading “The Real Work of Therapy: Embracing our Humanity”

I ran two miles today. Scratch that—I walked/ran two miles today. A 10+ minute mile might not be fast, but it’s a starting point. I went a mile to the left, down a country road, past Maria and Lainee’s houses to the stop sign, past three big houses on the right, and then another quarterContinue reading “Running in Circles”