Melissa Plantz, Plano Christian Counseling

What to Expect in Therapy for Teens in Plano, Texas

What to Expect in Therapy for Teens in Plano, Texas

Melissa Plantz2025-11-04T08:19:28+00:00November 4th, 2025|Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Looking for Christian therapy for teens in Plano, Texas? If so, we can help. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise toddlers. They are perhaps the first age group that tries their parents’ patience and has them down on their knees in prayer. The second major age group that parents often worry about is the teenage years. Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Your child wants independence, but also wants to know that you are still there for them. At that age, teens are curious, rebellious, and often a bit like their parents. This can be a challenging time for both teens and parents. However, the good news is that more parents are finding solace in therapy for teens, a resource that can provide much-needed support and guidance during this season. Topics Covered in Therapy for Teens in Plano, Texas Many of the topics that teens face today, their grandparents also faced as teens, such as smoking, peer pressure, underage drinking, and teen pregnancy. However, there are some things that, as parents, we never had to worry about until the 21st century. For example, social media and cyberbullying are among the issues that teens face. What once used to be name-calling on the playground has turned into full-blown attacks across the internet, leading some teens to depression and suicide. The following is a list of common topics we cover in therapy for teens in Plano, Texas: Peer pressure Drug addiction Teen sex Sexual confusion Teen pregnancy Bullying (in all forms) Identity confusion Academic pressure Athletic pressure Addiction to social media platforms and gaming Family issues Conflict at school Communication Anxiety Depression Eating disorders Spiritual questions Grief and loss Divorce and family changes Trauma, abuse, neglect, or abandonment Plano is home to many excellent schools—such as [...]

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6 Tips for Long-Distance Dating

6 Tips for Long-Distance Dating

Melissa Plantz2025-10-27T12:45:33+00:00October 29th, 2025|Couples Counseling, Featured, Personal Development, Relationship Issues|

Whether your boyfriend or girlfriend lives far away, is stationed in another state, deployed overseas, or working elsewhere, you can keep the fire alive in your relationship with a few long-distance dating tips. 6 Tips for Long-Distance Dating You can maintain a strong relationship even when you’re separated. It takes effort, considering the other person’s needs and respecting their boundaries. It also takes a level of trust. Long-term, long-distance dating can be more challenging, and you may want to consider seeking help from a counselor. For example, a couple separated by one taking a new job in another state may have an easier time over the next four months before the wedding compared to the couple separated by a year-long deployment overseas. The following is a list of several tips for long-distance dating. Communicate Often Communication lines must stay open and honest. Let your other half know you are thinking of them with calls, video chats, and memes. A little text in the middle of the day, letting them know they’re on your mind, can bring you closer. With today’s technology, seeing each other face-to-face virtually can make the distance seem shorter. Ask Questions When you speak to your significant other, ask questions and actively listen to their responses. Don’t get so caught up in what you want to say that you miss the details. People build trust and confidence with others when they believe that the person is taking a genuine interest in them. Do Something Together Virtually Engage in activities you can share virtually. For example, stream a movie at the same time, cook dinner while video chatting, or play a game online. Think of ways the two of you can share an experience. How about a virtual tour of a historical place? You can discuss what [...]

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Social Media and Body Image: Back to School Edition

Social Media and Body Image: Back to School Edition

Melissa Plantz2025-09-08T06:24:27+00:00September 8th, 2025|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development|

Back to school is a time when many families are ready for a fresh start. There is so much hope for the future, excitement, and maybe a little bit of anxiety. But for some children, their body image impacts how they will interact with others and pursue their goals. How we perceive our bodies affects how we behave and the beliefs that we hold onto. Social media and body image play critical roles in how a child views themselves. The Effects of Social Media and Body Image on Kids The effects of social media and body image on children can last a lifetime. Children, as young as grade school, begin to notice society’s ideal image of what someone should look like to be pretty, handsome, cool, or successful. They start their quest to fulfill what they believe everyone wants. Comparison Children who spend time on social media may begin to compare their own bodies to those of their peers and celebrities, not understanding how unrealistic many of these images are after being airbrushed and filtered. Body Dysmorphia Body dysmorphia is an excessive worry about how one looks. It is an obsession with perceived flaws. This obsession can interfere with a child’s daily activities and socialization. Eating Disorders Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, are fatal if left untreated. They cause severe physical illness. Binge eating is another eating disorder that can develop in some children, especially if they use food as a coping mechanism. Increased Risk for Depression and Anxiety Too much time scrolling social media and worrying about body image can increase depression and anxiety in both adults and children. Parents and educators should stay informed about social media and body image, and be willing to celebrate each child’s uniqueness until that child embraces a positive [...]

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What You Should Know About the Grieving Process: Christian Grief Counseling in Plano, Texas

What You Should Know About the Grieving Process: Christian Grief Counseling in Plano, Texas

Melissa Plantz2025-09-02T10:02:28+00:00September 2nd, 2025|Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling|

Grieving is a natural part of life. We live in a fallen world of loss and failure until Jesus Christ returns. Understanding the grieving process can make the transition through the stages more bearable. When you understand that what you feel is expected, you can work through it. If you’re looking for Christian grief counseling in Plano, Texas, we can help. The Five Stages of the Grieving Process The grieving process consists of five stages. People vary, however, in how they process grief. For example, you may go through the grieving process in order as listed, while others may never experience specific stages or become stuck in one particular stage longer. The grieving process is normal, but if grief interferes with your daily life and your ability to move forward, then you may need a helping hand. Christian counseling can help you process your emotions, thoughts, and grief to accept the loss, but still move forward with a healthier mental state. Denial/Shock The denial or shock stage can leave you with a numb feeling. You may refuse to believe that the loss occurred, or you may go into “shock,” moving on with your day and trying to manage details while not processing your emotions. As with the other stages, denial can last days or weeks. Anger You may be angry at a person, business, situation, or yourself. You may be angry at God. Anger is a common emotion after loss, whether the death of a loved one, a business failure, or the loss of a relationship. To be angry is not always sinful; the emotion is natural. It is how we react to this anger that can cause problems. Bargaining Making bargains and vows to keep something from happening again or dwelling on the “why” behind a loss can [...]

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After the Divorce: Finding Yourself After a Toxic Marriage

After the Divorce: Finding Yourself After a Toxic Marriage

Melissa Plantz2025-08-26T09:10:50+00:00August 26th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development|

A toxic marriage is emotionally and, often, physically draining. The period after the divorce is a time for finding yourself, grieving the lost relationship dream, and healing from the loss and trauma. Tips to Rediscovering Yourself after a Toxic Marriage It is important to your mental health to take it slowly after a toxic marriage. Don’t jump into another relationship right away. Give yourself time to heal, seeking professional help if needed. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to seek a new place to live, find work, go back to school, and rebuild your self-esteem. The following is a list of tips for rediscovering yourself after a toxic marriage. Grieve for the relationship dream We don’t plan for a marriage to end during our wedding. We come into it full of dreams and promises. Toxic behaviors can interfere with and ruin those visions of the future. We may feel that we are starting over, sometimes with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Allow yourself to move through the grieving process. Grief has five stages: denial/shock, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. You may cycle through these stages repeatedly until you reach acceptance. Ask for help from a counselor if you are having trouble processing your emotions. Set new boundaries Now is the time to establish new boundaries. You may not have had clear boundaries or may not have known how to enforce them in the past. Decide what you will tolerate and what you will not. Learn to say no to everything that disturbs your peace or is not what you feel God has for you. You do not need to be accessible to everyone all day, every day. Let the people you love know your boundaries. This might mean turning off your phone at 8 p.m. or [...]

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Trauma Counseling in Plano, Texas: Finding Your Identity After Emotional Abuse

Trauma Counseling in Plano, Texas: Finding Your Identity After Emotional Abuse

Melissa Plantz2025-10-02T13:36:44+00:00August 13th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

Emotional abuse is scarring. It can rip away what sense you had of yourself. Once the abuse has ended and you have placed distance between yourself and your abuser, you may be left wondering who you are or trying to remember the person you were before the abuse. You can find your identity after emotional abuse with time, healing, and patience. Here at Plano Christian Counseling, we offer trauma counseling in Plano, Texas, to help you overcome the effects of emotional abuse.Tips for Finding Yourself After Emotional AbuseBe willing to work on your mental and emotional health after emotional abuse. It takes time for healing and for the discovery of what was hidden. The abuse slowly chipped away at you, but your identity is still there. You just need to rediscover it. Trauma counseling in Plano, Texas,T can help.Journal your emotionsYour emotions may feel like they are all over the place after experiencing abuse. It may be difficult to decipher exactly what you are feeling. Anger? Bitterness? Pain? Probably all three. Journaling is an excellent tool for identifying and working through emotions.Although you can use a digital version, many people find that using a paper journal gives them a sense of catharsis. Releasing strong emotions frees you from the bondage of emotional abuse. You can also use your journal as a reference if you decide to try counseling, providing insight into your thoughts and feelings.Be kind to yourselfIf the emotional abuse was severe, you may hear your abuser’s voice in your ear, whispering terrible things about you. Those words can become a false belief. Learning how to identify and challenge those thoughts will help you to be kinder to yourself.Abuse is not your fault. The fault lies with a person who is broken and hurts others. Show yourself kindness and [...]

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Premarital Questions to Ask for Engaged Couples in Plano, Texas

Premarital Questions to Ask for Engaged Couples in Plano, Texas

Melissa Plantz2025-03-22T06:23:27+00:00February 24th, 2025|Couples Counseling, Featured, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Getting married in Plano, Texas? Here are some important premarital questions to consider before you tie the knot. Before you get married, you may assume you know what to expect from the marriage and your spouse. Unfortunately, life rarely works that way. A person’s upbringing, environmental factors, life experiences, and personality can all impact a marriage. You’ll want to be on the same page with your significant other, so it’s important to know what premarital counseling questions to ask. Plano Christian Counseling offers faith-based premarital counseling to help couples build a strong foundation for a lasting marriage. Premarital Counseling Questions to Ask When you share the same goals, dreams, and expectations with your partner, marriage feels like sharing life with your best friend. However, if you do not know how to overcome obstacles together and share emotions productively, you can end up sharing your home with a stranger. Premarital counseling is critical for opening the line of communication and discussing matters that may have never crossed your mind. These subjects may not be an issue at present, but your future self needs answers. Premarital counseling in Plano, Texas also teaches communication skills, conflict resolution, and how to keep the focus on you as a couple as you move through the different seasons of your lives. Below is a list of premarital counseling questions to get you started. Although you can share this list with your significant other and review the answers together, a counselor at Plano Christian Counseling in Texas can work as a mediator to help you find solutions and teach you skills that will serve you as a couple for years. Premarital counseling questions: Where do you see yourself in the future? Where do you want to live? Where do you want to work? Are you willing [...]

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10 Steps to Building Self-Esteem

10 Steps to Building Self-Esteem

Melissa Plantz2025-03-29T03:46:40+00:00January 19th, 2024|Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development, Spiritual Development|

Self-esteem is how you perceive your worth. It is self-respect. If you struggle with low self-esteem, you may have trouble in relationships and social situations. Low self-esteem typically means a lack of assertiveness, which indicates you may need help building self-esteem. 10 Tips for Building Self-Esteem Building self-esteem is simpler than you may think. It is not easy; however, taking specific action can simplify boosting self-esteem. Here are ten steps to building self-esteem. Accept where and who you are now. There is much unhappiness in trying to return to being the version of yourself you used to be. The version you were before the loss of a family member, the end of a marriage, the birth of a child, or the move to a new state. Plano Christian Counseling offers faith-based support to help you process life’s changes, find healing, and move forward with hope. Accepting who you are now and where you are regarding a specific life category grounds you. This acceptance provides clarity for what you want next. Catch negative thoughts. Negative thoughts and demeaning self-talk can do a great deal of damage. Vow to catch these thoughts as soon as you recognize them. Recognize the lie and look for the truth. You can change an old belief into a new one with practice. Flip these thoughts into positive self-talk. Smile. A quick tip for building self-esteem is to smile. Smiling stimulates the amygdala, releasing endorphins that brighten your mood and boost confidence. Notice how others perceive you when you greet them with a smile. You can experience a mood boost by simply smiling when you are alone. Play music. Energetic music, the kind that makes you want to dance, can boost your mood and improve your self-esteem. A song can make you feel like you can [...]

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Overeating Disorder Recovery

Overeating Disorder Recovery

Melissa Plantz2025-04-01T15:59:23+00:00August 26th, 2023|Eating Disorders, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (overeating disorder) can be fatal without treatment. Recovery from overeating disorder and other eating disorders is possible. Tips for Overeating Disorder Recovery Seek professional help. Overeating disorder can coexist with anxiety and mood disorders. You may struggle with poor body image, negative self-worth, and low self-esteem. The compulsive behavior tricks you into believing you lack self-control and are helpless. This is not true. The first step is to seek professional help. One option is to contact our office at Plano Christian Counseling to schedule an appointment with a license counselor. Stay away from the scale. We can become obsessed with the numbers on the scale. If you struggle with body dysmorphia, poor body image, or low self-esteem, you may need to avoid the scale until you are well into recovery. The number on the scale is simply a number that relates to gravitational pull. It does not consider how much muscle you gain in your workouts, fluid retention, or any other factor. Plano Christian Counseling offers faith-based counseling to help individuals struggling with body image issues, low self-esteem, and related concerns. If you are a woman, your weight may fluctuate throughout your cycle, weighing more on the days leading up to your period and during the week of ovulation. Consider using a tape measure to track the lost inches and smaller clothing sizes instead of the scale. Identify negative self-talk. How do you talk to yourself? Are your words worse than you would say to others? We are often harder on ourselves than we are on others. Critical and negative self-talk belittles your motivation and self-esteem. The negative thoughts you hear may be echoes from words spoken over you in the past. You need to learn to let those [...]

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The Mental and Physical Benefits of Pilates for Seniors

The Mental and Physical Benefits of Pilates for Seniors

Melissa Plantz2024-09-27T11:52:35+00:00July 21st, 2022|Aging and Geriatric Issues, Featured, Weight Loss|

Pilates is a series of low-impact movements used to strengthen the core and balance of the practitioner, both of which are critical for seniors. But the physical gains are only a side bonus to the mental benefits of consistently practicing Pilates. If you are looking for a low-impact exercise for the elderly that strengthens, lengthens, and leaves you feeling confident, give Pilates a try. Introduction to Pilates The Pilates Method was created by Joseph Pilates, a German-born immigrant to the United States. After Pilates left Germany, he taught Scotland Yard self-defense tactics before being interred in a camp during World War I. During the internment, Pilates kept himself strong, lean, and healthy with a series of movements that he performed on the floor or on modified beds. These would later become the skeletons for Pilates apparatuses. Pilates taught others in the internment camp his method and when influenza swept through England, none of Pilates “students” died of the virus. Pilates realized that his method went beyond just physical fitness, but wellness. After the war, Pilates returned to Germany briefly and then immigrated to the U.S. His method became popular with dancers and athletes due to its ability to help heal injuries while keeping them at their peak. Others began to train under Pilates and eventually branched out to teach in other areas besides Pilates’ New York studio. Although Pilates passed away in the 1960s, his work lives on. The exercise known as Pilates has gained incredible popularity over the last 50 years. It consists of two types of Pilates: work done on a mat on the floor, and work done using a Pilates machine such as the Reformer or the Chair. There are many different forms of Pilates as more teachers have added their own technique to the method. Some [...]

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Melissa Plantz

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