Goodnight, I love you, See you in the morning

October 17, 2025 / trotters41 / Leave a comment

by Jonathan

Night fell, as it does
The sky turned, the sun set
And a mother died.

A mother is the first home
A calm, a warmth, a safe haven

Nourishment pours from a mothers heart
And we are filled

But sometimes even mothers get sick
And sometimes their comforting arms shrink in the maze of an oncology suite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a beautiful funeral
The week after a mother died
They all showed up, told their stories, and cried

And life goes on, as it does
Other homes are built
And more stories are told

But this one, this story
Is mine
And even decades after her last night
I remember

I remember her love
I remember her heart
And I remember anew the last words I spoke in the dark to a mother

Goodnight, I love you, See you in the morning.

Worksheets Now Available!

September 1, 2025September 4, 2025 / trotters41 / Leave a comment

I have so enjoyed teaching and utilizing some of these tools all over the world for over a decade now.

Now, for all my therapist/missionary care/pastoral counselor friends out there, as well as anyone else who might find handouts useful…

I’m excited to start offering them in a more professional manner.

Now available:
The Shapes Diagram
The Triangle
The Stoplight Tool

The Stoplight Tool is available for $2.99 here. You can read more about it here.

The Shapes Diagram and The Triangle are available for $4.99 here. Read more about them here.

These resources are NOT a substitute for professional mental health help or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, it is crucial to seek medical help and/or advice from a licensed mental health professional who can provide personalized guidance and support.

Don’t suffocate emotions. Give them AIR: Allow. Identify. Respond.

June 4, 2025 / trotters41 / Leave a comment

Please don’t suffocate emotions (yours or your kid’s). Instead, give emotions AIR…

Allow
Identify
Respond

It’s a simple mnemonic to use when feelings start flying.

For more, visit Stone and Sky Counseling, LLC

Individual and Couples Counseling Now Available in the Joplin/Webb City Area!

May 21, 2025May 21, 2025 / trotters41 / 2 Comments

Hello there, and thanks for stopping by!

I’m so excited to offer individual and couples counseling in Southwest Missouri! If you’re interested in setting up a session, please visit Stone and Sky Counseling or see my listing on Psychology Today. Three-day individual and couples counseling intensives are also available.

Background
Since 2014, I have had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of couples and individuals in dozens of countries. As a pastoral counselor, empathetic coach, Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC), I have experience journeying with people through issues such as grief and loss, life transitions, anxiety, ADHD, depression, trauma, OCD, abuse (spiritual, sexual, physical, emotional), debriefing, Autism, ministry burnout, addictions, and more. With all clients, I take a person-centered, trauma-informed, experiential approach.

Before moving to Cambodia in 2012, I worked bi-vocationally as an ER/trauma nurse and youth and worship pastor. I am also a licensed attorney in California and hold a master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Colorado Christian University. As a PLPC, I am supervised by Dr. Karl Wendt, LPC #001808.

For Pastors and Ministry Folks
My wife and I have been involved in local church ministry, in one form or another, since 2000. Before moving abroad, I was a youth and worship minister for about ten years. From 2012 to 2020, my family and I lived as cross-cultural missionaries in Phnom Penh Cambodia and I served the community as a pastor at an international church and as a pastoral counselor at a local counseling center, working with folks from over thirty nations.

I’ve led trainings, seminars, or coaching sessions in China, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Laos, the US, England, and Myanmar.

For Marriages
With couples, I utilize an attachment-based, emotionally-focused approach. I also greatly appreciate the evidence-based tools and resources from Dr. John Gottman. Since 2014, I’ve had the privilege of meeting with several hundred couples who were trying to overcome unhealthy patterns in their relationship, boost communication, improve their sex life, prepare for married life, and more. I am trained to administer the Prepare/Enrich relationship assessment. See the “Roadmap” I often use with couples here.

For Medical Professionals and First Responders:
It is my privilege to offer specialized care for for medical professionals and first responders. If that’s you, keep reading.

If you’re looking for a counselor who understands what a Level 1 Trauma Center feels like during a full moon; if you’re looking for a therapist who’s assisted Kansas City police officers in subduing violent patients; if you want to visit with someone who knows the unique stressors and pressures of dealing with life and death situations during a normal Tuesday, keep reading!

With a background in ER/trauma nursing, law, ministry, and counseling, I now provide individual and couples counseling at Mount Hope Christian Counseling Center in Webb City.

Visit www.stoneandskycounseling.com for more information or to book an initial session.