by Jennifer Amaral-Kunze, M.Ed., LPC | Beyond the Mirror Counseling & Wellness
As the light begins to fade earlier each day and the air cools with the hush of fall, I find myself reflecting on the many ways we are held by one another. This darker season invites us inward, to slow down, to listen, to notice what is ready to rest and what still asks for tending.
Soon, the holidays will arrive with their own rhythm and intensity, stirring what is tender and true, the ache and the beauty, the fullness and the longing. They remind us that being human is never just one thing at a time. We can celebrate and grieve in the same breath. We can feel joy and still hold sorrow in the same hands.
Over the next eight weeks, our team at Beyond the Mirror Counseling & Wellness would like to offer a gift, a series of reflections to help you move through this season with compassion for your mind, your body, and your heart. Our hope is to create a soft, inclusive space for you to land, even if only for a moment, to remember that you are not alone in the complexity of being human.
This time of year can be a mixed landscape. Some of us feel the warmth of connection; others feel the distance of absence or the weight of expectation. For many, the noise of gatherings, the sight of food, or the pressure to feel merry can awaken old struggles. And still, within it all, there is room — room for your laughter, room for your grief, room for the quiet truth of who you are.
Beyond the Mirror was born from a deep desire to create spaces like this. Over the past twenty years, we have grown into a holistic family counseling center serving children as young as four through the life spectrum. We are known for our work with eating disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum, addiction, and co-occurring struggles. But more than that, we are known for creating a place where people are seen, valued, and invited to heal.
What began as a small outreach program called Love What You See has become a thriving community of clinicians, interns, and families who believe in the power of connection. Our work has evolved, but the heart of it remains the same, helping people come home to themselves. Healing, after all, is rarely a straight line. It is circular, layered, and deeply human. It grows quietly, in the presence of kindness.
When people feel safe to value themselves, others, and their community, something sacred happens. Healing becomes possible. We begin to rise, not by denying our pain, but by being held in it. Because pain is human. Suffering is what happens when we feel alone in that pain.
So as we move through this season together, from the quiet turning of fall into the light of the holidays, may we remember that you are not alone. You matter. Your emotions have value. There is space for all of you here: the parts that shine and the parts that ache. Show up as the gift that you are, exactly as you are.
Thank you for being part of our community, for walking beside us, and for allowing us to walk beside you. Each week, you can return to this space to receive new reflections and gentle support as we move through this season together.
