On the cusp of a new school year, a new job and a million small changes I was feeling scattered, trying to make 48 hours of stuff fit into 24, and be who I needed to be for myself and everyone I love.
I sat there in my kitchen mind whirling, sipping morning coffee and as I looked at my 3 year old daughter talking into her plastic walkie talkie donning full firefighter regalia it hit me. Just how easy it was to be whatever we needed to be when we were children. Big & Brave – firefighter outfit, Fabulous & Fierce – 15 layers of tulle skirts and your fathers aviators, Vulnerable & Important – swaddling blanket and tiara. “I am the baby queen of roses! Mommy can you make me into a burrito?!” she says after a long first few days of being the big sister for the first time, not just the little sister.
I sometimes wish it were that easy to switch roles at a moments notice. Imagine it if I could bring my assertive Mom Voice to to the gym with me and to tell myself: just get started it will be fun once you get going! Maybe, I could bring the vulnerability I make space for with my clients to my relationships with dear ones by asking them to pick up my kids from daycare only so I can have five minutes of time I desperately need to myself.
And maybe I’m not so unlike my daughter after all. While I typically don’t walk around with a tiara, there are days that I rock those red shoes because I need them. There are days I say “Coffee First” before I read the email. Those are the days I’m able to live the authentic life I really want.
Isabel Groedel is a Licensed Master Social Worker who specializes in supporting adolescents, adults, couples and families in overcoming behavioral and emotional challenges. She is bilingual (English and Spanish) and is trained in EMDR and Emotion Focused Therapy.
My clinical career began with a strong interest in the psychological impact of illness and disability and a master’s degree in medical rehabilitation counseling. Helping people adjust to the unique experiences of medical journeys was powerful and fulfilling– but I soon realized that my clients’ medical needs impacted everyone in their family. Partners, parents, siblings, children: they are all touched by their loved one’s illness or disability. The whole system was in pain and their relationships were fracturing.
Early in in this work I was able to join into the lives of adults with severe and persistent mental illness and help them to fashion wellness and recovery in their own communities and with their own families. I was in the thick of life with men and women having full and robust and connected lives even while facing some of the most challenging brain diseases and it was due significantly to their close family supports. This pushed me to pursue a deeper understanding of family systems. I was lucky to be living in an area which was the birthplace of family systems therapy. I spent several years being mentored and trained by people who have devoted their research and their lives to helping develop strong connected families. This work fundamentally changed how I viewed the world and my own family. Through my time devoted to Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy i not only learned but actually experienced that no one is ever truly alone and we grow best and heal best together.
My interest in counseling originated from a desire to repair broken relationships within my own family. My exploration to seek wholeness and restoration for the emotional wounds of my past began with reading books about how family relationships work and then progressed to my majoring in psychology in college. I began to learn about how we impact each other and how important it is to seek my own emotional health and healing. This led to my desire to not only seek my own counseling but also to pursue counseling as a career. How meaningful and fulfilling would it be to not only heal my own personal hurts and relationships but also to help others do the same?
We offer retreats, workshops, and groups that support our clients and the communities in Fayette and Coweta Counties.
Groups and Workshops are a great way to get support and improve skills in a cost effective manner! Here are the groups that are currently forming:
Couples coming to us, often report needing help with one or more of the following concerns:
The Center for Living Balance is the product of personal and business evolution. Founded by Amy Jaynes in 2016 as a solo counseling practice, the center has always focused on personal and relational well-being. As Amy’s passion for healing relational bonds continued to grow, she became more active in the professional mental health community. She was speaking at local events, serving on boards, and generally spreading the word about the power of healing attachment.
Do you need a speaker for your event or organization? We can bring any of our workshops and seminars to you! 
Staying connected through life’s many stages is challenging work– we help families wade through those disconnected moments to find the path back to connection. We see families who are seeking help with:
Many of our clients spend their days taking care of the needs of other people — often at the expense of their own well-being or needs. We understand (and live!) this unique experience that can create anxiety, depressed mood, increased stress, compassion fatigue, relational distress, and burnout for:
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