Discover Your Personal Journey

Grateful to be featured by @VoyageATL! Thank you for highlighting SESTRETCH Counseling and our dedication to "the practice of returning to Self." In a world that constantly asks us to look outward, our mission is to help you guide your awareness back home to who you truly are. Check out the full interview here: https://voyageatl.com/interview/inspiring-conversations-with-solomon-e-stretch-of-sestretch-counselingat the link in our bio (Social Media). #SESTRETCHCounseling #Coun

"Either break the ice or skate on it all day." We spend so much of our lives gliding over the surface of things—skating around the difficult conversation, the heavy decision, or the truth we’re too afraid to name. We think that by staying on the move, we’re being safe. We think if we just keep "skating," we won’t have to deal with what’s underneath. But skating is exhausting. It’s a constant performance of balance while the cold air thins your lungs. You aren’t moving forwar

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, MAC I was speaking with a brilliant colleague, Lacy Fields, about all of the "strong friends" that we encounter in our practices; the "strong friends" in our personal lives... Then we had an honesty moment and confessed that WE are often "the strong friend" in our social groups. We all have that one person in the group. The "logistics" person. The one who stays calm when the car breaks down, the one who listens to the 2:00 AM breakup rants, and the

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, MAC Have you ever found yourself waiting for that one conversation? That perfect apology? That moment when everything finally clicks and you can say, "Okay, now I have closure"? If so, you’ve probably been frustrated. That’s because the closure we often search for—the kind delivered by another person—is usually a myth. What Closure Actually Is (And What It Isn’t) Let’s get one thing straight: Closure is not an event. It’s not a dramatic apology, a

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, SAP, MAC, ICAADC, CAADC For a long time, I thought love was something to earn, manage, or preserve—like a fragile asset that could be lost if handled incorrectly. What I’ve learned instead is this: love is not conditional, but it is boundaried. Love doesn’t disappear when boundaries appear. Love actually becomes clearer, safer, and more sustainable when boundaries exist. Love is not one-size-fits-all. It shows up differently depending on the space

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, SAP, MAC, ICAADC, CAADC I've learned from one of my favorite mentors, Lisa Nichols, that: You have nothing to protect You have nothing to prove You have nothing to hide And from that, i've come to understand that many of us were taught to treat identity like a job. Something to manage. Something to protect. Something to prove. We learn early on that who we are is tied to how well we perform—how consistent we appear, how reliable our image is, how c

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, SAP, MAC, ICAADC, CAADC We don’t talk enough about the gap —that strange, quiet, stretchy space between who you were and who you’re becoming . It’s not glamorous. It’s not immediately rewarding. It’s not the “arrival moment” you post online. It’s the in-between. The middle place. The valley between two mountaintops . And yet, this is where your real life is happening. The gap is where your character grows, your mindset shifts, and your identity st

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, SAP, MAC, ICAADC, CAADC There’s a phrase that often drifts through conversations, poetry, and quiet moments of reflection: on the other side . It carries a weight, a mystery, a promise. When you hear it, what do you feel? Hope? Curiosity? A gentle nudge to look beyond what’s right in front of you? I find myself drawn to this phrase, as if it’s a bridge between where we are and where we long to be. Let’s take a journey together to explore the layers

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, SAP, MAC, ICAADC, CAADC We often use “gratitude” and “appreciation” like they mean the exact same thing — but energetically, they’re doing two very different jobs. Gratitude = Comparison. Gratitude says, “I’m thankful because this is better than what it could’ve been.” It acknowledges contrast. It highlights relief. It’s the energy of “this versus that.” Gratitude is powerful — it pulls us out of scarcity thinking, grounds us, and reminds us how f

By Solomon E. Stretch, LPC, SAP, MAC, ICAADC, CAADC There’s nothing glamorous about the moment right before a leap of faith. If anything, it’s sweaty-palmed, stomach-tightening, anxiety-producing terror. We talk about faith like it’s soft and poetic, but the truth is far less romantic: Faith is a risk. Faith is a choice. Faith is a decision to step into uncertainty without visible proof. And that’s exactly why it feels scary. A leap of faith invites you to leave familiar grou