iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Researchers found that trans youth reported emotional experiences of gender euphoria similar to trans adults with the additions of anticipation of future experiences common to the adolescent stage of development and the increased influence of family support as a determining factor in access to care

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

One recent study is looking to refocus on their own perspective and words by analyzing posts in online forums that were evaluated as having a “living culture” of trans adolescents.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

With access to affirming care for trans youth and the validity of their experiences under attack from multiple angles, there are a lot of conversations happening about this population without their direct input.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

In addition to a feeling, participants also described ‘love’ as an action to be undertaken in service to moral obligation and relational duty and a potentially hazardous factor to be protected against.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Their findings imply that emotions like love are socially constructed instead of universal monoliths, highlighting the importance of being open and curious with clients about their perspectives.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

While Valentine’s Day can be an occasion to celebrate romantic love, it can also be an emotionally fraught holiday with conflicting explicit and implicit expectations within relationships.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Whole Hearted Wellness is putting on the second in our series of workshops on working with clients around sex and intimacy! Email margaret@wholeheartedwellness-wi.com to reserve your spot in our live virtual workshop on Friday, March 27th or sign up to receive a recording afterwards.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

What helps you keep burn-out at bay? How do you process your own emotions about client difficulties and distress?

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

This is especially important for professionals who are adapting to new spaces and practices, like therapy over social media.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

As the threats of burn-out and vicarious traumatization continue to loom over therapists’ efforts to help folks navigate the new and unfamiliar, we are finding new ways to stay present without jeopardizing self-care or pouring from an empty cup.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

There are also interesting implications for heterosexual and cisgender counselors who may not have direct personal experience with this but may be able to share their experiences as an observer to validate client struggles and offer potential alternative stories.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Nathan Smith’s findings from interview analysis show that queer counselors’ self-disclosure around internalized homophobia is helpful in working with queer youth having difficulty making sense of their own narratives.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Pushing through that discomfort into growth has given me so many moments of connection with clients. Hearing the benefits in theory didn’t fully prepare me for the depth of understanding brought on by sitting in a room with a client who feels like there’s another human being who gets it.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

At first, bringing my perspective or personal life into the conversation felt too vulnerable; even though I was asking the client to be open about a lot of sensitive topics, sharing even surface-level details about my own life felt like taking a huge risk.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Where could VR-assisted therapy be useful for your practice? What are more ways we can bring the natural world into our work with clients?

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

You can read more details of their findings here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....? Because of the small sample, more study is needed to confirm the positive impact of this modality but it looks like it could be a promising avenue to provide new supports for many different client populations

tandfonline.com

The impact of virtual reality-based forest therapy in psychiatric inpatient care: a pilot study

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality (VR)-based Forest Therapy program in reducing depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, and physiological distress among psychiatric inpatien...

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

That question is what lead researchers to bring a VR forest experience to psychiatric inpatient clients. Their 16 participants documented their levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and general distress across a variety of measures and demonstrated statistically significant improvements!

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Despite the benefits, there are a lot of very understandable concerns about these modalities, especially around confidentiality, liability, the logistics of inclement weather, etc. So what if our clients could engage with these processes in a more controlled and accessible environment?

tandfonline.com

The impact of virtual reality-based forest therapy in psychiatric inpatient care: a pilot study

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

I’ve been fortunate to have had several opportunities to experience ‘walk-and-talk’ or ‘nature therapy’ as both a clinician and a participant, all overwhelmingly positive experiences. The impact that setting and activity can have on outcomes and improvements in perceived wellbeing are really amazing

tandfonline.com

The impact of virtual reality-based forest therapy in psychiatric inpatient care: a pilot study

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

When looking to add new nuances into your counseling practice, how do you evaluate new research? What strategies do you use to determine which interventions are appropriate for populations that are under-represented in the literature?

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

You may be interested to read Welfare, Wescott, & Heasley’s in-depth exploration identifying the most significant factors and proposing solutions for how researchers can best engage this under-studied population: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....?

tandfonline.com

We are called to accurately represent gender diversity in empirical research, but studies require careful planning to ensure the representation and retention of transgender participants during anal...

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Staying up-to-date on counseling research also involves keeping an eye on gaps in studies and populations that may not be supported by existing structures. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that trans folks have specific risks and barriers to participating in counseling research.

tandfonline.com

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Reposted by Margaret Renninger, MS LPC

Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

“They now exclude nursing, physician asst, nurse practitioner, physical therapy, occupational therapy, public health, audiology, speech-language pathology, counseling & mental health therapy, social work” & more. Chiropractic and theology degrees are still included. www.forbes.com/sites/judyst...

forbes.com

What Is A “Professional Degree” And Why Does It Matter?

Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Dept of Education proposes redefining "professional degrees" to exclude degrees in nursing, NP/PA, Public Health, PT/OT and more

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Read more here: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...? How do you feel about the current level of oversight in the process of developing and testing psychedelics for therapeutic use? What are ways that you use or would like to use these with your clients?

medscape.com

Will Psilocybin Finally Have Its Day in Psychiatry?

Psilocybin-based therapies are nearing FDA review, raising hopes and concerns about safety, scalability, and the therapy’s intensive clinical demands.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

As psilocybin and other psychedelics move through clinical trials toward FDA approval, there has been an explosion of articles describing different approaches and potential uses, from treating depression and anxiety disorders to OCD and eating disorders as well as supporting recovery from PTSD.

medscape.com

Will Psilocybin Finally Have Its Day in Psychiatry?

Psilocybin-based therapies are nearing FDA review, raising hopes and concerns about safety, scalability, and the therapy’s intensive clinical demands.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Kjell Hedgard Hugaas lays out the foundations of some of these similarities here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwKp... What are some ways of approaching the ‘bleed’ of emotions between hypothetical spaces and real life that you’ve found effective in your work?

youtube.com

A Conceptual Model of Bleed -- Kjell Hedgard Hugaas

YouTube video by Transformative Play Initiative

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

It’s not controversial to say there’s significant overlap between game design and counseling theory. Being in a state of play vs engaged in a therapeutic relational dynamic both require openness and vulnerability, a sense that it’s safe to explore possibilities and make honest emotional connections.

youtube.com

A Conceptual Model of Bleed -- Kjell Hedgard Hugaas

YouTube video by Transformative Play Initiative

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

A recent study looking at individuals’ masturbation habits over time found that patterns were usually pretty stable over a person’s lifetime and were not significantly impacted by romantic partnerships or frequency of partnered sex.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Clients often come to us with the vulnerable, uncomfortable topics that they’re afraid to broach with anyone else. It’s an honor to hold a safe and non-judgmental space for clients to explore and consider their options, especially around areas that can have a lot of stigma or unknowns.

tandfonline.com

Masturbation Trajectories from Late Adolescence into Mid-Adulthood: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Masturbation with its numerous health benefits is an integral aspect of most people’s sexuality and is typically observed across all stages of life. However, longitudinal studies exploring the freq...

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Read more here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... What are some trainings you’ve attended that have felt meaningful in building your own competence with trans concerns? What kinds of training would you want to attend next?

tandfonline.com

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

New research suggests that taking even one additional training outside of general coursework significantly improved skills and confidence among clinicians with -In Training licenses, especially folks who don’t have personal experience or familiarity with trans and queer identities.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

What approaches have you found useful in helping clients navigate exploring and sharing their experiences?

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

This study also confirmed that for both men and women, having a shared perspective and sense of "we-ness" in a relationship is important to long-term sexual satisfaction. Read more details of their findings here: www.tandfonline.com/.../10.../00...?

tandfonline.com

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Researchers recently documented patterns around use of sex as a coping strategy for managing emotional difficulties and found that while men were in general more likely to use sex in this way, women were more likely to do so when they reported low levels of emotional awareness and regulation.

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Margaret Renninger, MS LPC @m-renninger.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

When working with clients around sex and intimacy, it's important to keep in mind the larger context of how the client relates to interpersonal connection and emotional intimacy.

tandfonline.com

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