Welcome to Sisu Counseling Services, my name is Tina Lips, LPC. Sisu is a Finnish word meaning strength of will or perseverance. It conveys fortitude amidst life’s trials. We all encounter seasons of life some longer and some shorter in which we need help. My desire is to come along side people and help them find their strength of will – Sisu.
I have a desire to promote healthy relationships and empowering individuals, couples and families to develop strong emotional connections that are critical to satisfying and empowering relationships and …

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Areas of Specialty

• Child and Family Therapy
• Individual Therapy
• Relationship Counseling
• Abuse Recovery
• Sexuality and Sexual Addiction

Recent Articles

• Strategy for Parenting a Teen
• Did you know that your differences with your partner are not the problem? Seriously…we are all different and unique individuals no matter what ways you are similar with your partner there are an equal amount if not more that you are different! It usually is our differences that get us in marital trouble…no matter how well you came out on a compatibility test you will still have differences with your partner! It will be those differences that end up causing you difficulties in your relationship IF you don't learn how to talk about your differences. Acceptance is the antidote to differences. A caveat, bad behavior (emotional, psychological and physical abuse is NEVER to be tolerated) differences in preference and personality are to be validated, understood and negotiated. The most powerful question I think we can ask ourselves is "How can I accommodate my partner's preferences/personality?" Too often what we ask ourselves is "How can I change my partner to accommodate my preferences?" You see the difference? The first step to compromise is being able to "walk in the others shoes." We each have a core set of "non-negotiables" for instance, no matter how much I love my spouse I am not going to lie, cheat or steal for him but I am willing to tolerate his bent towards introversion over my bent towards extroversion however I am not willing to violate my core life values to accommodate. The reason I believe we are all drawn into a desire for relationships is innate to our creation journey. Alfred Adler, once said "everyone is born into community" We are all born into a familial network comprised of various people…ideally, securely connected and nurtured. To the degree we experienced good attachment to at least 1 person in our formative years is often indicative to our ability to form healthy relationships in the future. The good news, it's not too late to learn how to trust people if you missed that element in early childhood, the journey maybe hard and full of potholes however worth it; without healthy relationships one often endures a marginalized life experience. If you are reading this and are in a less than satisfactory relationship or maybe even a terrible relationship there may be hope…I say may be because sometimes there is abuse present or a high degree of contempt to realistically salvage a relationship. Hope exists for most relationships and I am passionate about journeying with you and your significant other in transformation and healing. The journey often is littered with bumps and curves however with perseverance (SISU) and skill development there is hope.
• Teen Brain…What's a Parent to Do!?!
• Effective Praise
• Privacy vs. Secrecy