I am a self-proclaimed “Frequent Flyer to Hell and Back”.
I am also a licensed clinical professional counselor who:
- published three books (amazon profile),
- produced two videos on grief, loss, and healing,
- pens The Bob Zima Blog,
- hosts Marauder Radio, Pirate Radio for Mental Wellness,
- is a national conference speaker and presenter,
- offers counseling and coaching services and
- consults with organizations that provide behavioral health services.
I have lived through the crisis and trauma of:
- alcohol and drug addiction with over twenty years of recovery,
- financial devastation/bankruptcy and homelessness,
- infidelity and near divorce, and
- the death of two infant children.
I have also
- backpacked through Europe,
- talked with Pope John Paul II,
- played basketball with Michael Jordan,
- been selected as the clinical site supervisor of the year in Illinois,
- been adjunct faculty of the year,
- had my picture taken with the Stanley Cup, and
- raised TWO confident, independent, and awesome children.
My trips TO Hell are accompanied by trips toward healing…thus making the “Back” part of my tagline the real story and the focus of my books, videos, blog, podcast, and live stage shows. As well as the foundation for my “Bubba Counseling” services helping male individuals and couples find healthier and more effective ways of coping with anxiety and the side effects of living in fear: addiction (to substances and/or porn) and anger behaviors.
I provide non-blaming, non-judgmental, and collaborative counseling services, affectionately called “Bubba Counseling”, to male individuals and couples whose lives have been ripped apart due to loss/grief, relational conflict, and shattered dreams. Unresolved pain and fear from “doin’ life” fuels anger and addictive behaviors that destroy relationships and turn life into a cardboard dirt sandwich with a side of sawdust.
I also offer consulting services and my expertise to not-for-profits and faith-based communities who also want to give back and help those who want mental health support.
The articles on this blog seek to help people (male individuals and couple) separate themselves (and their friends and family) from the problems that plague their life, allowing people to externalize their issues rather than internalize the problems.
You are NOT the problem.
Other people are NOT the problem.
Problems are problems.
Your problems do not define you. Your interpretation of your problems, the outcomes of your problems, and your attempts to solve your problems heavily influence your identity, self-esteem, emotional stability, and how you react behaviorally.
Together, via the blog, we may identify solutions to problems via alternative stories of your past, present, and future life, widen and balance your view of yourself, provide you with an authentic purpose in life, challenge old and unhealthy beliefs with new and more accurate conceptions, and open your mind to new ways of “doin’ life” that reflect a more accurate and healthier story of you.
The Bob Zima Blog 