For the past 25 years, River Phoenix, dba Compassionate Psychological Services, has provided counseling services for a wide variety of so many awe-inspiring people. When we do not feel that in our lives, we experience pain and, very often, suffering. It is in those moments, sometimes the most painful moments, that the greatest change can happen. That is the gift of pain — it causes us to move our attention to something that needs acknowledgement, understanding, forgiveness, and/or love.