First Time in Therapy?
Therapy is the unknown. Therapy is restorative. Therapy is a commitment. Therapy is all of the above.
Therapy is a process that can help you reconnect with the parts of yourself that you miss along with the parts you are not yet familiar with.
What is therapy?
Have you been in therapy before? Are you thinking about starting therapy for the first time? What does therapy even MEAN?
The good news is - there’s no one right answer. Ultimately, therapy is a collaboration with you and your therapist to better understand existing patterns, emotions, and beliefs. With consistent and long-term therapy, an important space is created in partnership with your therapist. This space then gives you the opportunity to explore the ins and outs of your past, present, and future to know yourself deeply and move towards the life you desire.
What isn’t therapy?
Many forms of therapy exist and thus, many ideas about what therapy looks like also exist.
Therapy isn’t just advice. Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all. Therapy isn’t sitting on a couch while your therapist takes notes. Therapy isn’t always easy, nor is it a fast track to feeling better. Therapy doesn’t mean having all the answers. Therapy doesn't have to result in a diagnosis. Therapy isn’t unilateral. Therapy isn’t simply a solution. And of course, engaging in therapy isn't something to hide.
Do YOU need therapy?
What’s going on with you right now?
Have you been feeling stuck? Perhaps the decisions that once served you no longer feel right. Maybe you're finding yourself hitting dead ends with your efforts to create a life worth living. You might be thinking about making more sense of what goes on in your mind and body. You’re noticing a desire to feel seen, heard, and truly understood. Needing therapy - or better yet, wanting to seek therapy - is a big deal to recognize within yourself. Moreover, following through on that desire is certainly something for you to honor, celebrate, and heed.
Let’s try it another way:
Therapy looks like ...
... when the check engine light goes off (and isn't ignored for months on end!). Therapy takes a doctor's office check-up to the next level, giving you the ongoing and reliable care and attention you seek. Therapy is like achieving a PR in your workout routine, leveling up as you gain strength, resilience, and power through knowing yourself. Therapy may require grit, long sighs, shakes of rage, or bursts of joy to reach that eureka moment when things just click. Therapy is a way to practice routine maintenance of the mind, body, and whole self. Therapy is a blank canvas for you to paint the landscape of your life. Over time, therapy becomes a space to encounter yourself in every facet, like a mirror. Therapy embodies the golden rule; you get out what you put in.
So… what do you think?
If you are considering therapy and in the process of making the decision to invest in yourself in a deep and meaningful way, I am here to help you. Therapy is a commitment and my aim is to build a long-term partnership over time that will allow us to work together to help you find your splendor and grow through what you’re going through. For more information about getting started with therapy, please feel free to reach out to me.