How the heck do I blog anyway?
What is a blog? How do I do this? What am I supposed to be doing here?
I decided that I wanted to write a blog for my website. This year I’m making conscious choices to do things that are super new to me - quitting my job as a director at a local agency after working there for over 14 years, opening my own business, creating business cards, figuring out referral sources, creating a website all my myself, learning what SEO is (halfway at least) and realizing that people blog and maybe I should too?
I created my social media sites for Yellow Tree Counseling, LLC, but just cannot keep up with them if I’m being honest. I suppose being honest is a good thing, though it is sometimes super scary. Same with CHANGE. Something I always used to avoid. I’m at a place in life where I want to try new things, take some calculated risks and find more joy and fulfillment in life as a whole. You know, just what everyone everywhere is searching for since the dawn of time.
No big deal, right?!
I want this to be a space where I write about things that are therapy and mental health related. I want to normalize seeking help and talking about mental health. I want to share funny things, contemplative things, ways of coping that may help you in a moment of need - things that are meaningful to me and those that I aim to help through my therapy practice.
So, welcome. Welcome to this space and thank you for sharing in it with me.
Things Your Therapist is Thinking…
Things your therapist is thinking - before, during and after your session.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret - we therapists are human too! I know, it’s shocking, but stick with me here.
It’s true that while we’re sharing wonderful insights, reflecting feelings, validating your experience and overall sounding so professional (on a good day) - we’re just human beings sitting there with you. Here are some things we are thinking before, during or after our sessions.
You’re my favorite/least favorite client.
I wasn’t looking forward to/super looked forward to our session today.
You’re a cool human - I wish we could be friends.
Did I remember to run the dishwasher/turn off the iron/feed the dog this morning?
I hope I don’t yawn…don’t yawn…don’t yawn…dang I hope they didn’t just see me yawn.
I’ve totally felt that way too. Actually, you handled that situation a little better than I did!
I lost someone I loved too, now I’m missing them and I hope you don’t see my tears coming.
Oops, I said something pretty stupid there. I hope that didn’t wreck our relationship. I will rehearse how to bring this up next time, or apologize when we meet again.
I have no idea what to say to you right now in this moment.
You’re sitting in my chair, but I will act as though there’s no such thing as my chair.
I wish I could punch your dad/mom/grandfather/grandmother/brother in the face for how they treated you.
I think about how to help you or what interventions will work best in the most random moments outside of our sessions.
I love seeing your dog/cat/baby/sibling/family when we’re using telehealth.
I love the decrease in power differential and increase in connection that telehealth provides. I get to meet you in your space with your own comfort items nearby and it’s such a beautiful thing to see into your space.
I still think about clients I’ve lost to overdose deaths or other causes randomly all the time - even years later.
I hope you can’t tell that at times I doubt myself as a therapist.
When you say, “I never thought of it that way”, I get very excited.
I want you to see yourself the way I see you - as strong, smart, resilient, capable, insightful, funny, and all the other positive things that you typically deny about yourself.
Your dad/mom/caregiver was wrong in how they treated you - you deserved better and I’m devastated that you didn’t get what you needed.
My silence is purposeful - you need to hear yourself and I can actually see your gears turning right now.
I sometimes have no answers for you - not even half of a quarter of a fraction of an answer.
I wish I could give you the gift of magical healing - poof - the problem you came here with is solved!
I’m so often overwhelmed with gratefulness that you’re choosing to share the deepest parts of yourself with me, and that I have even a small part in your healing - this is so endlessly amazing to me.