“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will not forget how you made them feel.”
Everyone's life experiences are filled with things people say and do. And from our very first exchanges, we are being shaped by those encounters. However, as Maya Angelou reminds us, even when we don't remember all the details of an event or conversation, how the person or people involved made us feel stays with us. When a feeling continues to overwhelm or cause discomfort, it often is because we haven't processed it fully. "Process" is a term used in therapy to describe the working through of feelings. Painful feelings want out. If we push them aside or away, or in other words, if we do not or cannot release them in a healthy way, they take on a life of their own. The result is often seen in acting out behaviors that cause unnecessary discomfort at best and tragedy at worst. Feelings are powerful but once we fully understand them, we can begin to take the power and control back. Then we are on our way to leading content, peaceful and meaningful lives.
Deciding to begin psychotherapy means you are ready to look at your feelings and take a significant step toward changing your life. Whether you need some objective support as you face a chronic problem or situational difficulty, want help navigating a challenging relationship, or would like to look deeply at who you are and how you came to be, who you choose as your therapist is of paramount importance.
When I begin therapy with you, my first objective is to create an environment that allows you to feel safe and understood, a place where honesty comes easily so that personal growth can take place. I work to meet you where you are or help you assess exactly where that is. From there, we together look at where you want to go and what you are willing and able to do to get there.
Therapy is a powerful treatment and one that does not always leave you feeling immediately better. Changing behaviors that are not bringing you peace or happiness, accepting the limits of others and of yourself, identifying and exploring your core beliefs and values can be daunting and even upsetting at times. But if real, long-term relief is what you want, it is well worth it. I can give you strategies to lessen your pain and stress during this process and I will help you find the strength to stay with your effort and the courage to take the steps necessary to achieve your goals.