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 What do you mean I’m supposed to talk to a STRANGER?! And tell them my deep dark secrets?! I barely even share that to the people I actually know! I get why starting therapy can be overwhelming and intimidating. It’s hard enough to talk to people you actually know, so why would you want to talk to someone you don’t know? But actually, talking to someone outside of your circle can be liberating and refreshing. Here’s why:
Anyway, in a therapy session, you have all the power to dictate whether you want to stay or go and what you want to say or don’t say. You can also tell your therapist how you’re feeling and address your concerns or anxieties with them during session. It’s crazy to think that you can tell someone all these things right off the bat, but here’s the craziest thing of all, it works. When you find YOUR therapist, someone who you actually like talking to, someone who understands you and will listen to you, someone who really gets you… it works. At Thrive, we take a positive, client centered approach to therapy that is focused on creating a genuine connection with our clients. If you would like to talk with a Thrive Therapist about yourself, your child, or teen attending therapy via video sessions, please reach out to us by phone at 858-342-1304. As always, thanks for reading and comments are always welcome regarding any issues around child or teen psychotherapy services in San Diego by Thrive Therapy Studio. To stay in the loop on the services offered and to receive updated information about Thrive, please feel free to sign up for the newsletter through the following link: http://eepurl.com/dsgLNL.  Since Valentine’s Day can be a holiday that brings up a lot of feelings for many people, Ying-Ying and I thought it might be fun to blog a bit about the way we view the holiday given our different life situations. I still remember the best advice I received while I was single, which was to remember that most likely I would one day wish for the things that were tough then. I remember feeling lonely and having too much time on my hands at times. While I always found things I enjoyed doing, I often wanted to spend that time with someone else doing things. Now, as a mom and wife (and business owner!), I would LOVE to have that kind of downtime and alone time that I used to have in abundance. Ying-Ying and I were chatting about this and it gave us the idea for doing a collaborative blog comparing what things are like for each of us around Valentine’s Day. We hope you like it! How do you typically spend your Valentine’s Day?
What’s your ideal Valentine’s Day?
Stay in or go out for Valentine’s Day?
What’s the most difficult part about Valentine’s Day?
What’s been your best Valentine’s Day?
What’s your view on Valentine’s Day? Day to celebrate love or commercial scam?
Favorite Valentine’s Day movie?
What advice would you give someone who does not have a person to celebrate Valentine’s Day with?
At Thrive, we take a positive, client centered approach to therapy that is focused on creating a genuine connection with our clients. If you would like to talk with a Thrive Therapist about yourself, your child, or teen attending therapy via video sessions, please reach out to us by phone at 858-342-1304. As always, thanks for reading and comments are always welcome regarding any issues around child or teen psychotherapy services in San Diego by Thrive Therapy Studio. To stay in the loop on the services offered and to receive updated information about Thrive, please feel free to sign up for the newsletter through the following link: http://eepurl.com/dsgLNL.  Around this time in 2016, I had a close friend of mine die in a car accident. It’s definitely one of the worst things that has happened in my life. I can still recall the first 24 hours of receiving the news. I was devastated. It wasn’t real, and my friends and I struggled to support each other as we all were experiencing our own grief in our own ways. Triggers flew around with no warning sign, and I was a mess. Two weeks after the accident was also his birthday. Instead of celebrating another year of his life and looking forward towards his future, we all mourned his death and the loss of our friend. I’ve experienced other losses in my life, but grief is funny in that it never really feels the same. Every situation feels different, and this one… this one has impacted me in ways much deeper and more profound than I could have ever anticipated. Every year since, I have “dark days” during those two weeks between the anniversary of his death and his birthday. I allow myself to move a little slower. I give myself a little more space to be alone or to lean on others. I let go of any expectations to overachieve. I allow myself to cry when I need to, work when I need to, and reminisce about memories shared and wonder about memories lost, the moments that could’ve been. Grief doesn’t have an expiration date. It’s not something you “get over.” It’s something you live with and move through. Grief changes you but know that your grief will change too. I’ve been able to accept my grief. Am I still sad he’s gone? Yes. Do I still cry sometimes? Absolutely. Do I wish I had more time with him? Desperately. I still wonder about what he’d say or how he’d react to something. But I also now welcome the moments that remind me of my friend because it means that he was important and that his life mattered. It means that I was impacted and that he made a difference. I believe that’s what friendship is about. Human connection, and so I find comfort in my grief because it means that his life meant something. If you know of someone who is grieving and want to give them support, the best thing you can do is to be there for the grieving person. Consider what you would want from someone (a hug, time together, distraction, meals cooked for you, etc.) and offer that but try not to expect anything from them. Since everyone grieves differently, it’s important to offer what you can but to avoid putting any pressure on them to grieve or respond in any specific way. I also think it is important that you do not try to fix grief for someone else. You might need to sit with and accept that nothing you say or do will make this time easier or happier. Grief is just hard. Period. But, it is a natural part of our lives and something we all need to wade through rather than avoid. And it is certainly helpful to wade through it with a supportive friend or family member if that person can allow the grief to exist when it is there and to subside when it is not. I often reference grief as being similar to a wave, it will come and go and the intensity can vary. While time can heal, grief never goes away but becomes more bearable. I found this article to be helpful on some tips on providing support to someone experiencing grief. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/helping-someone-who-is-grieving.htm If you’re struggling in your grief, just know that you aren’t alone and know that we are here for you! Grief does not discriminate. It is something everyone feels it at some point in their lives. If you’re looking for some support, we are here to support you. At Thrive, we take a positive, client centered approach to therapy that is focused on creating a genuine connection with our clients. If you would like to talk with a Thrive Therapist about yourself, your child, or teen attending therapy via video sessions, please reach out to us by phone at 858-342-1304. As always, thanks for reading and comments are always welcome regarding any issues around child or teen psychotherapy services in San Diego by Thrive Therapy Studio. To stay in the loop on the services offered and to receive updated information about Thrive, please feel free to sign up for the newsletter through the following link: http://eepurl.com/dsgLNL.  Tell us about you and why you wanted to become a therapist. I know how it feels to struggle or be going through a hard time. I’ve experienced both having good support and feeling unsupported during those times. It can be tough waters to navigate alone, and I believe that everyone should receive the support they need. For me personally, having someone to listen, understand, and validate my experience makes a world of difference, so being able to be a safe person for someone else is why I wanted to become a therapist. I also think it always helps to gain a different perspective, and that’s what I like to bring into my sessions too. What do you love about being a therapist? I love getting to know my clients. I love listening to their stories and learning about them: what makes them laugh, what makes them cry, what gets them angry. I find humans fascinating because you never know what experiences they have gone through and who they are until you get to know them! But my favorite part about being a therapist is getting to witness when people grow, and change happens. Nothing is more rewarding then being able to highlight those accomplishments and celebrate that with them. How would you describe yourself as a therapist? Authenticity, compassion, curiosity, humor and fun! Those are probably the five words I would use to describe myself as a therapist and the values I hold as a therapist. (Also, I’m surprised I could come up with that because I usually have a hard time!) Who do you love working with in therapy? My motto with this is “you never know until you try.” Every client is new and different so as long as we connect and you feel comfortable, then I want to work with you! What is great about my profession is that there is always room to grow. I want to continue to challenge myself as a therapist to grow and try because I never want to get bored with what I’m doing. Do you have a particular theory or framework that guides your work as a therapist? If so, describe it and tell us why you use that. I’m client-centered and eclectic. I want to find what works best for you, and I like being able to pull techniques from other modalities. Finding the best fit is most important to me. Nothing fits better like a good pair of jeans! Just kidding (but not really). If it doesn’t work, then it’s not going to be helpful or effective, so a client-centered approach with a lot of client feedback is how I like to base my work. Share one thing you are passionate about in your professional or personal life. HUMOR and having fun!! Ying-Ying is accepting new clients at Thrive and available to support you and your family. Please check out her bio here for more information about her as a therapist and challenges she loves supporting people with. Click here to read more about Ying-Ying! At Thrive, we take a positive, client centered approach to therapy that is focused on creating a genuine connection with our clients. If you would like to talk with a Thrive Therapist about yourself, your child, or teen attending therapy via video sessions, please reach out to us by phone at 858-342-1304. As always, thanks for reading and comments are always welcome regarding any issues around child or teen psychotherapy services in San Diego by Thrive Therapy Studio. To stay in the loop on the services offered and to receive updated information about Thrive, please feel free to sign up for the newsletter through the following link: http://eepurl.com/dsgLNL. |
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