In recent years, therapy has been normalized and encouraged more often than before. Despite this, you may still have some reservations about whether therapy would be beneficial for you. I’d like to remind you that anyone can benefit from the support of a therapist. My hope is that you find a therapist who is inviting, empathetic, and provides a safe space for you. While there is an abundance of information available to show the benefits of therapy, there is also a ton of misinformation out there. Here are five misconceptions about therapy explained.

Do you consider yourself a “yes-person”? Someone who always takes account of others needs and prioritizes them above their own- then do you then feel bogged down and resentful? These could be signs that you may need to practice setting your boundaries.

There is no perfect way to manage stress but there are tools that can help us cope so that we are not overwhelmed. Everyone handles stress differently and it’s okay if it takes some time for you to feel like yourself again. It is very normal to feel an array of emotions when living with stress. Your body will give you the cues to know when you need to rest, relax, or utilize your coping skills. If you’ve noticed you have felt constantly overwhelmed or find it more difficult to wind down at the end of the day, you may be experiencing stress.

This holiday season looks differently than seasons past. We are living through a global pandemic that has shifted the way we normally would engage with our loved ones and the community this holiday season. While many have endured losses, there is a collective endurance of this change. I wanted to offer a few ways to cope during this holiday season.

Self-care is a mindful approach to being aware of your needs and what you need to do to take care of yourself. This includes any activity you intentionally do in order to take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Unfortunately, self-care has become a trendy word often synonymous with elitism. The reality is that we all benefit from taking care of ourselves and we get to define the actions, routines, and mindsets we want to include in our self-care plan.

COVID-19 has impacted us all in so many ways. When it comes to health services, we have seen many providers shift to offering services online. Telehealth allows you to connect with your therapist via laptop or your cell services through a HIPAA- compliant platform. This is a relatively new service for providers and for many clients. I understand there are many questions and concerns that may come up as we shift from in-person to virtual sessions. Here are five things you should know.

I get it. You wake up one day and notice you don’t quite feel like yourself. Somehow, at some point along the way, you stopped doing the things that brought you joy. Oftentimes we think of this feeling as a personal default but I prefer to think of it as an opportunity to reset. Maybe you aren’t lost, you just have to connect with yourself again. A reset is when you take the time to be intentional about returning to yourself. This is a way of honoring where you currently are while identifying what you’d like to change, improve, or revisit.

I have noticed an influx of calls with people wanting to engage in therapy. However, because of this many therapists are quickly filling up their schedules. I get it, you’ve decided to engage in therapy and want to get in pretty quickly. You may have even called a few therapists and were told they were not accepting new clients at this time. After a few calls, this can get pretty frustrating. If you find yourself in this situation, I have a few tips for you:

Chances are You’ve heard this statement, “You should go to therapy, it’ll help.” There is likely to be no follow-up to inform you of what to expect from therapy. Most people have preconceptions about what they believe the therapy process to be based on what they’ve seen on television or what they’ve heard from others who have gone to therapy. Because of this, I find it helpful to explain to my clients what they should expect when we speak on the initial phone call.

So you’ve made the decision to start therapy. Congrats! The only thing is you need to find a therapist and hopefully they have openings and availability to accommodate you. I’ve been there, too. In a search for my own therapist a couple of years ago, I was in the same position. You may have already browsed a few profiles who have resonated with you and you are thinking about making a phone call or writing an email to ask about openings. As a therapist, I want to thank you for taking those first steps and reaching out to start the process. There are few tips I want to share with you with how to expedite this process.