I'm going to take a wild guess that if you've been to therapy before, then you've had the thought, "my therapist must think I am freakin' crazy."
You've walked out of a session (hopefully) feeling lighter, relieved, calm, thoughtful... and then doom starts to creep in.
"I just told a complete stranger about my deepest, darkest secrets. The things I am most ashamed of. The things I feel humiliated about. The things that keep me up at night. The things that I feel sad about. The things I should just know how to deal with on my own, but I can't.
And she thinks I'm a total mess."
Here's what I ACTUALLY think about when you walk out of my office after your session:
That took a lot of balls to tell me that. Good for her!
What was that restaurant she mentioned liking? I should have written that down... crap.
That's one strong woman right there.
Wowzas... that was a lot of anxiety up in this office. Let's make that a focus next session.
Well shit... did I offend her? I really tried to ask that question as kindly as I could. I hope it came out okay.
I'm hungry.
I think I kept my office too cold. I'll ask next time.
Crap! I didn't mention I'll need to reschedule in 2 weeks.
That felt like a great first session! I really hope they come back!
That was heavy. I really hope she takes care of herself this week. I'll check in later this week.
I know she was keeping something in... don't pry, don't pry, don't pry. She'll go there when she's ready.
Hahahahahaha!! Hilarious!! (Sessions aren't always doom, gloom, and tears. We laugh too!)
Ya know, I'd kind of like to strangle their ex too.
The most prevalent thought:
I feel so honored to be let into her world. That takes some major courage to face these things and I am so glad she's trusting me and allowing me to take this journey with her.
Listen, I get it. Therapy is a weird concept. You are expected to admit you have some issues in your life (talk about uncomfortable and irritating realizing you have problems AND need to deal with them... ugh) and then take them to a complete stranger. It's odd! But I want nothing more for you to have relief from these concerns and to live your life feeling fulfilled, content, and feeling empowered. My empathy and lack of judgment towards you doesn't just stop the second you walk out of my office. So please know I don't think you're crazy. I don't think you're a total mess. I don't think you're a terrible person. I think you're human and you're seeking help to get better. That seems pretty badass to me!!
Until next time,
Kailee