Ending Therapy: Why Saying Goodbye Matters
Most articles about ending therapy tend to focus on practical questions. When is the right time to end therapy? How do you know if you are ready? Should you continue or stop? These are important considerations, especially for someone who is trying to make sense of their progress or their next step. But there is […]
Starting Therapy: What Is a Chemistry Session?
So you have decided that you may need therapy. The next question people often ask is simple but important: How do I begin? For many people, the first step into therapy feels uncertain. You may know you want support, but you may not yet know which therapist is right for you, what the process will […]
Ending Therapy: What Do I Do During My Final Sessions?
In life, we are constantly facing endings. It’s part of our human existence. Some endings are major, others seemingly trivial; some explicitly conveyed, others internally acknowledged; and some with people and things, others with yourself. Throughout life, we might say goodbye to childhood friends that you’ve drifted apart from even after sitting with them in […]
Ending Therapy: When Is the Right Time to End?
One of the most common but least talked about questions in counseling is this: How do I know when to end therapy? Many people feel awkward bringing it up. Some worry it might offend their therapist. Some wonder if thinking about ending means they are avoiding deeper work. While others just really don’t know how […]
Starting Therapy: Here’s What You Need to Know
Starting therapy is rarely a random decision. Most people don’t wake up one morning and think, “You know what, let me try therapy today.” It’s usually something that has been sitting in the background for a while. A thought that keeps returning. A pattern that won’t resolve. A feeling that doesn’t quite go away. Deciding […]
Why Weekly Therapy Is Only 50 Minutes Long
Why are therapy sessions usually 50 minutes long? Why not longer, why not shorter? I get this question from clients all the time. Here’s how I explain it. Having a set session time allows clients to think intentionally about how they want to use those minutes. Do they want to touch on ten different topics, […]
Therapist Reflection: Am I Doing it Right in my Chemistry Sessions?
I came across this recent study by an existential therapist that sheds light on what effective therapists do in their first client sessions, and it got me reflecting on my own client-therapy approach. There are two key research findings that deeply resonates with me: Effective therapists see the clients as experts on themselves. Effective therapists […]
Two Helpful Tips to Finding the Right Therapist for You
I don’t know what to ask my therapist to decide if we are a good fit! I don’t even know what my options are! This is a common feedback I often receive from those who are considering therapy. Choosing the right fit with a therapist can be a daunting experience in itself. This could be […]
Chemistry Session: When and How to Start
So you’ve decided that you need therapy. The next question to ask is “when should I begin?” The fact that we need therapy does not always mean that now is always the right time. I like to share this with my clients: therapy is only 50 minutes per week. That’s a very short time to solve anything. For […]
Chemistry Session: Embracing Therapy for Yourself
Many clients who come into the therapy room voice out a common struggle: they feel incapable of making the right choices for themselves, whether it is not knowing what they want, not having the power to make decisions for themselves or feeling afraid of making the wrong choice in life. This happens a lot to […]