“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” ― C.G. Jung
Trust Your Gut
Finding the right therapist (or coach) can be challenging. It can take time. The chemistry between two people is mysterious - not everyone is a good fit. Having the right support can be life-changing. You generally know within 3 sessions if it is a good fit.
Don’t settle.
With skilled support you can create the life you want.
You might be struggling with post-concussion related mood changes.
You may be ready to address parts of yourself that you’re struggling with (that cause you or others difficulty).
You are motivated to learn tools to use in between therapy sessions to create lasting change.
“Watching the moon
at dawn,
solitary, mid-sky,
I knew myself completely,
no part left out.”
~ Izumi Shikibu
Sometimes clients want to know how to make the most of therapy.
Here is my advice:
Read Irvin Yalom’s The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients.
Prepare inwardly, even for five minutes, before each session with your deepest intention for yourself (what do you need most right now?). It’s usually not just to talk at someone for an hour a week without any steps, insights, or tool gathering.
Listen to your body. Do you leave most sessions feeling better? Lighter? More hopeful?
Be honest. Therapy/coaching should be the safest place to speak your boldest truth. If you feel you can’t share your secret shame with your therapist, practice telling them that much. Take risks.
Use the 60-minute hour well. Ask for what you need (a more directive approach or a gentle approach, with the therapist mostly listening and validating you).
Ask yourself, “What do I want more of in my life? What do I want less of?”
Keep a notebook for therapy sessions and in-between sessions to note important insights or challenges you want to be sure to address in session.
There are 168 hours in the week. Therapy is usually one hour per week. The real growth and change happens in between sessions, when you use what you have learned and are practicing the tools offered to you. Celebrate your small efforts!
“I was excited to find someone well-versed in IFS parts work. Bryony seems to say the perfect thing to ease my parts and help me regulate the anxious feelings. She has an empowering, grounding effect and an intuitive broad knowledge of psyche and soma. She also brings in humor and laughter which my parts adore. I feel truly held and seen.”
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You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. Under the “No Surprises Act”, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.
You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
