Examples

A graduate student came to therapy feeling like she couldn’t show up as herself in the friend groups she’d made at school. She battled impostor syndrome, feeling like she didn’t know enough, she didn’t have her path figured out, like her history kept her from fully shining in her academic studies and in her extracurriculars. She brought her full self into the space, being honest with how she felt, digging deep into who she is, allowing herself to be vulnerable, and even laughing with perspective about the small challenges she was facing. She was able to name a part of her identity that she had repressed for so long, explored a new sexuality, and found the bravery to bring herself into our therapeutic relationship fully. She shared with me the joys and the pain that she felt, and I sat with her to witness and hold it all. 

I met with a quiet, more reserved student. She came in with her concerns around her eating and body image. She constantly thought about food, exercise, the way her body looked, and how other people viewed her. She wanted to be able to go out to eat with her friends, not think about what she ordered or look at the menu ahead of time, and make decisions more easily. She wanted to feel confident walking down the street. When we met, our work began gently. She shared her inner most thoughts, her shame, her fears, and her doubts. Through deep self-reflection and vulnerability, every week, she expressed her challenges. And every week, I met her where she was at. There was no rush to get her to a place of self-love, because we knew it would come from inside as we allowed space for it to emerge. With my framework and understanding of body image and intuitive eating, she was able to lean into her challenges, not shy away from them. Every week, she noticed changes, feeling emotionally lighter, in a reduction of self-hatred, a reduction in confusion about her body, and an increase in acceptance, over time. After the first few months of working together, with the relief of her body image symptoms, she was able to find more joy in her friendships and connections, spend less energy thinking about her body, and more energy in her studies and pursuing her dreams.

A student came to therapy finally deciding that he needed a space for himself, to feel the heaviness and disappointment of a breakup. He couldn’t focus in his studies, with his ex sitting two rows away in lecture. He felt inadequate, and struggled with confidence in his relationships and professional life. In our first session, he brought in humor (to avoid the hard stuff) and joviality, which I held, knowing he would open up as he felt safe and trusting. Sure enough, after a few weeks, he finally broke down and shared the challenges that he was really in therapy to address. He felt alone, he felt crushed, he felt shame and embarrassment in the fact that he could not show up as a full partner. He had been denying his feelings for so long, but was finally able to face them in the safe space we created. It took a lot of work and dedication from him, including opening up in a vulnerable way, but within a few months of working together, he no longer struggled with any of these challenges, and he finally felt his worth. With that honesty, he was able to bring confidence and light into all the parts of his life. 

A young professional was weighed down by the ultimatum set forth by her girlfriend to either get married or break up. She couldn’t focus on anything else. Her days were spent belaboring over this impossible decision, wanting to be with her partner but feeling something unnamable that kept her from being able to fully commit to this person she loved. She needed a space to be able to explore the darkest corners of herself, to face some hidden internalized homophobia, and to return to loving herself fully. Such an easy task, right? Well, it’s hard work. She showed up week after week, digging into her past, her family relationships, the messaging she received from the world, and gained a deeper understanding into what had influenced her. By making these messages explicit, she was able to release these old and unhelpful narratives and rewrite her beliefs. We worked in an IFS informed framework, and with guidance and dedication, she was able to identify the old mechanisms she used to keep herself from getting hurt. As she gave attention to this part of her that kept her from fully embracing her love, the wall fell away and she felt more self love and acceptance. Sounds cheesy, right? But you can’t make this stuff up.