Tag: <span>Counseling</span>

Being a therapist sounds pretty easy, right?  I hear that sometimes.  How hard can it be to plop down in your chair, listen to someone talk for an hour, nod your head a few times, and maybe check in on how whatever it is they are talking about makes them feel every once in a while? Well, its really not quite that simple...unless you're just not a very involved or helpful therapist.  Don't get me wrong.  There's a lot to be said about the power of just being heard - in providing a nonjudgmental place for people to share their stories...their loss, their trauma, their suffering, their ups, and their downs....their wins and accomplishments...  I won't discount that for a moment....but for a therapist who really wants to help, it's not as simple as just listening.  It's about really actively listening. It's about trying to get a deep understanding of what's going on.  It's about helping people untangle their thoughts and understand the complexity of themselves.  It's about continuing to learn and to grow...It's about helping people "connect dots" with a deep level of curiosity and trying to figure out what it is that will help someone really heal...and that's hard work that takes about every ounce of energy and attention available.  That, and outside of that sacred 50 minutes, there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that many people who are not therapists aren't aware of. The time you reserve and pay for often extends far beyond the hour we spend together.