This work matters. At times this hits me more than others. Sometimes it can feel like what we do is a drop in the ocean especially when we are working with clients in toxic situations. And maybe it is, but many drops can make a difference. And one drop can make a whole lot of …
Being a passionate therapist can have its upsides and downsides. For me it’s been mostly upsides. In today’s newsletter, I want to share some insights I had after reading a beautiful reflection on four decades of being a therapist from one of my heroes Janina Fisher. It’s an easy, short read and has take aways for early …
Can you let go of your need for your clients to change? Wisdom from a master therapist. Read More »
You dreamed of being a mental health professional. You trained. You worked hard. You may even still be paying off your student debts. Maybe now you’re employed in your dream setting. You’re in your own private practice or working for an organization or department with a client group that excites you to work with. The …
Confidence as a therapist is a goal of all mental health professionals and therapists. We know that confidence is required to make our cleints feel comfortable. And also, we know that turning up to work every day is much easier when we feel confident in ourselves to delvier a job. Confidence as a therapist though …
One sign you lack confidence in the therapy room Read More »
Brene Brown has a great meme doing the rounds lately “choose discomfort over resentment”. Brene says it’s key to being authentic. And she’s right. Almost anywhere I can find therapists who are feeling resentful about a lot of things. Resentful about: Resentment builds when you don’t push at these issues and explore why the resentments …
Here’s a little story about self-doubt from the very, very recent Nadene archives. I’m talking late January 2022. Yes, as recent as January 2022 I went through a massive wave of self-doubt. Self-doubt tends to come looking for me during periods of professional growth and courage that require me to push against some of my …
Someone at my yoga class who is also a health professional said to me “we’re all so tired at my work. Every year it’s like this, we just really need that end of year leave”. It got me thinking about how many of us are tired at the end of the year. How many of …
It’s taken me a while to get this. But… Courage is more important than confidence for therapists. What is courage as a therapist? There is no doubt that to be a good therapist you have to be courageous. Especially when you are: Working with traumatized people. It takes courage to be exposed to know the …
I packed up the therapy space I’ve worked in for close to 9 years yesterday. A wave of grief passed over me when it was done. All the conversations, the stories, the moments and the memories of this room created a sudden wave of emotion. An ending. And then the empty blankness of the space with …
I’ve been watching “The Movies that Made Us” on Netflix. So far I’ve watched the episodes on Back to the Future and Pretty Woman. What’s remarkable is how close both of those major blockbusters and possibly timeless movies were never made. The hurdles and setbacks were only overcome by persistent people behind the scenes who stuck …
How to allow yourself to grow as big as you can grow Read More »
