Teaching the Story

A thing that working with people has taught me about people: even within those intimately familiar with the hold of depression, there is a plea to be heard and a commitment to be understood through story. Sometimes I give too much attention to the wrong part of the story with my clients. And in their own way, they’ll redirect me - “no, not that bit. Join me over here.” and they’ll guide me toward their truth. That feels so gracious to me - I don’t have to do therapy “perfectly” (I actually can’t). But if they feel - really feel from me - that I want to be fluent in their life story, maybe they’ll give me a second, third, and fourth try. They’ll be my teacher until finally we’re on the same page. There’s such inner strength, patience, and hopefulness in that kind of thing, isn’t there? “I’ll advocate for myself because it is crucial. And I’ll do the work for you to understand, so long as you’re committed to understanding.”

If you are a current or past client that has happened to find yourself here, thank you for your story, thank you for guiding me through.