I saw this meme recently (yes, I’m one of those counselors who speaks in memes sometimes) and it really resonated with me. I have so many clients say things like “I couldn’t take it anymore” or “I give up, I’m ready to talk to someone”. And the vibe I get from many of those types of remarks is “I’m not brave enough to continue on my own”.

But what if the strength isn’t in the ability to continue on alone, and instead it’s in the ability to ask for support? That’s how I see counseling and reaching out to a counselor. Calling or emailing a new counselor takes grit, and making that first connecting is often the grittiest part of the whole process. It’s intimidating opening up to a new person and talking about all the parts of you that don’t reflect your best self. And yet…what if your ability to face the grit, make the call, show up for the session, and be vulnerable is in fact showing you exactly how strong and brave you really are!

I took a few weeks off recently to recharge and reset and have some family time that wasn’t connected to virtual anything. It was wonderful and I’d be lying if I said coming back to work this week was super easy. But during the time I was away, many people continued to show their brave side and leave me messages looking for counseling. And this week, my first week back after a nice long break, I got to meet a lot of those people. Coming back to work after a break doesn’t always feel great, but coming back to witness bravery in real life and guide people through those first few steps in a counseling process, really makes it worth it.

To all of you who I met this week, welcome. I appreciate you’re bravery. To all those who I’ve been seeing for quite a while now, you are doing a great job continuing your process. To those I’ve not seen in a while or those who have recently ended their process with me, I hope you do well and wish you nothing but the best in your journey. You are all 100% brave in my book