Dear Future Client,
Dear Future Client:
Hi, I’m Connie. You’re probably here because life is harder than usual, and you’re not quite sure where to go next, or what you need right now to make life easier. While right now, I’m not sure what or where that is either, I know that figuring out life together is not as lonely, daunting, or painful. We might realize something necessarily eye opening even if it’s painful. Or we might discover something new or exciting in the process, something that piques your curiosity enough to keep you anticipating—and even excited about—what will come next.
To me, this is the magic of relationships that cannot be replicated or replaced with anything else. When I mean ‘this,’ I mean the impact that you may feel from even reading what I wrote here. Maybe you feel hopeful reading this letter, or maybe you think what I’m writing is corny. Regardless, when we’re in the therapy room, we share this sacred space together, exploring the human condition and sharing our human experiences with one another. It’ll be two humans with different life experiences and perspectives coming together, sharing our experiences and attempting to truly understand one another (except you will probably do more of the sharing, and I will do more of the “attempting to understand” due to the nature of this relationship 😉 ). I find the space between us so special and precious, there’s nothing quite like it. The space between us is where magic happens.
You’re probably wondering how sharing the human experience helps you, what even is the magic, and how any of this is even relevant to therapy. I can’t speak for you on how therapy may be healing for you, but I can share some of my experience. I went through one of the lowest points of my life in 2017 in all aspects of my life. My career, financial situation, friendships, and romantic relationship were all definitely not where I wanted them to be: I got laid off from my job, went through a terrible break-up, and had to move back to my hometown with my parents who I have very complicated relationships with. Nothing seemed to matter anymore no matter how hard I tried (imagine the In the End song by Linkin Park playing in the background). I didn’t feel like I mattered. This was the theme of my life, and the story I told myself for as long as I could remember. There was a tiny, maybe not as loud but loud enough, part of me that told me to not give up on life. So I kept showing up to support groups and started going to therapy. I kept connecting with my social supports, even if they were very limited. Eventually, I finally felt like I mattered. I received feedback from group members that they were impacted by the things I shared. The fact—or even the idea—of me impacting someone was crazy. Who would have thought I had that kind of power? didn’t realize that I could impact anyone, even myself. This realization colored my gray-scaled world, little by little. I realized I wasn’t the only one feeling the way I did—unimportant, lost, lonely. I never felt as if anyone could truly understand me—which is true to a certain extent. My existential loneliness never quite went away and it probably never will (sorry, spoiler alert), but knowing that everyone’s going through their own crisis and existential loneliness, and having had a few special people in my life (including my therapist) who reached out to me and attempted to understand me the best they could, kept me alive and less lonely. If it wasn’t for these people and my relationships with them, I’m not sure if you would have ever run into my website, reading this letter. It’s dramatic, but true.
So, back to your original question, “How will therapy with you help me?” If you decide to work with me, I hope our relationship will help you find reasons to live, play, laugh, and feel all the spectrum of life. If you also have a tiny little voice that also tells you to not give up on life, I’ll be here to help make that voice louder and prouder.
If any of this resonates with you and I’ve piqued your interest, feel free to reach out and we’ll chat. Thank you for reading this letter. I’m grateful for you just even reading my letter and making brief contact with me (without me even knowing that you did :P), even if you decide to not reach out.
With Warmth,
Connie