At some point we have to understand that we do not need to carry a story that is unbearable. We can observe the story, which is mental; feel the story, which is physical; let the story go, which is emotional; then forgive the story, which is spiritual, after which we use the materials of it to build a house of knowledge.
JOY HARJO
Hone your
Self-awareness
ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE as a psychotherapist means being fully, authentically human: grappling with our vulnerability, finding our fortitude, and pushing toward greater self-knowledge.
I have a list of seasoned, colleagues–“therapists who see therapists”–who I think do outstanding work. In addition to being willing to offer my list, I also counsel therapists and other healers who are wanting to:
- Navigate the stress of this deeply challenging work as well as their own developmental life stages,
- Deepen their self-understanding,
- Buffer against physical, psychological, and spiritual effects of helping people heal from adversity, trauma, and loss, and
- Clarify their vision for why they do this important work.
Publications
The Therapist Who Sees Therapists: Working with the Trickiest Clients (The Psychotherapy Networker, March/April 2025)
Finding Your Way as a New Clinician: Three Tips to Guide Your First Session (The Psychotherapy Networker, November/December 2023)
My memoir, The Maps They Gave Us: One Marriage Reimagined, about a couple’s adventures in couple counseling, is available from Black Lawrence Press.