I bet your parents told you that cursing was inappropriate, ill-mannered, and forbidden. I bet they taught you that profanity was for punks. Guess what? They lied.
The world around us appears to be moving through some kind of transformation. Change abounds. And wherever there is change, there is usually fear. And wherever there is fear, there is usually an effort to suppress it. Or, often, to make it go away altogether.
It’s important for clients to see the connection between difficult emotions and behavior. When anxiety, sadness, and anger consistently lead to avoidance, passivity, or explosive outbursts, it’s helpful to work on paying more attention to emotions, responding with acceptance, and making value-driven rather than emotional choices.
Growing up, I had always longed for a sense of home. Not just a place to live, but more of a place in which I could be safe, loved, and accepted. I was always a shy, awkward kid, who always felt at least ten years older than I actually was, which made making friends with kids my age very challenging.
During this time of COVID-19, the life we had and the world we knew, too suddenly it seems, are gone. This has left many of us feeling stressed and lost in thoughts such as: What happens next? or, How long must we endure this new reality before things get better?
During this truly unprecedented time, many of us are turning to telehealth to provide care for our clients. However, with that comes a number of challenges, including our own uncertainty about how helpful and effective we will be over telehealth.
