Why I Respect My Clients

"To be courageous is not necessarily to go anywhere or do anything except to make conscious those things we already feel deeply and then to live through the unending vulnerabilities of those consequences."  - David Whyte

I see bravery every day in my work.  

Incredibly resilient human beings daring to face the undeniable truths of the present moment.  Daring to face the most difficult parts of themselves and their lives.  Daring to move toward connection, vulnerability, change, and the unknown. 

They sit with their anxieties and go toward the places where emptiness and longing mutually reside and weigh the risk of change against the cost of staying the same.

They very wisely do not do this work alone.  They show even more bravery by allowing my presence, by trusting me to be alongside them - an honor I do not take lightly.  In return, I offer them my safe, reassuring, compassionate presence.   I offer my complete faith in them when they do not yet have it in themselves.  Because here is the truth of the matter:

There exists within each of us a hard-wired disposition toward healing and self-righting back into the seat of the authentic self.  The healing and growth we seek wants to happen. 

As a therapist, I help make it safe and help clear the way for what wants to happen, for what is already happening.  

But my clients do so much of the hard, courageous work and I admire them so much.  Watching my clients grow is one of the most meaningful gifts of my life.  I wanted to post this to acknowledge the bravery of my clients and the bravery of anyone who has found their way to my website, seeking to do their own personal work.  

It is no small step.  

It is no small show of courage.