I am a big believer in transparency. I believe in setting clear agreements in order to decrease the room for confusion. Transparency provides insight into the other person and removes the element of guessing and making assumptions. 

I took a hiatus from blogging and the use of social media because I have a slight internal struggle with it. I think it can serve for good- having access to information, keeping in touch with friends, educating ourselves. There is also a false perception of life within social media that can be detrimental. 

I have been hesitant to write blogs or post because I do not want to add to the complexity of the social media world and potentially impact my clients in a way in which I did not intend. In graduate school we had a by the book ethics class. Limit self disclosure, affirm boundaries and a long list of very strict guidelines by which we practice. As I flip through my binder I used to create Thrive, I am reminded that my intention for creating this practice was to have fluidity. 

The critique of walk and talk therapy is that confidentiality could perhaps be breached if you or a client encounter a known person to either one of you. True. The benefit of literally moving through space as the persons journey unfolds is unmatched. My early intentions punctuated normalizing therapy, increasing self worth, taking risks, pushing boundaries and creating community. 

Therefore, I am back to blogging. Not to create a rosy picture but to create a community. To normalize therapy by sharing my experience through self disclosure. We are all human. Therapy is a human to human interaction. That does not mean during sessions I will talk about myself. If my client reads a blog post and knows that I struggled with sleep training my baby, then they have insight into my world. The goal of my practice is to decrease stigma, to be approachable, to connect and to provide a space for all of us to Thrive. 

A couple girlfriends and I were talking a couple months ago about how powerful it would be to have a course for people of how to interface with social media. Social media can wreck havoc on lives. There is judgment and comparison that can overcome a person during and after what is thought to be a mindless scroll on your phone. 

How can we all commit to empower one another through the use of our words and photos? How can we recognize that what is shared through the web is a snippet of a persons life? How do we accept ourselves for who we are and embrace the differences from what may be flooding our news streams? We are so fortunate to have easy access to those not only near to us but perhaps across the world. Lets connect with the pieces that lift us up and recognize the choices we get to make each day of what we allow to be a part of our lives, or not. 

Cheers to you all, the community that embraces vulnerability and authenticity! xoxo