Videos
In this quick video you will learn any easy technique you can do to organize your life. This video is great for people who are feeling burnt out and out of control.
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Videos
In this video you will learn a few easy steps that you can take to communicate better with your partner.
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Happiness
For most of us it’s the first full week back in our regular life after the holiday season. We’ve had two weeks of family festivities, friends, and probably too much time together with loved ones. Most of us feel like we might have an emotional, physical, and mental hangover from the past two weeks. And here’s the secret- that’s totally normal! We as a species thrive with routine and predictability. Our lives are set up that way with school and work. There is a routine to our lives that helps us feel settled and grounded. This routine gives us the ability to foreshadow challenges and successes which allows us to plan for the future and to feel in control of our lives.The thing with the holiday season is that this routine and predictability goes out the window. We attend too many holiday parties, buy too many presents, indulge in heavy and usually unhealthy meals as well as too much alcohol. There is less restful sleep and less exercise during the holiday season too. So, after about two weeks of this kind of lifestyle it is natural to feel like you need “a vacation from my vacation”. Here are a few tips on how to manage the post holiday blues.
It's easy to beat ourselves up after the holiday season. Thoughts like “I shouldn’t have eaten so much” or “why did I allow ______ to happen” creep into our minds and invade our heart. It’s easy to belittle ourselves and be critical of ourselves in this post holiday week. But the thing is, this type of critical thinking isn’t going to help you get out of your post holiday blues. Few people respond well to criticism. It usually makes us feel worse. We get enough criticism from the outside world, there’s no need for you to add onto it too. So just remember to have compassion and patience and understand that feeling a little down and hungover after the holidays is normal and natural.
The first week back is usually a whirlwind of catching up. Catching up with friends, catching up with work, catching up with life. It can create so much anxiety that we end up completely overwhelmed. It’s important to be mindful this week of this anxiety and to allow yourself to have reasonable and manageable goals. Creating a to-do list for the day that has only two things on it that you need to get done is a reasonable and achievable goal for this week. Making them clear and succinct will allow you to feel like you have achieved something every day and will empower you to continue working.
This may seem like a silly suggestion but it's actually very important. Your body is most likely very dehydrated. Between all of the drinking and the salt heavy foods you have consumed over the past two weeks, your body is probably needing some water. Water is actually an extremely important part of our diet. Hydration allows our organs to function well, and allows our bodies to be healthy and efficient. It also has the added bonus of forcing us to pee often which allows us to get up from our desks once in a while, take a stroll to the bathroom, and regroup our thoughts before returning to our work projects.
Sleep hygiene is the last piece to this puzzle. Over the holiday season, our sleep is usually interrupted by later bedtimes, less restful sleep (usually from the increased alcohol and food consumption), and sleeping in later into the morning. This results in our body not getting the right amount of rest that it truly needs. So, it's time to re-introduce a healthy sleep hygiene. This can include a turn down routine (e.g. brushing teeth, dimming lights, reading a book), going to sleep at the same time each night, and waking up at the same time each morning. Having a consistent and predictable sleep hygiene allows your body to predict moments of rest and moments of action resulting in it being more efficient when awake.
If you follow these four straightforward steps then you should start to feel like yourself again within the next week. It is important to remember that what you are feeling right now is normal and natural. There is no way to skip this process of recovery from the holidays but you can accelerate the healing process. If you would like a more customized action plan then please feel free to reach out. We are continuing to accept clients in California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and New York.
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Military
Being a member of the military or part of a military family introduces a wide array of challenges into your life: deployments that come with fear for your or your family member’s safety, extended time apart during trainings, solo parenting or missing time with your kids while away, frequent moves that come with changes in community and support system, living far from family… the list goes on and on. Additionally, military families oftentimes have little time to mentally and physically prepare for their lives to be turned upside down, leading to a life full of uncertainty. Talk about stress!
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, a military wife, and a parent, I understand the unique difficulties that you are facing, and I want you to know that we are here to help. Read on for 4 reasons Smart Talk is a great way for military members and their families to find the support they deserve.
Military members and their families live busy lives with full schedules and multiple responsibilities to navigate. Smart Talk provides live video therapy from your laptop or smart phone, so you can participate in therapy wherever and whenever is convenient for you. No more commutes fighting traffic into town from base for traditional therapy, and no wasted time sitting in a waiting room. With Smart Talk, you can schedule sessions from your office during your lunch break or from your home while the kids are napping. Sessions are 30 minutes long, and you can schedule as many as you’d like through our website. Our live video sessions work worldwide, so you can still work with your therapist when stationed or training abroad.
It can be difficult to seek out mental health support when you are in the Military because of fears that each time you move, you have to find new support. Since we are available worldwide we can stay with you and continue supporting you even as you get to know your new community and new neighbors. We also offer teleconferencing features so that if your spouse lives somewhere else you can still maintain couple’s counseling. It’s a great feeling when you can open up to someone about what you are going through and know that this person can remain a source of support no matter where you are stationed.
We make our sessions affordable so that your mental health does not become another financial strain. Live video therapy plans are less expensive than traditional therapy as our therapists don't reside in physical offices and, therefore, have less overhead expenses. This discount is transferred directly to you. We know that you already have enough to worry about as a military family, and we want your mental health to be something you get to focus on no matter what your rank or income level is.
The military members and their families that we work with prefer not to use their insurance coverage to pay for therapy in order to maintain the utmost confidentiality. Many insurance companies require information about your mental health including a diagnosis, dates that the sessions took place, and even therapy notes, and our clients wish to avoid having this information added to their file. Additionally, many of our military clients are high functioning adults who don't actually have a mental health diagnosis but instead just require some additional support and guidance in navigating the stressors in their everyday lives. This is why we choose to only provide private pay services with affordable therapy packages rather than billing through insurance companies. Smart Talk services are fully HIPAA compliant, and we work hard to ensure that all of your information remains strictly confidential.
We also understand that often times seeing the therapist on base just doesn’t feel comfortable. The idea of possibly running into someone you know while you wait or your spouse working closely in a professional capacity with the on-base therapist can deter a lot of military personnel and their families from getting the support that you deserve. Since our sessions are video based you can have them from the privacy of your own home or office without anyone knowing what you are doing.
All of our therapists at Smart Talk are licensed and experienced mental health clinicians. We put your needs and mental health first, so you will never have a training clinician as your therapist. We are also experienced in working with military members and their families, and we understand the unique challenges that being part of the military introduces into your life.
At Smart Talk, we are grateful to have the opportunity to support our military members and their families in a way that meets your unique needs involving convenience, affordability, and confidentiality. We know that being part of the military is both a sacrifice and an honor, and we want you to know that we are here for you, and we thank you for your service!
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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow's second tier on his Hierarchy of Needs is safety and security. Being able to feel safe and secure is a primal need that we all face and that must be met before we can face other higher levels of need. You only need to walk down a dark alley at night or get into a car crash to know that when you feel unsafe nothing else matters. In that moment of lack of safety you are unable to think about anything else. That work meeting or that great new business idea is completely forgotten about as you try to bring yourself to safety. There are three types of safety that Maslow highlights: Physical safety, emotional safety, and financial safety.
As the title suggests, physical safety refers to your body being safe where it is. If you are not physically safe, that means that your life is in peril which will detract from your quality of life, your ability to think, and increase your stress hormone levels. There are basics for physical safety that include shelter, and other things but those are pretty much taken care off in today's society. However, there are still physical safety requirements that a self-actualized person needs to be able to accomplish to meet his/her safety needs.
Financial security is the second part of Maslow's tier of Safety and Security. Being financial secure means that you are independent and are able to make decisions about your life based on ways to improve it and society rather than based on survival. Anyone who has had a bill that they couldn't pay, or has had to stay in an empty job to pay the bills, or hasn't been able to attend that class that they really wanted because of financial constrains knows how not being financially secure can impact a person. Money doesn't provide happiness, but it does provide you with the stability you need to be able to achieve greater things. There are few things that you can do to become financially secure:
The final part of in Maslow's tier of Safety and Security is emotional safety. Being safe emotionally means being around people you can trust, it means being able to trust your own feelings, and it means feeling safe enough emotionally to be able to speak up about your needs should that need arise. If you are in an unhealthy relationship or if you are constantly bombarded with negative feelings, you won't have the energy to focus on achieving greatness; you will be focused on surviving the day. There are a few ways to become emotionally safe:
As you can see, there are three main elements to safety and security: physical, financial, and emotional. We need to be able to meet all three needs to be able to move onto the next tier in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
In the upcoming weeks we will continue to focus on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as we continue to ascend his pyramid of needs. If you are interested in learning more about this theory, then please feel free to purchase the book "Meet Maslow: How Understanding the Priorities of Those Around us can Lead to Harmony and Improvement" by Landon T. Smith. We have no affiliation with this book and simply think it's a great resource. It is the resource we have used in creating this blog.
Where-ever you find yourself on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we are here to help. We continue to accept new clients from New York, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, California, and outside of the USA (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico).
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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
There have been many different psychologist in the past century who have tried to explain human behavior and human motivation. From Freud to Jung to Erickson, it can seem like there are as many theories about human behavior as there are stars. Understanding these different theories and what they mean for us as humans though can be extremely important in understanding ourselves and others. This is why I have chosen to speak about Maslow's hierarchy of needs in my upcoming posts. It is a theory that we use frequently in our work here at Smart Talk.
Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who in 1943 came out with a ground breaking paper explaining his views on human motivation. Like many developmental psychologist of his time, his model follows stages of growth in humans. He created a hierarchy of needs pyramid (kind of like a food pyramid) explaining that humans start at the bottom and as they grow they move their way up the pyramid. This is what his pyramid looks like:
According to Maslow, humans can only progress from one level of the pyramid to the next when they have met that levels' goal with the highest achievement being "self-actualization". Here is a brief overview of what each level means:
It is important to understand this hierarchy of needs so that you can understand what motivates you to act and behave a certain way. I will spend the next few weeks writing blogs about each level on this pyramid in more detail since each aspect of this pyramid is truly important for us. Everything that I will write about comes from my studies about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. An easy introduction into the topic is the book "Meet Maslow" by Landon T. Smith, which is the book that I will be referencing throughout these next blog posts.
Where-ever you find yourself on this hierarchy of needs, we are here to help. We continue to accept new clients from New York, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, California, and outside of the USA (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico).
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Happiness
If you have pets, then not every member of your family is two-legged; our four-legged family members are a crucial part of the crew! Our pets provide us with unconditional love, companionship, and all the snuggles. As a pet owner, you know how much joy, fun, and affection they can add to your daily life. A survey from Rover highlights what a valued role our pets play: 79 percent of respondents said their pets are included in family moments, such as holiday cards and vacations, and 1 in 4 dog owners have brought their dog on a date with them. Additionally, 65 percent of dog owners report taking more pictures of their dog than of their friends or family, and 54 percent would consider ending a relationship if they thought their dog did not like their partner. Research shows us what anyone with a pet already knows: pets are important members of the family and hold a significant place in our lives.
Pets also add extra responsibility to our lives, which can be challenging at times. When you go out of town, you have to figure out who will be caring for your pet while you are gone. If you are taking your four-legged buddy with you, you need to make sure your pet fits into your travel plans and will be welcome at your accommodations. All of this can be a lot to figure out!
Traveling with pets becomes a whole new ball game when you are moving. This can especially be a challenge for military families, who oftentimes have little preparation to prepare for a move and no control over where they are moving. When my husband and I were informed by the Army that we would be moving from Savannah, Georgia, to Hawaii, we not only had our small terrier mix, Montana, but we had recently adopted a 70-lb shepherd mix, Ranger. Not only did we have the travel plans to navigate (How do you fly two dogs across the world? What’s best for our dogs, what makes the most sense, and what is our safest and most affordable option?), but Hawaii has special laws in place about incoming dogs that require multiple vet visits, mounds of paperwork, and a whole lot of stress. However, we took our lead from our soon-to-be home state: “Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind.” After navigating the many challenges of a military move with our pets, Montana and Ranger are now island dogs who love their beach walks and continue to give us daily joy.
In addition to being our best buds, did you also know that pets improve our mental health? Dogs in particular have been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress, ease loneliness, increase exercise and play, increase social interaction, and improve our cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that when you connect with your pet through petting or grooming, oxytocin, the hormone related to stress and anxiety, is released and is known to reduce blood pressure and cortisol levels. If you are wondering if your dog or cat may qualify as an emotional support animal, we can help you with this at Smart Talk. We provide emotional support animal assessments, treatment and coping skills for any anxiety or depression you may be struggling with, as well as emotional support animal letters when appropriate. Feel free to reach out to us about this, and in the meantime, happy snuggling, playing, and exploring with your four-legged best friend!
We continue to accept new clients from New York, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, California, and outside of the USA (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico).
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Happiness
What is it?
Labor day has come and gone, and for most people that means summer is coming to an end. This transitional period between the end of sweet summer and the start of a new school year is what I’ve termed “Back to School Blues”.
Who does it apply to?
Although the term implies that these blues are reserved for students, the blues can actually be felt by all. You can experience back to school blues as an employee returning to work or a parent sending your child(ren) off to face another year of school. You can also experience regular blues when you’re dealing with general life transitions.
What are the symptoms?
Although the Back to School Blues may manifest in different ways, the general symptoms are consistent and include:
-Feeling overwhelmed
-Feeling anxious
-Excessive worrying
-Feeling afraid
-Overthinking
-Procrastinating
If you’re experiencing 1 or more of these symptoms, and your symptoms are a result of an upcoming period of transition, you may be suffering from Back to School Blues. Fortunately, these blues are temporary and the cure lies within your personal autonomy.
How do I cure it?
1.Relax
Slow down and breathe. Literally. Breathing helps to reduce anxiety by sending signals to your brain that allows your body to relax. Although the science behind how breathing aides in reducing anxiety is more complicated than that, deep breathing is a great and effective way to help you calm down if you’re in the middle hyperventilating or having a panic attack (or freaking in another way).
2. Confront
This takes courage. Confront those thoughts that are causing you to worry. Think about the root cause of your worry. Ask yourself what’s truly causing you to freak out? What are you afraid of? Confront the troubling thoughts that are creating your blues. After all, the only reason the blues are relentless is because you keep avoiding them.
3.Accept
This happens by letting go. Let go of your need to be in control. Accept that you won’t always be in control, and know that it’s okay to not always be in control. What’s going to happen will happen, no matter how much you try to control and/or manipulate the outcome. Accept that part of life is being able to adapt to changes in your circumstances.
4. Reduce
Contrary to popular belief, size does matter (when it comes to blues). If a task is too big for you, make it smaller! Reduce the size of whatever is making you feel overwhelmed by breaking it down into the smallest steps possible. A newborn lion cub is less intimidating than it’s full grown dad, right? Why? Because a newborn lion cub is tiny. It’s less threatening. Same can be said about the tasks you’re procrastinating on. The smaller the task, the less intimidating it is. The less intimidating it is, the easier it is to manage and the less likely you are to procrastinate.
5. Believe
Although this step is last, you should probably do this first. The most important part of curing yourself of these blues is first believing that you actually are capable of administering the cure. You have to believe that are capable enough to deal with and get through this period of transition. Think about all of the times you’ve successfully got through what you once thought you couldn’t. You’ve got through difficulty before (no matter how hard it was), and you WILL do it again if you believe you can. Believe in yourself and you’ve already won half the battle.
Whatever Back to School Blues look like for you, the main thing that you need to keep in mind is that there are things that you can do to cope with them. We usually see an increase in these symptoms at this point in the year and are here to help you through it. We continue to accept new clients from New York, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, California, and outside of the USA (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico).
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Moms
After another summer coming to an end filled with crowded airports, crowded airplanes, and crying human beings (mostly children, sometimes their parents) it’s a good time to reflect and share with you some of the tips and tricks to make traveling with children slightly less painful.
This is probably one of the best pieces of advice that I got a few years ago from a close friend. I remember thinking to myself “what’s the point of that?! They’re not going to remember any part of it?”. Well, turns out that I was wrong. Our twins’ first flight was when they were around 1.5 years old and they have since flown around 12 – 15 times with the longest flight being a 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Munich, Germany. There are HUGE benefits to starting them young. First off, children under 2 can sit on your lap so you don’t actually have to pay for tickets for them (the only exception to this is international flights where you might be charged 10% of a regular ticket). With each flight, both you and your child will learn how to master the airport security line better, how to board better, and how to fly better. The novelty of flying and excitement is still there, even 15 flights later, but the stress, anxiety, and confusion about how to do this whole thing has subsided.
Travel day is a day filled with excitement and firsts for both you and your child. Asking a child to sit quietly for an extended period of time goes against everything that children stand for and everything related to their development. One way to support them remaining still and seated is to bring new small toys that they can unpack in the airplane and play with for the first time. Some great small toy options are Play-Doh (which I personally can’t stand but my twins love it), Legos, stickers, coloring books, and small cars. Whatever toys you bring, make sure that they are small, easy to handle, and it’s OK if you lose a few.
Airports and airlines are not set up for babies and small children but for adults who can wait patiently for snacks and drinks based on when the airline feels like serving them. You can pack empty baby bottles and water bottles (formula is allowed to go through security above the regular 100 ml requirements but you will be slowed down because of an extra inspection). What we do is we pack snacks from home (our favorites are peanut butter jelly sandwiches, pirates booty, blueberries, and goldfish) with empty drink bottles for the twins. Once we have passed through security, we buy water and milk. MILK is a big one to buy before you get on the airplane because more domestic carriers don’t carry milk on board due to their refrigeration limitations.
I know, I know. Screens are bad for little children. And I agree with this philosophy on a day-to-day basis. Travel day is one of the few exceptions that we make to this philosophy. Having an iPad that has a few shows on it (e.g. Peppa Pig, Sing, Super Wings, etc…) can really make life a lot more bearable on the airplane. Most young children don’t even care to hear the movie and are completely OK with just watching the screen. It’s a great last minute tool to have in your back pocket when you notice your toddler starting to go stir crazy or you notice your patience fading. If you do end up buying headphones, make sure to buy the special ones for children that don’t allow the headphones to get too loud and damage your child’s hearing.
Take-off and landing are some of the worse times when traveling with children. Your child needs to be restrained, isn’t allowed to move, and most babies/toddlers don’t understand verbal commands or reason. During take off and landing our ears tend to pop as we adjust to the pressure changes. As adults, we have learned how to pop our ears but babies and toddlers have NO IDEA how to do this. Having your baby / toddler drink their milk or water during this time will force them to swallow which will allow their ears to pop naturally and adjust to the pressure in the airplane.
Welcome to your seat; or better yet, the petri dish of diseases that you will be in for the next few hours of your life. I remember a flight attendant telling me this during one of our first flights. I remember her telling me “you should probably put your kid’s pretzels on a napkin and not directly on the tray”. YUCK! So, now we always fly with disinfectant wipes. The first thing we do is wipe down our area which includes the armrests, tray (both sides), chair in front of us, window, window shade, and pretty much anything else that we can find. Since the twins have been on so many flights now, they know the routine and don’t touch anything until this procedure has been completed.
Flying is not only a stressful time for the family but also a time that your family will be exposed to all kinds of germs. The combination of the germs and the unpredictable airplane environment (some airplanes are too cold, some are too hot) create a wonderful opportunity for your child to get sick. They might start getting the sniffles on the flight, start to get really cranky, get that sick look on their faces, or start tugging at their ears. These are all signs that your child is on the verge of illness and if you are trapped in an airplane for the next few hours without medications you could be facing a very very difficult couple of hours. We always travel with Ibuprofen rather than Tylenol since Ibuprofen has anti-inflammatory features great for ear infections and lasts longer. The only caveat is that your child needs to eat something or drink milk prior to taking the medication. Please note that I am not a Doctor and these are recommendations made by a mother. For specific questions about medications please see your pediatrician.
Not all airlines are created equal when it comes to family traveling. As an adult going on vacation you couldn’t care less whom you’re flying with but with small children the airline makes or breaks your trip. For domestic flights within the USA we have flown with Virgin America, United, American, and Southwest. The WORSE of all for children is American Airlines. If at all possible, avoid this airline. Here’s why – they are not equipped to support families with young children. Their policy is that all strollers weighing more than 26 lbs (which at this point is pretty much 80% of the strollers on the market) cannot be gate checked. Gate checked is when you get to take your stroller with all of your gear all the way to the gate and hand it to their staff right before boarding and pick it up at the arrival gate right after deplaning. I will never forget flying from Los Angeles to Chicago with my 1.5 year old twins and being told that I would need to regularly check my double stroller and be required to find a way to get my 1.5 year old TWINS plus their gear through the ticket check point, security, to the gate, and on the airplane. That’s the day that American Airlines lost our business for life.
The BEST airline to fly domestically with young children is Southwest. They have become our favorite airline for a few reasons:
This is why we love Southwest for our family trips and recommend this airline to all of our friends and family.
This is probably one of the most important tips of all and I’ve kept the best for last. This is a trick that my family uses on each of our flights to get 1-2 seats for free so hopefully by sharing this information with you it doesn’t end up going viral and spoils the secret. Here’s the deal – Most people want to sit in the front of the plane near the exit and in window or aisle seats. No secret there, right? So, where should you sit to try to get some extra space? We sit in the last row. YES, the last row. And we split up so that the twins can’t bother each other. AND, if we have to reserve seats, we get the window and aisle seat and leave the middle seat empty! A middle seat in the last row of the airplane is going to be the last seat filled. NOBODY wants to sit there. So, if the flight isn’t fully booked, you end up with a free seat. Since we split up, we give ourselves the chance to get 2 free seats (one per row) and usually will average out with at least 1 free seat per flight.
I hope that these tips and tricks have been helpful for you. I have learned them through trial and error and we are now at a point where we can fly with our now 2.5 year old twins without dreading travel day but instead going through it like a well oiled machine.
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New You
We all need some extra support at some point in our lives. It could be in the midst of a difficult transition, like a stressful move, the loss of someone important to you, or during your search for a new job that will fill your life with meaning. Maybe you are trying to find your way as a new parent, navigating a difficult health diagnosis, or struggling with your relationship. Maybe you just feel like you’re in a rut. This is your one life to live, and you want to live it to your fullest, but something is keeping you stuck. When we feel like we need some guidance and a safe place to process what’s going on, therapy is a great place to start. One of the major roadblocks to starting therapy can be finding the therapist who is going to be right for YOU. So, where do you even begin?
A great place to start is with a little research. Do you have a friend or family member who has or had a therapist that they found helpful? Ask for a referral. If you are not sure you know anyone who has seen a therapist, you can start your research online. Psychology Today is a website that lists therapists in your area, their specialties, and also has some information written by the therapist about who they often work with and what kind of work they do. It also helps to browse therapy websites. You can learn about services offered, the therapist’s background, and read their blog, which can allow you to get a feel for the therapist through their online presence. Many therapists and practices also now have professional social media accounts where they may share quotes, blog posts, and resources. Ask yourself "is the information from the therapist resonating with me? Do I feel like the therapist is speaking directly to me through what they write and share?" If the answer is yes, then that therapist may be a great fit for you. Reach out!
Many people know fairly quickly once they are in the office with the therapist whether they will vibe well together. Check in with yourself. Acknowledge that therapy itself can be intimidating since you are about to dive into some vulnerable topics, and it will not always feel comfortable to talk about and explore painful or hidden emotions. Knowing this, do you feel comfortable and safe here, both physically and emotionally? Does the therapist put you at ease? Do you feel this is someone with whom you feel you could open up? If you know this quickly, fantastic! It sounds like you may have found your therapist. If you are thinking, “I might be able to open up to this therapist, but I need some more time to make sure I feel comfortable and safe here,” that’s completely normal, too. Take your time, and allow yourself to go at your own pace as you explore whether this is the right therapist for you.
Not every therapist is going to be the best match for every person, and that is not only okay, it is expected! If you gave it a shot with a therapist and it just didn’t feel right in the room, feel free to let the therapist know. They will likely respond with understanding and compassion, and they may have some referrals for you for a therapist who might be a better fit based on what kind of support or therapist you are seeking. Not everyone finds the right therapist for them on the first (or second!) try, and it is okay to keep looking until you find a therapist who you feel can help you and with whom you feel comfortable. After all, that is what therapy is all about!
Online therapy is becoming more and more popular as our cultural involvement with technology grows by leaps and bounds each day. In this day and age, we are busy! You may not have the time to drive across town, park, and spend 50-60 minutes in a therapy session. Maybe your job keeps you super busy, or you are juggling young kids with a million different activties and schedule needs. Online therapy may be a great fit for you. At Smart Talk, we offer 30-minute sessions where you can talk to your therapist using your smartphone or computer from the comfort of home- or really anywhere you have internet! Schedule sessions during your lunch break, in the evenings, or when the kids are napping. This flexibility may be what you need in order to make therapy work for you, and many great therapists are offering online therapy options. If this sounds like it may work well for your life, schedule a session with a therapist using online therapy and see if this might be a great fit you.
Finding the right therapist can seem impossible, but these strategies can help you navigate this process. A safe place to talk about your problems and process your emotions can enhance your life in ways you never thought possible, and with the right therapist for you, you will be on the road to living your best life before you know it!
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