Making sustainable changes in your life is a journey. It can be rewarding, taxing, and beautiful all at the same time. Some of life’s biggest payoffs come with a lot of discipline. As a therapist, we want you to know that we see you working so hard. You already jumped over the biggest hurdle by getting to therapy!
Time and Commitment:
Time and commitment is one of the most prevalent things in growth. Therapy is no different.
After a session, the easiest part is over. The hard part becomes committing yourself to change. Due to only being present with you for a therapy hour, typically evidenced based therapy contains homework/consistent practice outside of the room.
That might be the last thing we want to do when leaving the office but consistency has been proven to get the wanted results. Our brains are wired to automate processes and it can be hard to change thoughts, feelings or behaviors without practice and repetition. We know it can be uncomfortable to get our brains off autopilot in order to reassess, practice, challenge, or try a skill. It is recommended to have small, realistic, and sustainable weekly goals. Sometimes failure can be disheartening and get in the way- so let’s talk about what to do about it.
Trying, failing and getting back up:
Failure is hard, overwhelming and can feel isolating. Although it can seem odd, your therapist is often excited to see it. It means you went out and tried to practice for the week or came back with more insight than you had before. Embracing failure can feel uncomfortable, but that is exactly what we hope you do. We know it can be hard to let the professional know, “this did not work this week” or “I could not make time”, but we want to hear about it!
Failure gives us insight into your life and your dynamics. It is the therapist’s job to collaborate, problem solve, and sometimes even give reassurance to stay on track despite the uncomfortability! Failures are a great opportunity for learning and application. The function of the problem can be more important than the skill itself! The vulnerability of accepting failure will be hard but it will get you one step closer to your goals.
Thank you so much for your time and energy. I hope this brought you one more step closer to the change you want to see in yourself. We know it’s hard AND you can handle it!
If you feel like you aren’t sure how to best support your child, teen, young adult or yourself, Child and Family Solutions Center is here to help. Please call us at 248-851-5437 to get started with supportive services.