Why I Help Moms
When I tell people that I specialize in therapy for moms, I’ve occasionally been asked why. I think the fact that I’m a guy makes it seem a little strange.It’s true. I can’t hide the fact that I’m a dude. A father. Distinctly NOT a mother.I mean, I have a mother, and my wife is a mother. But that’s not really the reason why I focus on helping overwhelmed moms overcome stress, anxiety, or depression.Of course I’ve always had tremendous respect for mothers.You are expected to do the job of 7 people while keeping a smile on your face and looking pretty to boot.It’s impossible.My respect grew even more during my experience while training to be a psychologist.
PAST EXPERIENCES WITH PATIENTS
There was a group of patients that I would leave session feeling like I learned at least as much as they did, if not more.That their strength in the face of adversity should be a beacon of hope for anybody going through a challenging time.This group always made the difficult work feel worthwhile.There were tears, and every single one was worth it. We had laughs, and every single one was earned.There was progress and setbacks, and every step of the way made me feel proud to be working with these patients.When I decided to open my own practice and was thinking about where to focus, it was pretty easy to figure out the commonality in those patients that I most enjoyed working with.They were mothers.
THE CHALLENGE OF MOTHERHOOD
Moms feel pain, but often can’t express it because it’s their job to keep the family happy.They feel overwhelmed, but they need to keep the trains running on schedule.Mothers worry about their husband and their children, but they do their best to be encouraging to ensure everyone else thinks positively.It’s unfair for moms to shoulder this burden alone.I hear about spouses that try to provide solutions instead of validation. Spouses who don’t recognize that anything is wrong because moms can be amazing actresses.So many mothers cannot find a safe place to get the support they need to continue doing that job well.That’s where I come in.It’s my mission to provide a safe, comfortable place where moms can receive validation and guidance on how to overcome the stress, anxiety, worry, or depression that is sapping their joy.You deserve to feel joy.
You deserve to enjoy being a mom, a wife, a woman.
HOW I CAN HELP
The first issue when working with any patient is learning that there is hope. After things have been going wrong for so long, it’s often hard to imagine that things could ever be better.While struggles are common, the fact is that many mothers are able to find their own way to balance family, work, social life, relationship, etc.You can too!It’s a matter of working together to figure out exactly what it would look like in your case, and it’s my job to help you see pretty early on that A) it can happen and B) understand the roadmap we can take to get there.Once you see that a better life is possible, then we can get into the nuts and bolts of turning things around. It’s hard to give a step by step of what this looks like because it’s different for every patient… because every patient is unique and has different life experiences.In general, we’ll work together to help you identify the things in life that are important to you (your values). We’ll see where things are going well and where you’re not quite meeting your own expectations.We’ll help you to develop coping skills (e.g., deep breathing, relaxation, dealing with negative thoughts, etc.) to make the times you feel overwhelmed a little bit easier to tolerate.We will work to create new relationships with difficult thoughts, so you can focus on the things you enjoy rather than always being distracted. This typically has the added benefit of improving self-esteem since those voices so often make us feel bad about ourselves.We will identify where fear is shrinking your life, and help you build the confidence to grow your comfort zone.Throughout, we will brainstorm and problem solve to overcome any obstacles that are getting in the way of progress.I cannot promise successful treatment, but I can promise that I’ll be alongside you every step of the way, working at least as hard as you.
You deserve to feel joy.
To feel peace.
To enjoy your family.
If you’ve been struggling for too long and are ready to see how things can be different. Consider scheduling a free consultation. I’d love to chat with you about how working together could help. And if we’re not a good fit, I’ll provide references to someone who is better able to help.I have a few openings for new patients in my Palm Harbor counseling office, so if you’re ready to start the path towards enjoying life again, reach out today.
