If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes!

Many people don’t know what therapy is, or have an idea about it that’s based on pop culture or other people’s experiences.  There’s all kinds of stigma and misconception that therapy is for people who have “something wrong” with them. Usually what’s wrong not the person, but a situation that is more challenging than the person is comfortable handling.  Like suddenly a person is way outside the comfort zone, doesn’t know how it happened and doesn’t know what to do next.

What if therapy is a conversation, in which the therapist’s listening creates a safe space for a person to explore what’s important for that person to explore.  How that conversation goes depends on the person.  The person sets the pace; the therapist provides the space.  

That saying, “when the student is ready, the teacher appears” can easily apply to therapy: when a person is ready, the therapist appears.   Timing is important. 

Sometimes a person experiences a moment of clarity that feels like desperation, when the act of reaching out is just a little less scary than the realization that “if nothing changes, nothing changes.”   That is the moment of clarity: A person reaching out for therapy at that moment is already beginning a conversation—the therapist is the one enough fortunate to witness and support a process of discovery that has already begun!

Susan Dingle LCSW CASAC is a therapist on the North Fork providing counseling for tweens, adolescents and adults. She is currently accepting new clients, and can be reached at 631/734-8658.