What Brings You to Therapy?

Are you new to therapy or have you talked to someone in the past? Often times, seeking out counseling is prompted by the experience of having high psychological stress as a result of current circumstance. What happens when you become more aware of what causes you to feel stressed out and less certain about what to do? Awareness is an essential part of change, yet, it can compound the experience of psychological stress when change seems impossible.

The decision to begin therapy, or any self-improvement endeavor, often brings a sense of relief. After all, investing time and resources into yourself demonstrates an action towards change; doing something different, or new, from what is currently being done. More often than not, this effect is temporary and may go away if behaviors do not align with intentions.

An example of this misalignment may be “I know how important it is to exercise, and I want to be more physically active than I am right now, but I don’t have the time. I feel bad about myself.”

Another example may be “I exercise every day and keep pushing myself to do it even when I experience pain. I keep doing it because my intention is to be healthy. Plus, I will feel guilty if I stop.”

In both examples, the relationship between mind and body is misaligned. A mind that rationalizes away the desire to exercise may result in sedentary behaviors that impact physical health. A mind that ignores pain signals that would indicate needing to modify an exercise may lead the body to physical injury. The examples to illustrate mind-body misalignment are endless.

Mind-body wellness is a lifelong journey of making autonomous decisions. There are guidelines and recommendations for healthy living backed by decades of research that is relevant to mind-body wellness. Yet, there is no perfect routine, schedule, habit, etc, because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to mind-body wellness. Life is a personal adventure that presents unexpected experiences, and no matter how much effort goes into trying to prepare, predict, and plan, there may be some moments, days, etc. that are more preferential to mind-body wellness than others. Autonomy Hour aims to capture the collection of these preferred days when understanding and supporting the unique and personal pursuit of mind-body wellness.

About Me

I am a health and wellness enthusiast with training in exercise physiology and counseling practices. I am an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida and Colorado. I completed undergraduate studies at Indiana University, where I obtained a BS in kinesiology with a minor in psychology. A year later, I completed graduate studies as the University of Miami, where I obtained an MS.Ed. in counseling in marriage and family therapy. During the year between studies, I taught health education and science to middle and high school students.

I am a Qualified Supervisor for registered mental health counseling and marriage and family therapy interns in Florida. Post-graduate counseling students, who are interested in becoming registered interns for licensure and seeking to make mind-body wellness a part of their therapeutic approach, are encouraged to reach out. Please click the inquire link below.