Learn to navigate the river of life.
As you journey through the river of life, obstacles can occur. You may approach a waterfall and have no idea how you will survive the fall or be trapped in a whirlpool from which you can’t get out.
It could be that you have hit a hard rock in your travels that seems to have ruined your canoe permanently, or you are surrounded by a thick fog and can’t see where you are going.
Someone or something may have boarded your canoe you don’t want to share your journey, and you can’t find a good way to get them off.
The shallow waters have you stuck, and life seems to pass you by. Or you have flat out fallen out of your canoe and feel you’re drowning.
It may be that you do not understand what this canoe trip is about or why you are even here.
It may be a time for a helpful passenger.
Feel free to come up with your own metaphor about what your situation looks like right now.
During individual therapy, your therapist will become a passenger on your journey that can help you better navigate all the above.
If you were a voyager in a canoe and life was a big river on which you were floating, individual therapy is a way for you to get help.
People need help with navigation for many reasons.
Some seek solutions for overcoming trauma, anxiety, anger, relationship issues, and depression.
There may be a desire to increase clarity in decision making, confidence, self-esteem, or becoming an individuated adult.
Another goal may be to gain coping mechanisms to deal with current challenges in a healthier way. Or they may want to gain insight and take ownership of their identity and place in the world.
Improving communication skills is always a prominent goal and discovering the ability to set boundaries with partners, friends, family members, and coworkers/bosses
Making the transition into a different career path can be difficult along with the need to improve work ethic, money, and the concept of success.
Some may want to learn how to identify and feel different emotions or to become a more integrated member of a community.
It’s not necessarily a straight line.
Many people would like therapy to be a Point A to Point B process. However, it usually takes some unexpected turns.
No matter what you do in therapy, as long as you are alive, you will still float down a river full of unexpected changes and ever-emerging difficulties.
Clients come in with one of the above metaphors only to find that they are faced with a different one three months into the therapy process. For example, someone comes in feeling like they are stuck in a whirlpool, but they find out later that there is an enormous hole in their canoe they have been ignoring for a long time and it feels unrepairable.
The journey is a learning process.
Your individual therapy will be the time in your week when you take an honest look at yourself and try to figure out what is not working for you.
It allows you to learn how you contribute to it, what you can realistically do about it, and what or who is in your way.
You will learn how to integrate into your everyday life what you learn about yourself and others during your therapy session.
Honest assessment keeps you above water.
During this time, you’ll meet a trained professional passionate about what they do. Unlike family and friends who may offer emotional support and friendly advice, your therapist will have an outside perspective that is an unbiased view of your situation.
Your therapist will keep you accountable and will shed light on your blind spots to help you avoid unnecessary suffering.
You will be treated with dignity and respect, and hopefully, you will experience being heard and gain understanding in a way that you may not have experienced in the past. If you request direct feedback, your therapist will give you educated advice and answer your questions clearly.
We want you to feel embraced by and connected to your therapist, and this includes you feeling like you are meeting with a relatable human being who you are happy to see each week, even if the content of the session makes you uncomfortable.
The journey gets easier when therapy is working.
This is when you feel like therapy seems like a worthwhile investment of your time.
At this point, you realize therapy has clearly helped you become a better version of yourself and to be better prepared for what is next in your life.
This is when you learn to navigate the river and either avoid or overcome the obstacles that life throws your way.
Let us be your river mate on the voyage.
We would love to be on board and work with you as you seek to accomplish your goals.
Therapy can help!
Contact us today: (917) 268-9213.