Being a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist comes with a lot of things. I wrote a blog on some of the occupational hazards to be aware of and try to mitigate, but there are also some benefits that come with working with people in therapy. If you are a therapist and I missed any benefits please comment below. If you have been to therapy what did you get out of it? Let's talk about it in the comments below.

1. Awareness is key

I have been a Marriage and Family Therapist for over 5 years now. Out of all the things that I have picked up over the years in working with all of my clients is the importance of awareness. What is, well the basic definition is that “knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.” Often times clients come into therapy knowing something isn't working in their life but have trouble identifying and expressing what it is. After practicing therapy for some time, I find the more clients practice awareness the more likely they are to create clear goals and intentional plans to meet those goals in and outside of the therapy room. In this process, I have had to raise my own level of self-awareness to be able to model and inform my clients on how to do it for themselves and it has immensely increased the quality of my life.

2. Practice presence as often as possible

I could be biased, but I think everyone is either living in the past or the future. We spend so much time focusing on things we wish we could change or all the things we fear might happen in the future. We forget to take a step back and breathe. Practicing presence forces us to acknowledge that at the moment we are typically ok even if we are managing life challenges. I have to practice presence in session with my clients so that I can catch everything that’s happening. I ask and challenge my clients to practice presence in and out of our therapeutic sessions. I see the difference it makes in their lives week after week as well as the difference it makes in mine.

3. Gratitude will get you a long way

We know from the research that the majority of clients come into counseling for issues around anxiety and depression. With that being said, we also know that the research supports that gratitude can help to change the brain and one's perspective on their life situation. In my practice, I often integrate the promotion of mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude. In working with my counseling clients on these areas, I inadvertently work on it myself. I am so grateful to be able to witness the resilience and courage my clients personify in sessions and in handling their life situations that I can not be anything other than appreciative.

I hope my blogs are a helpful source of information. That they might help you to find comfort and solace in knowing that you’re not alone. That you matter and someone’s thinking about you. Submit blog topics and questions you'd like me to address here and subscribe below to stay updated. Until next time my friend.