Therapy Gems Pt. 1
This article was originally published on ashaelaine.com on August 24, 2020.
I began going to therapy in 2018 after feeling that my back was against the wall. I said to myself, “Alright girl, you gotta figure something out or you are going to break.” I reached out to my mentor (shoutout to Dr. Melanie Cosby) for recommendations for Black female therapists in the Philly area. She was a licensed therapist herself although she wasn’t practicing, but she had all the connections.
I called around to different places. Many of them weren’t doing intake for new clients. I left voicemails and some never called back, but one did and I have been seeing her ever since.
I knew that she was going to ask me my therapy goals and that we would start off by discussing my childhood experiences, blah blah blah. I thought that I could cheat the therapy process. Life and my therapist definitely have a way of humbling me for sure, my goodness.
As I progressed in my sessions, I struggled with being okay with crying. I would fight my tears so hard. I couldn’t be vulnerable in front of my therapist and I was paying her! I felt like she was going to judge me. She would be so calm and patient with me, which helped but I still had a really hard time.
Reflecting on all this made me aware that my issue with fighting tears was partially due…
