We talk so much about romantic love around Valentine’s Day and even love between friends for Galentine’s Day (shoutout to the women in my life). I want to take a moment to acknowledge a different connection: the love a therapist has for their clients.
If you’ve ever had a therapist, have one now, or are thinking about going to therapy at some point—these words are for you. Read it all or choose what fits, then let it soak in.
A love letter to my clients:
To the clients working with me now,
I am honored by the way you show up week after week. Wow. I know from my own experiences as a client that therapy is an investment, and I’m proud you’ve decided your healing is worth it.
Really I’m just proud of you, period. When the change is gradual and we get to look back at where you started to see how far you’ve come. When you’re making huge strides and we get to reflect on growth. When it feels like nothing has changed. When you’ve had a hard week and are overwhelmed. When you feel like you’ve messed up. When your inner critic is the loudest voice. We can and do work with all of that, I’m just proud of you for showing back up for yourself.
I don’t look forward to every aspect of my work (hello paperwork, I’m looking at you), but I look forward to seeing you. It’s the best part of being a therapist, by far.
I learn tons from you. Thank you. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to explore your mind and your world together, and to watch you make connections and realizations.
You work so hard to keep it together outside of the therapy room, and I’m humbled when you trust the space we’ve built together enough to just exist without hiding or keeping up appearances.
In case it wasn’t already clear, you are so much more than a number or a session to me. You are the reason I show up, the reason I love my work, the reason I dig into research and consultation and training outside of our time together.
My feelings are never your responsibility, but what I’m trying to say is you matter deeply to me.
Your humanity, your wellbeing, your emotions are all precious to me. And yes, I mean this for you—from my most tender to my toughest client (not that those are mutually exclusive, sensitive souls are strong).
Knowing you deeply, watching you grow & heal, is one of my deepest joys and greatest honors in my life.
To the clients who’ve worked with me in the past,
I cherish the time we had together. Whether we worked together for a long time or you decided to go a different direction shortly after we met, I’m thankful that our paths crossed.
I’ll be here if life changes and you want to come back to this space. You know yourself best, and I fully trust you’d know if therapy would be helpful for you again. If I see your email in my inbox or your text on my phone, I’ll be so eager to know how you’ve been and what’s brought you back.
I mean it sincerely when I say it was my honor working with you. I learned from you. I believe in you. I’m proud of you. Every word I wrote to my current clients was written on my heart when you and I worked together!
I still think of you warmly, and I hope you’re so, so well. I want the absolute best for your beautiful, precious life.
To the clients who will work with me in the future,
I hope that whatever brings you to therapy nudges you here gently, for your sake. And if it doesn’t—if you’re dragged here by burnout or dropped here when the world turns upside down with grief, if you’ve fallen here in depression or sprinted here in anxiety—then we’ll create a gentle space together still.
If you’re working up the resolve to start therapy, I know how hard that can be. The first time I sought out therapy for myself, I thought about it for months before I took the next step. I see the effort you’re putting in and decisions you’re weighing before we even get to meet. I want to honor that.
I care about you from the moment I lay eyes on you or hear some part of your story (whether that’s a first session or a consultation or reading the intake paperwork you filled out), simply because showing up is vulnerable and brave.
I’m growing right now so I can serve you better. I hope to offer you an even wiser, kinder, better-equipped version of myself than I am today. Because you deserve it.
I love you already. Whenever you’re ready, I’m looking forward to meeting you.
Love,
Megan & The Couch Therapy team
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