Post-Divorce/Break Up Counseling
How This Works
How This Works
What to expect when you come to the office…
Relax with a coffee or tea in the waiting room on the large comfortable sofa or chairs. If you look out floor to ceiling windows you will see the building is part of Collinsville’s historic Axe Factory campus. You can watch the bikers and people pass by on the bike path bridge just a dozen or so feet away from the front door. If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of the Farmington River that flows beneath it. If it’s spring or summer, you can sit outside and enjoy the scenery and fresh air. If it’s a Friday in the summer months you might hear the sound of live music drifting from the Collinsville Green, or from a jam session at Downright Music next door. Many clients comment on how quaint and peaceful the office setting is, as it seems tucked away in its own little corner of the universe. Some clients enjoy the time before a session and show up a little early to sip on a coffee or tea, as it’s a good time to unwind and catch up with one self.
What a session looks like…
Sitting down with a stranger and opening about your personal life and your relationship can feel scary. I make it my goal to put you at ease from the start. This means that I work to meet you exactly where you are at, no matter what you are feeling. I do that with compassionate, non-judgmental guidance. I understand that nobody sets out to end a relationship, in fact everybody starts with the best intentions! So step one will be to work quickly to untangle you from the guilt and shame that may follow the loss of your significant relationship. Creating safety is my priority, as healing requires unpackaging and communicating many difficult feelings openly and honestly. To help you recover from your breakup means that I will have to prepare you to move ahead, and to move ahead means that you will have process the past. This is challenging work. I will work patiently and mindfully to help guide you through the fears you may encounter. It’s normal to encounter fears, as there’s much to process. For instance, you may have to go back and rediscover your best intentions for your relationship, to honor them and help you truly let go. Or you may have to simply grieve the loss. Losing a relationship is alot like losing a loved one, so grief and grieving is intrinsically involved as it’s a true signal of letting go. Understand there will be no time limit on you grief. I will work mindfully to guide and not push you, as patience is needed for healing to stick. On the other side of grief is the work of helping your rediscover your wants, hopes, goals and dreams. You may have lost touch with your needs, so we may have to do some digging to recover them too. Rediscovering personal freedom can feel exhilarating and also frightening, sometimes overwhelming. So helping you take steps past your fears so that you can realign with the positive emotions that will take you to the next step will be another key element of our work. At every step of this journey you will be encouraged, supported, guided, gently nudged, and sometimes challenged. But know you will be responsbile for leading this collaboration. My hope is that I will help you arrive at the best starting point for your new beginning.