You know, Everyday I work with children and their families. They come to us (I use us…as I am part of a cohort of an awesome group) for help for something that seems to be bothering them, emotionally hurting them, moreover, someone hurting them. And in the years I have worked in this field I have learned that Therapy is more than just providing mental health services… Therapy. A lot has to do with the education about mental health we provide the children and families we work with. Like, What is Mental health? how does therapy work? are there consequences to being in therapy?
Various questions are always asked. So today, I applaud my fellow therapist. Because we educate. We may not be the scholarly awesome school teachers, but we are the people that educate you and yours how to label an emotion. How to better control yourself. We educate your parents, and if you are a parent we help you how to work with your child. We guide you to find your own insight and have you find your solution to your problems, issues, glitches, hiccups, mask… call it what you may. We actively listen to you, at times we are emotional punching bags for you the one grieving, hurting, in pain, even when you succeed. We applaud your success… educate you that being happy about something may not be wrong and sometimes it may not be appropriate.
So when I think of education, I think of what I do, every day! In session, with children and families. We psycho-educate you and yours with what Mental Illness is and what Mental HEALTH is. Yes, Health…as in the healthy part of you. What allows you to be a human and help you go through things you never thought you would be able to go through. So to my psychotherapist friends… I applaud your educational skills, more precisely, your psycho-educational skills. You are educators too.
And Let me not forget… we thank you for teaching us how to work with you too. 🙂
Props.
Smile (if you want to)
Jes Sofia