Simply Thrive Therapy Blog

The Healing Power of Validation Some therapists claim we’d all be out of a job if people learned how to validate each other. Yes, it’s that important to your mental well-being.  What exactly is validation? Merriam-Webster defines it as, “to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of [fill in the blank].” To validate another’s feelings, you do NOT need to understand them, agree with them, or condone them. You can just recognize that their feelings are legitimate for them.  For example, let’s say parents are fighting over whether their teenage daughter can start wearing makeup.  The way many of us engage in conflict is to argue for our

I want to try therapy, but I’m embarrassed. Yes, it’s okay to say it if you feel embarrassed or ashamed. It’s even okay to tell your therapist you feel that way!  So, let’s talk about it. Why is it so hard to ask for help? Simply put, some of us get a lot of social messaging that we should be able to figure out or “fix” things on our own. So, just asking for help can make us feel shame. Now, add on the stigma that we often still feel about therapy, and it’s even harder to ask for help!  Where does that stigma come from?  Mental health struggles, injury,

Supporting Bereaved Individuals Loss is an inevitable part of life, whether of an individual, pet, job, or relationship. The grieving process for everyone can and will look different, therefore the ways in which people work through their grief and amount of time it takes to do so will vary. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you support individuals who have experienced loss. Give space for the bereaved individual to share their grief in the way they need and want Allowing individuals to communicate thoughts, stories, or feelings about their loss in a manner that fits and feels right to them provides the individual with the opportunity

I’ve never been to therapy – what do I need to know? Good question, we’re glad you asked!  First of all, make sure you’re seeing a licensed therapist (or an intern working under a licensed therapist). For understanding licenses, you can refer to a previous blog here:  https://simplythriveth.wpenginepowered.com/question-what-is-the-difference-between-a-therapist-and-a-counselor/ For some good questions to ask a potential therapist, we wrote about that here: https://simplythriveth.wpenginepowered.com/questions-to-ask-your-potential-therapist/ Here’s a few other nuts and bolts about therapy. Your first visit will be about getting background information, determining why you want therapy and what you want out of it, and it’ll be a chance for you to get to know your therapist and get comfortable with

Habit-Forming. The beginning of a new year presents an opportunity to create and work towards new life goals. As part of the process, individuals may want to develop and carry out new habits. Here are some tips to form and stick to them: Develop an easy routine Start small to help you get to where you want to be. For example, if you want to journal before you go to sleep, then in the beginning, you may start journaling for only five minutes. After a few weeks you can increase this activity to ten minutes and continually add more time until you get to your goal. Once a pattern develops