A Moment to Pause
6/10/2013
You may have noticed it's been a little quiet here over at my corner of the internet. True, it's been crazy busy with the end of school and ten million events and such, but carpooling and track meets have not been solely the reason for less wordage on my site. A few weeks ago I posted something that received a few negative comments (not here, it had been re-posted on another site which is a more public forum) and I have taken a moment to pause. The comments were not that scathing, just some questioning of my intentions or mild criticism. Since I have enjoyed such positive feedback and loving comments for so long, this experience gave me a wonderful little opportunity for reflection and growth.
I read many blogs where the authors have been slammed in the comment section. These authors have written about their experience with criticism and taught me that everyone has opinions and putting words out for anyone to see opens one up to not only the "bravos", but to the "not so much" as well. I have a dear friend that is a journalist; she has been beaten up and bruised for years by angry readers and I have admired her ability to let it mostly roll off without another thought (other than an earlier than scheduled happy hour or a snarky Facebook post relating to a stressful day.)
As a therapist, we learn about countertransference and personal boundaries, both in school and in training. The internet has added an entirely new dimension to all of our work. There are now classes on social media for therapists; we are taught about confidentiality for email and Skype, guided on whether or not to text and also how to market ourselves on the internet.
This blog has been a way for me to let you and/or my clients learn a little bit about me and how I work. I think it is nice for a client to be able to read a bit about my style and quirks personality before meeting me. It helps to determine if we will be a good fit for working together in a therapeutic relationship. Yet, I take a risk. I may push people away by being too Laurie, offend someone or simply say the wrong thing in a blog post. I need to be okay with that; it's not all about the love and kudos, and that has been my lesson of late.
If I have offended or been unprofessional, my apologies. I am a work in progress both in my office and on this keyboard. I take my role as a therapist very seriously and do my best to adhere to the ethical bounds by which I am governed. It is always nice to hear the positive feedback, but as important to hear the negative; that is where I grow and learn.
Please feel free to contact me personally with any questions or concerns: laurielevinelcsw.com