Opening up in therapy can be difficult, especially if it’s the first time you’ve seen a therapist. If you find yourself getting ready to head to your appointment and are worried you won’t know what to say, try one of these ideas - chances are that once you share these thought with your therapist they will be able to ask questions and guide you into a conversation from there.
There are numerous myths or misunderstandings about emotions that lead to people feeling they need to bottle everything up inside or not express themselves, but that can just lead to things building up inside of us over time. And what happens when something is held in and builds up and up and up? Eventually it explodes!
One topic that gets brought up a lot with me is "How do I deal with the stress?" Sometimes the stress comes from the amount of school work, from expectations around grades, from bullying, from planning for the future, or from anxiety. If a situation is causing harmful tension, emotional outbursts or avoidance in your child, those reactions might be coming about because of stress.
A safety plan can be useful in all sorts of situations. It can be helpful for people experiencing suicidal ideation or urges to self-harm, for people who are dealing with abuse or unsafe situations at home or school, and for people dealing with addictions who may be put in situations that tempt them to use.
