Top Myths About Counseling in Palm Desert

Jan 26

Thoughts from your Therapist Palm Desert

Lauren Fox, LCSW is a Maternal Mental Health Therapist in Palm Desert and virtually throughout California.

Palm Desert and all the cities of the Coachella Valley offer respite for many people coming to the Valley to play, but it is home to the year round residents who call this area home. During the pandemic, I have worked with so many clients who have never been to therapy before, although they have considered it for years.

You know you need a change and are trying to figure out if therapy is the right way to address what you’re experiencing. As a Perinatal Mental Health specialist, I am keenly aware of how difficult and sometimes intense this period of life can feel for women, their partners and families. I wanted to address some of the therapy myths that have been brought to me in hopes of helping you decide if therapy with a licensed Maternal Mental Health provider is right for you.

Common Myths about Therapy in Palm Desert

Therapists are simply just a friend you pay to listen to you complain.

A therapist is not your friend. A therapist is a licensed mental health professional whose profession is to help you manage your mental health and is keenly attuned to what your experience is and how to support your growth. A therapist is always listening for areas in your life that you may be taking at face value without recognizing that you have the power to shift and change what is happening, so that the end result is a better life for you and those you love.

Counseling is something rich, privileged people do for their whole lives.

In terms of working with women in the perinatal period, counseling is essential to helping you create a plan for your mental health that fits the current needs of your life, work through issues like asking for help from others in your life, and learn about the mental health needs of your infant. Counseling in this time period is time limited and goal oriented, specifically so that you get to your highest level of functioning and feel ready to move on from treatment.

Therapy will last for years.

Every person is different and therapy lasts for the amount of time it needs to for each client. You are always the driver of your treatment and therapy only happens when you attend. Some clients do attend therapy for longer than others, and some attend for shorter periods of time, feel they have returned to a level of stability and well being that allows them to move on, and they do.

Your therapist is just doing this for the money.

Therapy is a profession, one that involves schooling beyond a four year college degree and thousands of clinical hours before licensure is achieved. Therapists select a profession, but often it is discussed as a calling. Working with a specific population and supporting those clients as they grow into the person they want to be is the goal of any therapy. In working with the perinatal population, a therapist is supporting the mother to find her rhythm and routine in mothering so that she can attend to her infant and family the way she would like to as well as the way her children need her. This in itself can be an invaluable investment for families and communities as a whole.

Going to therapy means there is something wrong with you.

This sentiment has come up in various ways with almost every client I have worked with. Since the pandemic began, I have seen more first time therapy clients than ever before in my career. Clients tell me they thought about therapy for years, but could never take the steps to make an appointment because of fears that someone would see them walk into a therapy office and thus know there was something wrong with them. Now, Telehealth has afforded clients the space and privacy to see a licensed Maternal Mental Health provider from the comfort of their home and they realize not only the benefits of therapy, but the fallacy of their original fears. Reaching out for help when you are in need is not a weakness and not a sign there is something wrong with you; it is a sign of strength in the recognition that you are worth so much to this world and in getting help you will be able to return to the optimal functioning that allows you to be your best self in this world.

You Deserve to Feel Better

I hope this list of therapy myths has been helpful for you, and that it helps you find the right therapist in Palm Desert. If you are still feeling stuck, feel free to reach out to me or call me at (805) 930-9355 for a free, 15 minute phone consultation. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help connect you with the right provider. If you are looking for help with pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss , infertility , birth trauma or hypnotherapy, you can read more about how I can help within this website.

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Miranda Palmer

I have successfully built a cash pay psychotherapy practice from scratch on a shoestring budget. I have also failed a licensed exam by 1 point (only to have the licensing board send me a later months later saying I passed), started an online study group to ease my own isolation and have now reached thousands of therapists across the country, helped other therapists market their psychotherapy practices, and helped awesome business owners move from close to closing their doors, to being profitable in less than 6 weeks. I've failed at launching online programs. I've had wild success at launching online programs. I've made mistakes in private practice I've taught others how to avoid my mistakes. You can do this. You were called to this work. Now- go do it! Find some help or inspiration as you need it- but do the work!

http:://www.zynnyme.com