Although some time has passed since I first met with Lillie for one-on-one talk therapy, my…read moreexperience and subsequent results of her work are no less diminished. Lillie was a caring, insightful, and supportive therapist during one of the worst emotional periods of my life.
My first session with Lillie was in late winter 2018 as I was battling episodes of depression, insecurity, and loss of self-worth due to a rough social relationship. I had never visited a therapist before, but felt that my day-to-day anxiety and misery was becoming too much and I should seek support. Lillie was covered under my company's employee benefits plan as a mental health specialist, and I met with her for a total of 5 sessions over the span of 2 months.
Immediately, Lillie was welcoming and kind-hearted. She was an exceptional listener and a clear communicator. When we first began digging into areas of tension or disruption for me, my social relationship issue came pouring out in tears, and she listened intently the entire time. Never passing judgement, always seeking ways to ask intentional questions that helped me address the root of the issue, and what I could be doing to begin the healing process.
I learned so many important lessons during my work with Lillie, but the three most influential ones that left lasting impressions on my mindset and lifestyle were: the power of being present, understanding the healing process, and turning energy inward. For the first lesson, Lillie would give me "homework" on how to practice was to be truly present in my daily life, as one of my biggest issues was that my mind was stuck in a negative thought loop and was fixated on the pessimistic aspects of my social relationship issue. She helped me break that loop and turn my consciousness to things happening right now, instead of things in the past that I agonized over.
Secondly, she always made it clear that healing was a process - this was a difficult but necessary message that I needed to hear, and I'm glad Lillie conveyed it clearly. Even though I cried at the thought that I wasn't going to be "over it" anytime soon, that I would have more weeks of cyclical negative emotions, I learned that this is normal and the body/mind need time to absorb shock, grieve, process, and heal. Once I accepted that, I was able to take steps towards working through that process more effectively.
Lastly, she helped me see how much of my energy I was spending on distraction from the true issue in order to avoid pain - I was focusing my attention and energy on everything I could find that would keep me busy, except the thing that needed the most attention: myself. This lesson hurt the most, but it was also the most effective one. I needed to sit with my emotions, with myself, and stop trying to fill the void with trivial things like drinking, going out, dating people I didn't really know or care about, etc. I needed to learn to be comfortable alone, which is a value that I still respect with the utmost importance to this very day (2 years later). I have Lillie to thank for that personal victory.
Overall, Lillie is poised and professional, but also offers a safe and open space for you to do the most important self-work. Rating 4 stars instead of 5 only because I've never been to another therapist and don't have any other comparison. She was a pleasure to work with, and I would recommend her to anyone interested in talk therapy for any reason, personal or otherwise.
