Maggie, my therapist, changed my life.
Yes, I went to therapy. Many people are too ashamed and embarrassed to attend therapy or even admit that they are receiving help for the fear that people will think they are crazy. I honestly don't care if people think I am crazy because it really doesn't matter what they think.
Maggie is the most effective therapist I've ever had in my life. After 70+ sessions over the course of 1.5 years, I've graduated therapy not too long ago. She is the fifth therapist I've had since I started receiving help in my twenties for an anxiety disorder, which runs in my family.
Most were ineffective even though they were licensed. One used talk therapy and nothing else. Another used CBT, but she said we would have only 12 sessions together, and then she stopped seeing me. Another, the lady from Kaiser, seemed clueless about treating anxiety. How do I know? Well, she whipped out a book in the middle of our session. They were all ineffective because they had no clue on what it felt like to have a mental illness.
Maggie is different. She experienced debilitating anxiety and was able to overcome and manage her symptoms. Afterwards, she decided to become a counselor and help others.
She taught me the following:
CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Mindfulness
Living a balanced life
She gave me homework every week such as practicing CBT and mindfulness. The following week, I would share my progress. After 9 months, I started to heal mentally. I felt more positive, happy and confident. My coworkers and friends also noticed a difference.
With her help, I am no longer ruminating for hours and days at a time. Negative thoughts come and go and no longer torment me. Now, I spend more time on my hobbies and socializing instead of hiding in my home obsessing about irrational fears. Nowadays, no matter how horrible life is such as COVID or the wildfires happening, I feel content. I try to focus on the present moment and count my blessings each day. Each day is a gift.
I was referred to Maggie as a level 3 patient meaning I was a severe case with extreme anxiety and extreme depression. It was so bad that I applied for Social Security Disability. After 9 months of therapy, I started feeling better and told them I was no longer needed Social Security. With Maggie's help, I found a job that I totally love and made some awesome friends and made some meaningful connections.
I'm in the process of applying to graduate school to get my masters in counseling, with an emphasis in school counseling. I've done my own healing and I'm ready to help others do the same. read more