I became a therapist after a difficult time in my life where I went to therapy in college to a few different therapists. One of the therapists was not so helpful which made me feel worse, but then I went to one that was so helpful and I felt a weight being lifted off my chest, to the point where I felt motivated again and eager to help other people have a similar experience as I did. I also learned something from that therapist that I went to that wasn’t so helpful, that each therapist has a different base in which they are coming from that can either be effective or not effective, so my goal is to provide the most effective therapy I can, and understand when it doesn’t work for everyone and I’m okay with that.
Being a therapist is very rewarding as I am able to speak to people during times of struggle and provide validation, support, and skills that they may not otherwise be receiving without meeting with me. Knowing that I am of service, and impacting other peoples lives help fuels me to continue being a therapist and is truly gratifying.
I think one of my most solid skills is helping people communicate more effectively with others by first learning how to communicate with themselves. Often times if the communication is ineffectively outwardly in a person, that is really a sign of the person unhappiness, anxiety, or apathy they have towards themselves.
Working on affirmations, validation, and providing insight to an individual can increase their empathy towards others and effective communication will follow. So, my tip would be to work on forgiving and validating yourself if you truly want to have a healthy communication style with others. This is something that I feel like gets ignored about therapy, that its not something you do only for others, to make relationships better, to complete some task, or something that must be forced upon someone. Therapy is taking care of your self, just as much as eating right, and exercising is.
Finally, I think the biggest mistakes a therapist mistake is only looking through their lense when they view something the client is experiencing. For example, something that a therapist might see as horrible might be a clients norm, so hopefully, if the therapist can practicing zooming out their lense they can see it a little more objectively, and meet the client where they are at with the situation.
Bio
I have a Master of Arts in Counselor Education with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, from the University of South Florida. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado that works with teens, young adults, and their families. I have training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, EMDR and am a Registered Yoga Teacher. The name of my practice is Stephanie Konter Counseling, LLC and the focus of the practice is to help young adults and teens resolve their problems with body image concerns, self-acceptance, forming healthy relationships and build a life worth living. You can learn more about Stephanie Konter-O’Hara at www.stephaniekontercounseling.com.