Saying Goodbye in Therapy

It is ironical that while I open this first blog with a hello and welcome, I am writing about saying goodbye. Earlier this week I said goodbye to a patient whom I have been treating twice a week for three years. It was a bittersweet moment for both of us.  He has gone on to follow his budding career out of state. When he first came to me in therapy, he was very uncomfortable despite my efforts and his glances kept shifting to the door as if he wanted to spring out of his chair and leave. I was pretty sure he would never come back. But he came back and kept returning.  He was uncomfortable with talking and would mumble few words here and there.  For about a year I would do most of the talking while he listened. I thought to myself  (and shared with him later), I wasn't trained to talk, but to listen. Just about everything I learned didn't apply here. I had to go by my gut instinct. While he challenged himself to keep coming back and eventually opening up to share, I was challenged to be a better therapist for him.

What happens to therapists when a patient leaves? Do we remember all of our patients? We remember the ones who are invested in therapy and therefore brings us to invest ourselves professionally. We remember the ones who take risks and therefore experience tremendous growth as a result. We remember the ones who open up and invites us into their lives.

With this blog and ones following thereafter, I invite you to read and share with my experiences and thoughts regarding my profession. I invite you to take that next step in challenging yourself despite some discomfort for personal growth like this man did in therapy with me.