Johanna Bond

New IFS group: Parts and Process

~ JB

Parts and Process: An Internal Family Systems-based Therapy Group

This group is intended for individuals looking to practice engaging with others in a deep and vulnerable way. We will explore the IFS model as a group, learning how to speak for parts of the self as well as building skills to get to know parts through guided meditation and experiential conversation. Goals include improving communication skills in interpersonal relationships as well as getting to know parts in a meaningful way.

Johanna Bond, LMHC is in private practice at Perspectives Mental Health Counseling, PLLC. She completed her masters in counseling at the University of Rochester, and has completed Level One training in Internal Family Systems therapy.

When: every other Tuesday 2-3pm, beginning on 2/20/24

Where: Online

Cost: $60 per group

For more information or to join the group, please contact Johanna Bond at jbond@perspectivesroc.com. Group members are encouraged to be engaged in their own individual therapy simultaneously.

Internal Family Systems therapy

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I am so excited to share that I have now completed Internal Family Systems Level One training. This therapy approach creates space for the client to develop an empowering internal relationship as they care for parts of themselves. In addition to CBT and other therapy approaches, I now have the depth of training to provide IFS therapy as well.

If you are interested in learning more about this approach, please feel free to ask me in your next session or email me at jbond@perspectivesroc.com.

Writing for Perspective

~ JB

Combining my love of writing with mental health, I’ll be offering an online writing workshop:

Writing Away the Pandemic

It’s been quite a year, and we’ve all got stories to tell. This workshop will be a generative workshop, providing brief prompts focused on writing to get away from the pandemic (such as traveling to a new place through your words) as well as writing to process how you have journeyed through this past year. I’ll be providing tips for kind self-care as a part of this brief workshop.

When: Saturday, May 29th, 10am-11:30am EST

Where: Zoom (link will be provided upon registration)

Cost: $25

Cost of recorded workshop: $15

(If you are unable to attend at the time of the workshop but are interested in a recorded version, please contact me and I can email it to you after the fact).

To register for the workshop, please email me at jbondperspectives@gmail.com.

Upcoming Groups

~ JB

I’ll be offering another round of groups starting in June!

More Than My Diagnosis (beginning June 1st), will run on Tuesdays 2-3pm

This group is intended for individuals who are coping with the mental health impact of medical issues. The group will address topics such as identity, connection to self and others, and personal growth.

The Other Half (beginning June 3rd), will run on Thursdays 11am-12pm

This group is intended for spouses or partners who are caring for an individual with medical issues. The group will address topics such as identity in and outside the relationship, and caring for self and others.

Groups will:

-be open to 6-8 members

-be conducted via zoom

Cost: $40 per session

Prospective Therapy Clients

~ JB

At this time, I am not scheduling with new therapy clients. For those who are interested in counseling services, I do have a current waitlist going and would be happy to add your name; I will then contact you when an opening becomes available. If you have been referred to me and need services sooner, I also am happy to help you connect with a therapist who may have sooner availability. While I wish that I could see every client who calls, unfortunately at this time I’m not able to do so.

Relationships Divided by Politics or Pandemic? – Psychology Today

~ JB

Many have found that it can be hard to manage relationships during the election season (and after), as well as to manage differing opinions about what risks are okay to take during the pandemic. I’ve heard these questions come up in counseling sessions as well as in personal conversations with my own friends, family, and neighbors.

I’m now blogging for Psychology Today and my first piece for the blog addresses exactly this. To read more, go to: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/more-diagnosis/202012/relationships-divided-politics-or-pandemic

Celebrating 5 Years in Business

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Five years ago today, I opened the doors to Perspectives for the first time. My office was a little smaller, and my schedule a little more open. I had spent months preparing the office to open and years preparing my clinical skills before taking the step to become a small business owner.

Here we are at June 1st, 2020. I’m currently working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and my heart goes out to all those who are struggling in these times due to the virus and due to the burden of systemic racism in our country. These are tough times. I miss being in the physical office, but am so grateful to be able to connect with my clients via telehealth. And I look forward to sharing space in the office at 46 Prince Street again someday soon.

As I think back to my opening day and all that has happened since, I’m aware that although I’m a solo practitioner, this work is anything but solo. The work itself is grounded in connection.

I’m grateful for all the individuals who have walked into my office, brave enough to bear the vulnerability of therapy and to trust me to sit alongside them. I’m grateful for my colleagues who work alongside me, inspiring me with the good work they do and elevating us all. We are a community of helpers. I’m grateful for my supervisors and mentors, and my business coach, who give me something to aspire to while simultaneously cultivating the capacity for success. And I’m grateful for my dear friends and family who share my heart and make it possible for me to do the work.

There are a lot of things that go into maintaining a business. Along with the therapy itself, I am continuously looking forward to see what needs I can meet in our community, and reflecting back on what has worked so far.

Five years into business, Perspectives Mental Health Counseling, PLLC, is just getting started.

When to go to therapy?

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How do you know when it’s time to start or return to therapy?

In a first session, I often will ask a client how they knew it was time to come in. Sometimes people are coming in at the encouragement of a friend or family member; sometimes they know they need an outside perspective to explore an issue; sometimes it is clear that anxiety, depression or other symptoms are getting in the way of day-to-day life.

For therapists, it is easy to know when we need to go to therapy. When our own stuff starts coming up for us in the midst of counseling others, or if it’s at all getting in the way of facilitating psychotherapy, we know we need to talk to colleagues or get our own therapy. It’s like how doctors need to be healthy in order to treat their patients; counselors need to be emotionally healthy in order to treat our clients.

For everyone else, it can be harder to answer this question. Generally, I encourage someone to come to counseling when they have issues that are getting in the way of living their life the way they want to. (This could be due to any number of things: a stress response that is out of proportion to the stressor; difficulty sleeping; low mood; overwhelming thoughts; relationship difficulties; adjusting to a traumatic medical diagnosis or event).

When you feel you need a safe person to talk to, to process recent events or explore a part of your identity, it’s a good time to come to therapy. When you need to voice the loss you’ve experienced or the secrets that weigh on you, it’s a good time to come to therapy. When you feel ready to build on the strengths you’ve got and develop additional coping skills to face the challenges or burdens of your life, it’s a good time to come to therapy.

I always tell my clients that therapy is about balancing challenge and support. So, when you feel you need extra support in your life and you are ready to be challenged to grow – that is the time to come to therapy!

Mindfulness Exercise

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Mindfulness involves observing and accepting the things around and within us in the present moment, without judgment.  In therapy, Johanna may involve mindfulness skills to build awareness of various issues and to develop coping strategies to reach optimal wellness.   The exercise below is not individualized to your needs as it may be in therapy, but is rather intended as a general exercise that you may find useful.

January’s Mindfulness Exercise:

It’s a new year, so let’s go back to the basics – starting with the breath.

Sit or stand as comfortable as you can, allowing your arms to rest at your side. Take a nice inhale through your nose, and exhale through pursed lips. Notice the feeling of expansion as you breathe in, and release as you exhale. Pay attention to the air as it passes through either your nose or your mouth.

Notice also how the rest of your body shifts with each breath in and out. Do your shoulders go up and down? Does your chest rise, or your belly expand? Bring your awareness inward to notice the details of each breath. Check in also with the muscles that might be holding tension, such as your jaw or shoulders. Do they shift when you inhale, or exhale?

As best you can, focus solely on the minute details of each breath – you have been breathing all day, perhaps without noticing it. Try to take 5 to 10 intentional breaths with this level of awareness.

 

Today’s exercise is intended to increase your emotional awareness, both regarding what you are experiencing emotionally as well as what you do with it. As always, if this feels overwhelming, please call Johanna to set up an appointment.

 

NOTE: This is not intended to replace therapy.  Please contact Johanna at (585)406-3012 if you are interested in engaging in counseling for optimal wellness.