therapy

Internal Family Systems – Level 2 Training

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

I recently completed my Level 2 training for Internal Family Systems therapy (there are 3 levels). The focus on the training was on depression, anxiety, and shame; we also explored topics such as grief, despair, and phobias. At the end of the training, I shared with the group a feeling that it was not an ending so much as it was a launch – I am returning to my days of therapy with an even greater sense of trust in this process and its potential for healing, and an expansion of creativity for applying this model of psychotherapy.

This approach to therapy changed my understanding of not only how to do therapy, but what therapy can do. In a deep way, learning to care for parts of ourselves opens up so many possibilities: to be more present, to get to know ourselves and those around us, and to allow and even welcome joy when it shows up in our lives. It’s gentle, too – we go slow, in building our internal relationship to parts of ourselves and past versions of ourselves, in order to go fast. We don’t just push past internal barriers and protective parts; we get to know them and work with them.

Every person has what they need to heal already inside them. That’s one other thing I love about IFS – that as a therapist, I’m a partner and a facilitator in the healing process, trusting the good intentions of all parts of you. I’m not an authority figure in a position of power over the client. We are exploring, together, and accessing the strengths you have inside you in order to heal, grow, and move forward with curiosity and appreciation for all parts of the self.

Celebrating 10 Years in Business

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This June marks 10 years since the opening of Perspectives Mental Health Counseling, PLLC. It’s hard to believe a decade has gone by!

I continue to feel grateful to get to do this work, to be present with individuals in their personal exploration and healing.

I believe that the foundation of a sustainable small business is in the relationships. I may be a solo practitioner, but I work in community with other therapists, medical professionals, and other healing practitioners. I’m grateful for the community!

At the 5-year anniversary, I wrote that Perspectives was just getting started. I don’t feel we’re just getting started any longer – I feel rooted, grounded, and established in our community of mental health practitioners – but I do feel we are continuing to grow. And I say “we” because the growth is what occurs each time someone walks through the door.

I’m continuing to grow as a psychotherapist, too. This summer I look forward to completing my Level 2 training for Internal Family Systems therapy. This approach to therapy and to life continues to inspire my curiosity and my care, and I’m excited to deepen my understanding and application of the model.

With New York state opening up a new credential for LMHCs, I’ve also now obtained my Diagnostic Privilege as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (so my credentials now read LMHC-D).

As I celebrate 10 years in business, and 10 years in community, I find myself looking forward to the stability and growth for Perspectives in the years to come.

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

~ JB ~ Leave a comment

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.

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!

The Helper’s Humanity

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Together with Amy Andrews, MFA, LMHC, Johanna will be running a series of workshops on the humanity of the helper. Each workshop will use a different aspect of creative writing to explore your sense of humanity as a helping professional. Johanna and Amy will lead various exercises to deepen your curiosity and validate your vulnerability as a human and as a helper. Each exercise will involve personal time for writing as well as group discussion for processing.

The goals of the workshop are to provide creative writing tools for self-care and personal exploration, and to validate all the aspects of your humanity!

The first workshop is coming up in a few weeks on September 22nd. Each workshop will run from 8am-12pm, and coffee and light snacks will be provided. Spots are limited, so sign up soon!

Workshops are open to all, but are geared towards those individuals currently working in the helping professions (medical, mental health, religion and spirituality, teaching, etc).

Sign up for one retreat or for all four: $75 per retreat or $250 for all four.

To sign up, email Johanna at jbondperspectives@gmail.com or Amy at andrews.counseling@gmail.com. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have, as well.

Johanna and Amy are incredibly excited to collaborate on this project and can’t wait for the first workshop, titled “Developing identity through character.”

 

Well-adjusted and in therapy

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Not long ago, a friend of mine (not a therapist) mentioned her thoughts on therapy. When I mentioned that some of my own friends are in therapy, she said, “Wow, they must be really well-adjusted.”

I love that statement. Not “there’s something wrong with them” or “what do they need to fix.” The underlying sentiment was that these people are well-adjusted because they know when they need help and they seek it out.

The language we use is powerful. When I tell someone I’m a therapist and they say with a laugh, “oh, my friend here might need to see you!”, they are implying that a) they would not need to see a therapist themselves and b) there must be something wrong with the other person that they would need a therapist. My response is often, “I think we all need a little therapy sometimes.”

People often think the job of a therapist is to label you as “crazy” or “not crazy.” Let me tell you, that is not my job. My job is to support you and to challenge you.

When my friend made that statement, I liked that she assumed going to therapy was a positive thing. Not a sign of weakness or trouble, but something truly positive that people can do for themselves.

There are often negative life events or situations that lead to individuals coming to therapy, but having the strength to be vulnerable in seeking out and accepting help is a powerful and positive action.

Hello, Prince Street!

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As of this Saturday, 8/18/18, Perspectives has a fresh new location at 46 Prince Street. Right around the corner from the Memorial Art Gallery, this office has great neighbors, more space, a beautiful view, plenty of parking, and the same great quality therapy.

Please call Johanna with any questions you may have about the new space! (585)406-3012.