YMCA Counseling

March is Women’s History month, which got me thinking about the weight that women have had to carry through the course of history but more specifically today. I see evidence of it most profoundly with the many female clients we see in The Greater Austin YMCA’s Counseling program. Women and mental health are deeply interconnected, as women of every age and demographic often present to therapy riddled with anxiety and feeling pressure to do and be more for their parents, their spouses, their employers, and themselves; as if who they are

I’m so inspired by the Olympics for many reasons but one thing I really love about the coverage this summer are the profiles they’re doing on the lives and families of the athletes. In showing other aspects of the athletes lives and the people that are important to them we see a three-dimensional view of the U.S. Olympians and the people and community that supports and holds them up as they train and prepare for competition at the Olympic level.  

These profiles of our Olympic athletes are great examples of the importance of having social support and community

As a therapist, often clients come to the first session and when asked what they would like to achieve in therapy, they respond that they want to feel happy. They want a happier relationship with their partner or with their children; they want to feel happier in their work or just want a happier experience in general. In response to statements like these, I would typically launch into a mini psychoeducational lesson about the difference between happiness and joy and why in today’s society the pursuit of joy rather than the pursuit of happiness is the way to go.