People I See In My Practice (2/2)

As disclaimed, in my first post…

These “types” are brief, coarse amalgamations of client stories that are each unique and complex (to protect privacy! and for readability!).

1. Mid-20s Very Shy Person

​This client was a diligent student who was focused for years on getting in to college. Now that she or he is there, or perhaps newly graduated, she feels lost and overwhelmed. She may have moved to a big city and feels adrift without the old familiar family and friends, or bereft without access to nature and pets, or she is in a rural setting and feels cut off from kindred minds. She is artistic, science-y, considering becoming a vegan. It’s more apparent in this new environment that her social skills are underdeveloped. She may comb through diagnoses trying to name and understand her outsider experience — social anxiety, autism, depression, bipolar disorder... She may have been forced into therapy as a preteen and have little hope for trying again. She gets nervous before sessions and dreads having to talk about herself, but “self-help” isn’t cutting it. She is bright but may struggle to gain full independence without more insight into what’s holding her back. She’s scared to have a real connection with a therapist, to be significant in the world, and to rely on others, but her fear of not living is even greater.