Jeff Levy, LCSW
Mental Health, Relationships, Trauma, Identity
Jeff Levy, LCSW (originally published on Branching Out: The Live Oak Blog, and Linked In, January 2019) The process of therapy can be daunting, especially when we don’t really understand what it’s “supposed” to look like or why sitting in a room with another person somehow helps us make lasting changes. Using metaphors as part of the psychotherapy process is not uncommon. Articles and books have been written on the topic with most folks recognizing the utility of metaphors.
Merriam Webster defines metaphor as “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.” Therapists and clients alike may use metaphors to foster increased understanding of an experience or a series of experiences. Shared understanding of experiences allows us to speak the same language, feel heard, experience greater connection, and ultimately, to better explore the changes we seek to make.
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1/7/2019 0 Comments The Weekly ReportJeff Levy, LCSW (originally published on Branching Out: The Live Oak Blog, August 2014) “I don’t have anything to report,” Joel said to me as we began our session. This had become our beginning ritual, despite having worked together for almost a year.
Joel is not the only client who starts a session like this. In other instances, I’ll be talking with someone for a few minutes and then, after a brief silence, I’ll hear something like: “Well, I think that’s about it. There wasn’t much else that happened this week.” In these instances, I feel like the baton has been tossed to me and it’s my turn to run the next leg of our race toward the end of our hour together. |
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