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little snippets of advice for everyday challenges many people share

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I Want to Start Therapy: What Do I Need to Know?

Starting therapy can be overwhelming. How do you know therapy will be helpful? How do you find a therapist that’s right for you? What should you prepare for, in your first session? How much of therapy takes place in therapy, and how much work will you have to do outside of your one on one time? These are common questions, and we want to help you feel informed and prepared.

I’m thinking of starting therapy, what do I need to know?

Starting therapy can be overwhelming. If it’s been something in the back of your mind for a while, you might feel yourself stalling, rather than getting a jump on the process, simply because there’s no clear path to know when or how to get started with therapy. 

How do you know it will be helpful? How do you find a therapist that’s right for you? What should you prepare for, in your first session? How much of therapy takes place in therapy, and how much work will you have to do outside of your one on one time?

These are common questions, and we want to help you feel informed and prepared. Below are five blogs you may find helpful as you embark on this new journey: 

What types of therapy exist?

Therapy is not one size fits all. There are many different modalities and approaches your therapist may specialize in, and the speciality or approach you need may depend on your specific circumstances. At Hope+Wellness we have many different therapists with many different specialities, some of which you can find an introduction to below: 

How can therapy support me?

Therapy can offer a wide array of support–whether it be navigating a current crisis, exploring your identity, working on your communication skills, strengthening your relationships, therapy can offer the space and tools you need. While it’s definitely not an inclusive list, below are five ways therapy can help support you:

How can I navigate difficult moments in therapy?

While therapy can be transformational and validating, it’s not always easy. It can even be difficult to address things with your therapist sometimes! If your therapist says something that hurts your feelings, or you find yourself dreading going to therapy, it’s not always a sign that things aren’t working for you–it may be a sign that some uncomfortable conversations need to be had. These blogs can help you prepare to navigate those situations, and recognize when they’re a sign of a larger problem: 

Are you interested in therapy? Our clinicians at Hope+Wellness offer therapy in our office and online. We serve the McLean, Great Falls, Falls Church, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC regions, as well as offering online services in DC, MD, VA, and all PSYPACT states. If you would like to talk to one of our therapists, please contact info@hope-wellness.com.

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How Therapy Can Help Entrepreneurs Thrive Instead of Survive

As an entrepreneur, therapy can make a real difference in your business and personal life, while meeting you right where you are. Here’s how.

Entrepreneurship can feel like a thrilling adventure, but let's be honest—it can also be incredibly lonely, high-pressure, and exhausting. 

If you're a business owner, you're likely juggling an endless to-do list, constantly making decisions, and facing uncertainty on a daily basis. It’s a lot of pressure to have the livelihoods of people rest on your shoulders! Starting a business is a ton of work, any way you slice it. It can be hard for non business owners to relate to what you’re going through, so working on your own business can be a lonely prospect, even when you’re passionate about it. While the excitement of building something from the ground up is undeniable, the weight of that responsibility can take a toll on your mental health. This is where therapy can be a game-changer. 

Working with a therapist doesn’t just help you survive as an entrepreneur—it helps you thrive. 

As an entrepreneur, therapy can make a real difference in your business and personal life, while meeting you right where you are. Here’s how:

Improve Work-Life Balance 

Entrepreneurs often blur the lines between work and life, especially when starting a business. It can seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day when you’re running your own business, and it can be hard to know when to stop when you still have so much to do. Pouring everything you have into your business can come at a steep cost to your health and your relationships. 

Therapy can help you step back, re-evaluate how you're balancing your time, and find ways to create more joy, meaning, and fulfillment across all areas of your life. A therapist helps you ensure that you're thriving not just professionally but also personally.

Take Creative Risks and Develop Business Instincts

Being an entrepreneur often requires taking risks, and that can be terrifying. Therapy offers a safe space to explore the fears and insecurities that might hold you back from reaching your full creative potential. Working with a therapist can help you learn more about your strengths and help you tune in to your sense of intuition, so you can trust yourself more and take those big leaps with confidence in your business. 

Freedom from Anxiety, Stress, and Depression

The weight of entrepreneurship can sometimes lead to anxiety, depression, or burnout. Stress is often a daily experience when you’re running your own business. Working with a therapist can give you the tools to navigate the mental health challenges that often accompany running a business, helping you gain freedom from the constant stress and pressure. When you're feeling overwhelmed, a therapist helps you ground yourself and find ways to ease the emotional burden, while giving you a safe space to discuss what’s going on. 

Find Your Voice as a Leader

You are the driving force behind your business, but do you feel confident in your leadership? Therapy can help you discover and develop your unique voice as a leader. Whether it's practice making tough decisions, learning how to build a team, and developing your management skills, therapy helps you refine your communication skills and grow into the kind of leader that inspires trust and connection. 

Connect to Your Core Values

Many entrepreneurs struggle with staying true to themselves amid the demands of running a business. Therapy allows you to understand and connect with your core values, which can help you find your "true north" so you can make decisions from a place of authenticity. Exploring what’s truly important to you can be a powerful guide in both your personal and professional life, because knowing what you value helps you make decisions that feel more aligned with who you are. 

Build a Community

Building a business can feel isolating, but therapy can help you find and connect with your people—whether that's your clients, a supportive community, or a business network. A therapist can also teach you how to communicate in a way that maximizes your impact as a business owner, helping you build relationships that truly matter in and out of work. 

Redefine Failure and Keep a Growth Mindset

All entrepreneurs face failure—it’s inevitable when you’re starting something new, both in big and small ways. Remember that failure doesn’t have to be something that stops you in your tracks. Through therapy, you can reframe how you view setbacks, seeing them as opportunities for growth instead of evidence of your limitations. You can learn from your past without punishing yourself for it, which can help you grow. Maintaining a growth mindset helps you stay adaptable and open to change, no matter what challenges come your way.

Enhance Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Skills

Running a business isn’t just about strategy; it’s about people, but we don’t always have the people skills we need to do things effectively. Developing emotional intelligence through therapy improves your ability to connect, influence, and lead others. You’ll learn how to communicate with empathy and foster an environment where both you and your team can thrive. Therapy can also help you practice emotional regulation, which is essential for effective leaders. 

Practice Stillness and Intuition

In the hustle of entrepreneurship, it’s easy to lose touch with yourself and what you need. Working with a therapist can help you to develop practices of stillness and reflection, allowing you to tune into your intuition. When you cultivate this practice, you’ll notice how it strengthens your decision-making and keeps you grounded, even when the chaos of running a business threatens to overwhelm you. Therapy offers you a chance to learn how to create kind, compassionate space for yourself — and others, which is essential for successful businesses. 

Celebrate Strengths 

As an entrepreneur, it's easy to focus on what’s not working or where you feel inadequate. Our brains naturally focus on the negative, and it takes real practice to notice and celebrate the positive. Therapy offers you a safe place to acknowledge and celebrate your successes and strengths, and build upon them. 

Get Support That Fits Your Schedule

One of the challenges of being a business owner is finding time for everything, including self-care. That’s why online therapy is a perfect fit for entrepreneurs. You can meet with your therapist from anywhere—whether you’re at home, at your office, or even traveling for work. Scheduling therapy sessions around your busy life gives you the flexibility you need, without sacrificing the mental health support that can help you thrive, in your personal life and in your business.

Achieve Alignment in Life and Business

Therapy helps you align your life and your business in a way that feels sustainable and fulfilling. You’ll gain the self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and leadership abilities you need to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and create a business that supports the life you want to live.

Your journey as a business owner is unique—and you deserve the support that empowers you to keep moving forward. If you’re looking for a safe place to explore everything that comes with being an entrepreneur, working with a therapist can help. Our clinicians are accepting new clients, so reach out to us today to begin. 

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What Parents Should Know About Teen Depression: A Compassionate Guide for Supporting Your Teen

It’s a hard place to be, and the first thing to know is that you’re not alone. This is something lots of other parents have to manage, and while it can feel overwhelming, there are things you can do to help. Try to remind yourself that depression is treatable, so your teen won’t have to feel trapped in these feelings forever. 

Knowing that your teen is depressed can be scary as a parent. 

It can feel like it goes against everything you labor for as a parent to see them struggle to get out of bed, or lose interest in their hobbies, or pull away from their friends. You’re watching them lose sleep, watching their grades drop, and you want to help but you don’t know how. 

It’s a hard place to be, and the first thing to know is that you’re not alone. This is something lots of other parents have to manage, and while it can feel overwhelming, there are things you can do to help. Try to remind yourself that depression is treatable, so your teen won’t have to feel trapped in these feelings forever. 

First, how do you know when it’s time to be concerned?

Sometimes, regular parts of being a teenager can be difficult for parents because it’s such a drastic change from what they’re used to. Teens pulling away, sharing less of their interests with their parents, and spending more time privately is not uncommon for most teens. Their gaining more independence and developing a stronger sense of self, so they don’t need their parents in the same way they did as a small child.

So how do you know when they’re pulling away from you to explore their independence, and when they’re pulling away from everything because they’re depressed?

Unpredictable moods that seem to emotionally impact them as well: 

It’s easy to feel like teens are having mood swings when they get annoyed with us as parents, but feeling annoyed with their parents now and again isn’t itself a sign of concern. If your teen seems to be overwhelmed by their own feelings, like they can’t control them and it’s creating distress for them, that’s a sign for concern.  

Changes in sleep:

It’s normal for teens to need a lot of sleep, so sleeping in a lot probably isn’t a sign of concern–especially considering how early teens have to wake up for school, and how much mental and physical energy is taken up by school and extracurriculars, it makes sense they’re making the most of their weekends as time to sleep in. But have their sleep patterns changed dramatically? Are they having trouble getting to sleep, or staying asleep? Are they more than tired–do they seem groggy or fatigued even hours after they’ve woken up? Do they seem tired all the time, but are also unable to sleep? Fatigue and sleep difficulty can be symptoms of something larger. 

Drop in academic performance: 

While it may not necessarily indicate that your teen is depressed, if they’ve typically had a steady academic performance and are suddenly struggling or their grades are high one day and low the next, that indicates that something is preventing them from being able to function at their typical level. Are they struggling with a teacher or a subject? Is something happening at school that’s making them unable to focus on their schoolwork? Whether it’s because they’re struggling with feelings of depression, or another reason, unpredictable changes in academic performance can signal they need support somewhere. 

How to help: 

Remember, while what you’re going through is frightening and difficult, so is what your teen is going through. They might be confused and overwhelmed, and even feel hopeless. They may not know how to explain what’s happening to them, and it might be hard for them to admit that they need help. Your teen might be thinking things like “I have no reason to feel this way,” or “my parents are going to be so upset with me for all the schoolwork I’ve missed,” or “no one else is struggling like this, I’m such a failure.”

Internalizing these feelings of shame and fear can make it hard for them to reach out, which is why they may not ask you for help directly. That’s why it’s important for parents to be proactive in noticing these signs and offering support in ways that feel safe and affirming for their teen. Here are some gentle methods to supporting your teen through this: 

When you start to talk about what they’re going through, keep the conversation focused on their experience: 

Instead of making the conversation about how much you’re worried about them, let them know you’ve noticed they haven’t been themselves lately. Let them know you want to be there to help them feel safe and supported as they figure out what they need to get back to a place they feel good in. Make space to listen to them and what they’re experiencing, and let them know that while all the burdens they’re shouldering right now are hard, there are ways to get treatment so they won’t feel that weight forever. 

It may feel challenging to support your teen when you feel frustrated and afraid for the way their depression has been affecting them. However, your support is invaluable. Try not to be judgmental or critical, but to remain calm and compassionate.

Remember you’re there to support their needs, not fix their problems: 

It may feel passive to listen and support. As a parent, you can see what they need to do and all you may want to do is problem solve and resolve their issues for them. It is natural to feel this way. However, increasing your control over their behavior and problem solving for them can come across as judgmental, controlling, or invalidating. Your teen will need to learn how to manage their feelings and problem solve on their own. Your guidance, relationship, and support are essential during this time.

Acknowledge when they do something supportive for themselves, not just what you’re concerned about: 

Depression can result from a lack of positive experience in the environment. With the pressures of high school and college admissions, this can particularly be the case. Try to notice when your teen is engaging in healthy, positive behaviors such as spending time with friends, or going on a walk to relax and unwind. Spend quality time with them and encourage them to engage in activities that will improve their activity and functioning, such as taking a run, walking the dog, spending time with friends, engaging in a hobby. 

Encourage these opportunities without criticism or judgment. It’s understandable that your teen may be doing less of these activities, as that is a sign of depression. Gently let them know you understand, validating their feelings, while encouraging them to continue engaging in life’s activities.

Getting Your Teen the Help They Need

Try to learn more about the signs and symptoms of depression. Speak with other parents and connect with resources available to you. This can help with understanding how best to support your teen, particularly if you have not experienced depression yourself. Some helpful resources include:

Therapy can be a great source of support and treatment for depression. In therapy, your teen will have a safe place where they can work through their feelings and learn skills that have been found helpful and effective in managing depression. Many studies in particular, have found cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for the treatment of depression. The journey may be difficult, but with love and care, your teen can find their way back to a steadier, happier self.

Our team of therapists at Hope+Wellness can help your teen navigate life with depression, and support them as they find ways to thrive. Whether you’d prefer a virtual appointment or to come into one of our offices in Northern Virginia or D.C., our clinicians have experience supporting college students during this time of change and growth. Contact us today to get started. 

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Hope+Wellness is a mental health practice specializing in the treatment of depression, mood, stress, and anxiety in kids, teens, and adults. This is a blog about living well and finding meaning and purpose in the face of difficult challenges. This is a blog about finding hope.