Led by Holly Gilbert, LPC and Libby Steele, LPC this workshop promotes a culture of inclusiveness, kindness, acceptance and respect. It will be offered in both July and August in partnership with Piccadilly Play Café so your little ones are ready for the playground when school starts. Stay tuned for more information on the Parenting Workshop with Matt Dunatchik, LPCC and Libby Steele, LPC.
Why am I playing games with your kid? (And why you should too)
Written by Child and Family Therapist Libby Steele, LPC
If you’ve placed your child in therapy with us, you may have noticed or heard from your child that we “played games.” They may even be more specific, telling you about beating me in UNO, having good luck with Guess Who or losing a close game of Life.
The decision to put your child in therapy to begin with can be an emotionally charged situation, a logistically draining endeavor and an investment. So why would we be spending this precious time playing a round of Crazy 8’s or listening to music?
Here is what I know to be true about working with the developing brain: There is power in just letting the kid’s interest be their interest. In his book, “Killing Monsters,” Gerard Jones explains: when a child shows a genuine, or even passing interest in an activity there is real power in our “shared immersion” in the action.
When their hands are busy, when we are occupied in a friendly competition, more profound conversations easily emerge surrounding a host of topics. These may include:
- How do I feel when I lose?
- Do I sometimes experience rejection? Or Loss?
- Do I ever get embarrassed and what do I do with that difficult emotion?
- How do I experience anger and what does it look like to express that in a productive way? What about a damaging way?
- Am I competitive? Do I like that about myself? Can I channel it appropriately? Does it ever get me into trouble?
- Am I especially good at this game? Something else? How does this affect my self esteem or self confidence?
Adolescents, especially, may seek privacy and use provoking behaviors to create separation between them and their parents. Their job is to grow up and out into the world, AND they still WANT to know you’re hanging in there watching over them. Listen to their choice of music in the car, hear them out about a recent video game success, be openly curious about what it inspires in them. It is tempting to reject their choice of entertainment when it evokes a powerful response in us (especially if that response is anger), but there’s a reason teenagers gravitate towards music with a powerful “counter culture” message. It’s thrilling and validating to hear their fear, anger, jealousy and sadness parroted back to them in song. It makes them feel heard, and seen. Likewise, joining with your child over a familiar game is creating a venue for the safe exploration of harder topics and challenging emotions. When we are in this space of “shared immersion,” we have created a safe bubble around the interaction allowing the child or adolescent to be heard, seen and known in a way that facilitates growth.
Letting Your Teen Struggle
Written by Matt Dunatchik, LPCC
Raising teenagers can be both a spectacular experience and a horrendous experience. Teens are difficult. They can be moody, withdrawn, closed, and defiant. They can also be charming, open, funny, and inspiring. Having the patience to raise a teenager will help them thrive and grow so they can learn more deeply about themselves and the world around them.
The goal of raising kids and teens is to help them develop a strong identity so they can go out into the world and be wildly successful. Sometimes we, as parents, forget this when we’re in the midst of a teenage rampage and rebellion.
Here are some simple things to remember with your teens as they struggle to find themselves and push against you to learn more about the world.
- Their job is to push back against the parents/family as they figure out their own beliefs, identity, voice, and goals.
- Helping them means being open when they are struggling and NOT TAKING AWAY THEIR STRUGGLE.
- Let them come to you when they need help. Don’t force yourself upon them with help; they will most likely shut down or get angry. Remember to stay open so to help your teen feel safe enough to share with you.
- Maintain age appropriate and healthy consequences. When they do make mistakes they can easily learn where the boundaries are.
- Let them know that you are here for them if the want help from you. Offer solutions ONLY after asking if your teen wants them.
Remember, your teen’s goal is to learn how to self-identify and navigate a difficult world. They need to struggle in order to learn and can do this best with parents’ support and boundaries.
All Change is Incremental…
…and sometimes change is large, noisy, aggressive, and intense. This is something we have all dealt with lately in our Gestalt community here in Columbus. Losing our leader, mentor, trainer, supervisor, and friend, Norman Shub, left a large gap in our hearts. It also threw us into a tailspin of organizing for the future while honoring the past and the legacy Norman had created in 45 years of changing people’s lives.
As most know, we have moved offices due to being in a space that became too large for us to manage. We are happily adjusting to our new office space and supporting each other through the ups and downs that come with major life changes. The special ability to support each other was instilled in us from working with Norman and it has helped us become a close knit group of therapists that know how to love and support each other.
What we’ve learned from Norman and Gestalt Therapy has also helped us be the best therapists we can be. We are here to serve the community and continue the legacy of Gestalt Therapy and Norman Shub, but in our own, authentic way. We are constantly learning and constantly growing. We are excited about the future and everything that is to come.
By Matt Dunatchik, MSEd., LPCC
From Band Aids to Foundational Change: The Power of Gestalt Therapy
By Stacy Ingraham, MSEd., LPCC-S
I am often asked why I decided to invest in learning and practicing Gestalt therapy, after utilizing other popular counseling techniques for several years as a clinician. My quick answer – I didn’t want to put “band aids” on my client’s symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other struggles anymore. Instead, I wanted be an agent of real, lasting change by helping clients get to the root of what’s keeping them stuck. This is Gestalt therapy. Now after two years of postgraduate training workshops, hours of individual consultation, observation of Gestalt therapy sessions, pages of reading, and working through my own stuff with Gestalt therapists, I’m starting to get it (while also realizing I have a long way to go) and am leaving most of my old counseling habits behind. Here are a few things I’ve learned:
- Gestalt therapy really works. While I’ve experienced the power of Gestalt therapy personally, I have seen real, foundational change in clients. For example, a couple who repeatedly blamed each other for their marital problems now owns their part, does not blame (most of the time), and has a more intimate connection than ever before because they have learned to protect the closeness in their relationship (an important concept we reinforce in Gestalt couples therapy). Admittedly, I do utilize other counseling techniques when appropriate or out of habit, yet my foundation is the Gestalt approach, and it really works.
- Learning Gestalt therapy is hard work. Integrating the concepts of Gestalt therapy is sometimes like speaking a foreign language (i.e. encountering a client’s behavior, working an introject, pointing out defenses such as retroflection, teaching awareness, building steel rods). And learning Gestalt therapy requires on-going self-reflection and change (i.e. heightening my own awareness, strengthening my own steel rods, being vulnerable, letting go of perfectionism). To be a skilled Gestalt therapist, I need to surrender to the Gestalt way of living.
- The Gestalt approach can be used in a variety of professions. The Gestalt approach is utilized by conductors of orchestras, athletic coaches, organizational consultants, dentists, law enforcement officers, educators, and many more. Gestalt child therapists utilize play therapy techniques such as sand tray, clay work, therapeutic games, music, and drawing. Gestalt therapy is also effective when doing family and couples/marriage counseling, and of course, group therapy. Basically, any professional who cares about being a transformational leader, building successful relationships, and contributing in a real way to their organization will benefit from learning the Gestalt approach.
- Gestalt therapy is effective when practiced alone and combined with other theories. This idea is debatable, depending on who you talk with in the mental health world. In my experience, mindfulness based approaches, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing combined with a Gestalt theoretical foundation can be incredibly beneficial for clients based upon their presenting issues (trauma, addiction, anxiety, etc.).
There are many professional training and certification programs we have to choose from (and I’ve explored many). Deciding which ones best align with our values, goals, budget, schedule, and personality is key. Learning Gestalt therapy has been life changing for my clients and me. And while the struggle to learn and live Gestalt is real, it helps to remember that “all change is incremental.” Thank you, Norman Shub.