It's the last Monday of January 2016 - the first of the final seven days in which we can still ride the impetus of the new year towards personal growth.

On another day I might have felt like time was moving too quickly (It's the 25th? Seriously?), but today, perhaps because it's the fourth Monday in this generously long month, I feel like this week is a great opportunity. 

I want you to see it that way too. I really want you to see it that way if getting started with therapy is on your list of things-you-know-you'll-benefit-from-but-don't-know-where-to-start. Today I'm talking to you.

Let's all widen the scope of this new year's intention thing and consider that the whole month can be used to decide what we want to cultivate and what habits we may want to put in the not-serving-me-anymore bucket.

My sense is that people are naturally doing just that – thinking about these things, which is terrific in and of itself. It's really something to let into your consciousness that you'd like to hand over some heavy items you've been holding to someone you don't yet know. 

Or even to notice that the ways you've been coping – maybe numbing, overworking, blaming, intellectualizing – are neither sustainable nor satisfying.

Sometimes, though, thinking turns into ruminating or looping and we feel stuck. And one of the quickest ways out of rumination is to step into action.

But what action is the most appropriate for you? It's probably one of these three categories:

1. Those whose task is to clarify what they are seeking.
2. Those whose task is to start their search.
3. Those whose task is to reach out using the information they hold.

Over the next couple weeks, I'm going to walk you through some of this territory in an effort to help you find what you need. 

I will offer some questions to ask yourself that get at specifying what you're looking for. Next up will be multiple ways to search for a therapist, no matter what your budget. And finally, I'll offer support around reaching out, including what to say and what to expect in response.

But for today, what if you locate where you are right now? What category do you fall into? Answering this question may be a bigger step than you even know.

Yours in wellness, self-care and compassion,

Shana
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​Think I may be the right fit for you? Feel free to email me at [email protected] or call 415-963-3546.