What does gratitude mean? It means to be thankful. This is one thing we often forget in the mad race to achieve our dreams.

As humans, we may often feel we can never have enough. We may desire something today, and when we finally achieve it, we will start desiring something else. This way, we keep on running after things without realizing how much we have in the present to enjoy.

Due to endless desires, people miss out on moments that are special and end up overlooking the blessings they have. They lose their chance to enjoy life. They lose their chance to be truly happy.

The Importance of Gratitude

As self-help guru Melody Beattie said, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

The first and foremost reason for not feeling grateful is that we have stopped paying attention to what we have.

Gratitude is a powerful thing. It is a key to happiness. When we appreciate what we have in our life and are thankful for all of it, it shows we know who we are, what’s important to us, and what it is that makes each day worth living.

10 Benefits of Gratitude

Gratitude is associated with benefits far beyond our imagination. Some research-backed benefits of gratitude are:

• Happiness
• More optimism
• Increased positive emotion
• Better health
• Healthier, longer-lasting relationships
• Fewer disappointments
• More determination and alertness
• Increased empathy and generosity
• Better sleep
• Improved self-esteem

Gratitude Allows You to Cherish Your Present

When you appreciate something, you are letting go of your ego, which allows you to connect with your soul without any obstruction. Gratitude is the fullness of one’s heart. It helps your mind and heart understand your present state.

Constantly thinking of oneself as deprived can make it harder to feel happy. The day you appreciate your present is the day you will realize how better off you are, how much you have achieved, and how complete your life is in that very moment. You may feel a sense of elation, your heart may swell with happiness, and you may feel as if you are exactly where you should be. The feeling of contentment will come over you, and you will feel complete.

Why Is Feeling Grateful So Difficult?

Being grateful is so beneficial, and it is a worthy goal to strive for. It can make life so much better. But why is being grateful so difficult? What is stopping us?

The first and foremost reason for not feeling grateful is that we have stopped paying attention to what we have. We take things we have worked hard for in the past for granted in our present. We need to slow down and look around to realize where we currently stand.

Sometimes, being grateful brings you face-to-face with the reality of what was missing from your life in the past. This face-off can be uncomfortable. When you realize you have something in the present that you had longed for can overwhelm you with feelings of sadness from the past. This is another reason many people find being grateful difficult.

Cultivating Gratitude

What you need to do is stop. You need to focus on your present. You need to side-track yourself from the never-ending race to get one thing or another and focus on what your present holds for you.

When you look around, you will be amazed to see you have so many things that you have always wanted. Take a minute out of your day and be grateful for what you have.

Being thankful for what you have is important in order to feel content. Contentment comes when you are happy, and you cannot be happy without being thankful for what you have today. Happiness comes with gratitude, and with happiness comes more gratitude.

Therapy is one effective way to confront issues that may be obstructing gratitude in your life. Find a trained and empathic counselor in your area.

References:

1. Giving thanks can make you happier. (n.d.). Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier
2. Morin, A. (2014, November 23). 7 Scientifically proven benefits of gratitude that will motivate you to give thanks year-round. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#337eedfd183c
3. Wong, J., & Brown, J. (2017, June 6). How gratitude changes you and your brain. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain

George felt weighed down as he checked into yet another motel room. This was his ninth business trip in one month. He didn’t used to mind the traveling so much. Sure, it gets tiring, but he was also feeling irritable, disheartened, and down. He loosened his tie and collapsed on the bed.

Lifting his head, he noticed a notepad and pen on the bedside table. He sat there and started scribbling away, writing about everything and anything – whatever came to mind with no analysis or self-censorship. He just let words flow on to the page. After about 20 mins or so, he sat back with a sense of satisfaction. He felt lighter in his body and more clear-headed in his mind.

He decided to repeat this activity the next day before his first meeting. He even spent a few minutes in the end reflecting on some of the things that were going well in his life. As he left his room to go to work, he was pleased to feel the bounce in his step return.

Whether in movement, song, dance, art, music, or words, there is something natural and liberating about self-expression. Not surprisingly, it can be a useful medium for processing challenging moments and accumulated stress. It can also promote self-empowerment and acceptance.

I often invite my clients to try journaling. They usually ask me if there is a specific way to start. As it turns out, researchers have been studying expressive writing for a while now, seeking to determine what format works best for different issues. The following are some of the results.

Unstructured Expressive Writing

The classical writing instruction as a therapeutic practice was introduced by Pennebaker and colleagues in the 1980s. It goes as follows:

1. Write “your very deepest thoughts and feelings about an extremely difficult or emotional event that has affected you and your life…” (Baum & Rude, 2013, p.37).
2. Keep the flow of writing going for 20 minutes nonstop.
3. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.

Gratitude Writing

Researchers also found keeping a gratitude journal can have a significant positive effect on mental health. It can create a greater sense of optimism and life satisfaction (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons 2008). A simple daily or weekly gratitude journal involves taking a few minutes to bring to mind things you are currently grateful for. Items on the list can be grand or mundane: “I am grateful that my kid is healthy” and “I am grateful for my toothpaste” are both acceptable.

Then there are gratitude letters. Researchers compared the difference between psychotherapy on its own, psychotherapy with expressive writing, and psychotherapy with gratitude letters. They discovered the option involving gratitude had the greatest beneficial impact. Here’s the gist of their approach (Wong, Owen, Gabana, Brown, McInnis, Toth, & Gilman (2018)):

1. Choose a specific person to address your gratitude letter to. The purpose is not to send the letter, though you can if you want to.
2. Reflect on and write about what it is you are grateful for in this person.
3. Repeat this exercise over an extended period. You can choose the same person as your addressee or a different person.

Expressive Writing for Depression

In 2013, Baum & Rude incorporated the benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion into the classical expressive writing practice. They discovered “expressive writing plus emotional acceptance” made a better impact on alleviating mild symptoms of depression than the classical approach to expressive writing. Both kinds of expressive writing helped mild depression more than regular writing. However, expressive writing was found not to be helpful for those with severe depression symptoms.

So if your depression symptoms are on the milder side, consider the following tips (Baum & Rude, 2013):

1. Be mindful as you write, taking an observer’s stance. Witness whatever difficult emotions that come out without judging them.
2. Include a paragraph that normalizes distressed responses in the face of difficulty and stops self-blame.

Expressive Writing for PTSD

This year, researchers published findings that expressive writing could help reduce the severity of posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms. Consider the following structure (Sloan & Marx, 2018):

1. Write for 30 minutes every day and commit for at least 5 days.
2. Write from the present moment looking back, as opposed to imagining the trauma as if it were happening now; write while feeling anchored in the here-and-now, present and safe.
3. Go into the details of the events as you remember them, including thoughts and emotions.
4. Be a nonjudgmental observer of the writing.
5. Revisit the same event in your subsequent writing sessions instead of moving on to other incidents.

If you find yourself getting stuck, consider asking yourself some of these questions I adopted from different somatic psychotherapy approaches – including Somatic Experiencing and EMDR – that work with trauma:

1. “What happened next?”
2. “Who was there to help you?”
3. “When did you know you were safe?”

Expressive Writing for Test Anxiety

Studies have found expressive writing helps students with high test anxiety perform better. So if you are a teacher, consider adopting the following activity for your students (Doherty & Wenderoth, 2017; Ramirez & Beilock, 2011):

1. Set aside 10 minutes for writing prior to the exam. (If time does not allow, 5 minutes can also be effective).
2. Let your students know the purpose of this writing activity.
3. Keep the writing anonymous.
4. Let it be an optional activity.
5. Instruct your students to write “as openly as possible” about their thoughts and feelings regarding the exam they are about to take.
6. When they’re done, or when time is up, instruct them to crumple the paper and throw it away.

If you are a student with test anxiety, see if your teacher will give you time to do this before the exam. You can also try it yourself. Find a quiet place near the exam room about 15 minutes before the exam. Use 10 minutes to do the expressive writing exercise and the remaining 5 to get to your exam on time and get settled.

Writing for Sleep Disturbance

In some cases, writing exercises can also help with sleep issues. Spending 5 minutes writing a simple to-do list for tomorrow can help you fall asleep faster. Conversely, writing about tasks you already completed can delay your ability to fall asleep (Scullin, Krueger, Ballard, Pruett, & Bliwise, 2018). So if you want to fall asleep quickly, you can use pre-sleep writing to clarify tomorrow’s activities and de-clutter your head.

Designing Your Own Writing Practice

If you decide to try writing your way to mental health, let yourself be curious and discover what is the best approach for you. If you already have a writing practice, great! If modifying based on the tips above, consider a combined power punch that incorporates a gratitude section into whatever writing practice you have.

If you are thinking of using expressive writing to process a traumatic incident or to manage depression, it might be helpful and even recommended that you do so with the added support of a trained mental health professional.

References:

1. Baum, E. S. & Rude, S. S. (2013). Acceptance-enhanced expressive writing prevents symptoms in participants with low initial depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 37(1), 35-42. doi:10.1007/s10608-012-9435-x
2. Doherty, J. H. & Wenderoth, M. P. (2017, August 11). Implementing an expressive writing intervention for test anxiety in a large college course. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 18(2), 39. doi: 1128/jmbe.v18i2.1307
3. Froh, J. J., Sefick, W. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 213-233. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.005
4. Ramirez, G., & Beilock, S. L. (2011). Writing about testing worries boosts exam performance in the classroom. Science, 331(6014), 211-213. doi:1126/science.1199427
5. Rude, S. S. & Haner, M. L. (2018, February 13). Individual differences matter: Commentary on “Effects of expressive writing on depressive symptoms—A meta‐analysis”. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25(1), e12230. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cpsp.12230
6. Scullin, M. K., Krueger, M. L., Ballard, H. K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D. L. (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139-146. doi:1037/xge0000374
7. Sloan, D. M. & Marx, B. P. (2018). Maximizing outcomes associated with expressive writing. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25(1), e12231. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cpsp.12231
8. Wong, Y. J., Owen, J., Gabana, N. T., Brown, J. W., McInnis, S., Toth, P., & Gilman, L. (2018). Does gratitude writing improve the mental health of psychotherapy clients? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy Research: Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, 28(2), 192-202. doi:10.1080/10503307.2016.1169332

I witness daily how believing circumstances should be different can negatively affect one’s life. I observe this dilemma not only in my work as a psychologist, but in my own life. Recently, I became stuck at a European airport on my way back to the United States. The delay was weather related, as the airplane we were scheduled to take could not get to us due to storms on the North American east coast. As I grumbled along, checking in and out of security while waiting at the airport for about 12 hours, I noticed I was becoming increasingly miserable. When I examined the situation, I realized my state of mind was not a result of being cold, starving, or mistreated. My misery was largely due to my expectation that the plane “should” be there to take me home; when it wasn’t, I was angry and irritable.

As it dawned on me how I was the source of my own misery, I remembered learning about Albert Ellis, who developed rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT). He would frequently tell others to stop “shoulding” on themselves. In essence, denying what actually is and feeling that a situation or person should be different to make our lives better is a cognitive distortion. When we feel that some other person or entity is the cause of our misery, we are in some ways acting entitled, as if the world should bend to our wishes and needs. As the situation at the airport unraveled—resulting in an overnight hotel stay, a 33-hour delay, and a different airline returning me to the U.S.—I observed firsthand how we create our own misery and often misattribute that suffering to someone or something else.

[fat_widget_right]

On the second day of waiting at the airport, a large group of passengers from my flight began to cling and complain together. As I approached the group and heard their remarks, I could feel the negativity radiating from them. I quickly decided to stand near another group of passengers I stood in line next to the night before. This group chatted and joked, shared about their lives, and had a much more positive attitude. As the hours rolled by, I noticed we were actually having a good time! We had fun spending our meal vouchers on junk food, learned about each other’s homes and families, and held places for each other in line to give each person a break to sit. We took the opportunity to connect with each other in a way that would not have been possible had the plane left on schedule the day before.

The more negative group, on the other hand, began to almost riot. Airport security was called to keep them in check, and the angry passengers threatened to call the mayor of the city, file claims of human rights violations, and basically made the situation awful. We were all in the same situation, yet one group decided to make it miserable, while others decided to make the best of it. This experience opened my eyes to just how much power and choice we often have in a situation, even when there are circumstances beyond our control.

It is not someone else’s responsibility to remove all obstacles and make a smooth path to our success and comfort. Thinking otherwise is just an unproductive illusion.

Now, I am not suggesting that anyone put up with abuse or mistreatment. While I do believe fair and humane treatment is a must, beyond those basic considerations, no one owes us anything. It is not someone else’s responsibility to remove all obstacles and make a smooth path to our success and comfort. Thinking otherwise is just an unproductive illusion. Next time you feel upset or irritated, consider what you might change, even if it is quite small, to improve the situation or your experience of the situation.

Tom Evans, one of my favorite guided meditation instructors, suggests that experiencing adversity is a sign that things could be done in an easier way, and acknowledging this is an opportunity to think or do something differently. Another way to undo a difficult situation is to consider what you are grateful for rather than what you dislike or hate. Focusing on what is not working is a way of not being grateful for what is working. When we are grateful for what is, rather than being angry with what isn’t, we move from a place of unrealistic expectations and entitlement to a calmer and more content way of being.

If you spend more time in the “should” trap than you would like, a therapist can help you find a productive way forward.

As an eating disorder therapist, I work with people in all stages of their recovery journey. One question I am often asked is, “How do I move from body dissatisfaction to body acceptance?”

To answer, I often remind the person I’m working with to focus on the function of the body instead of its form. I remind them to take note of—and express gratitude for—the everyday motions and actions that are feasible because of their body.

We can all benefit from learning to relish the genuine sparks of affection and admiration we have for ourselves when we get a new haircut, put together a fresh outfit, or put on that one pair of pants we know really make our butt look great. With time and practice, these moments of self-admiration can lead to an internal dialogue that is centered on appreciation and gratitude for our bodies instead of a dialogue that is judgmental and focused on finding our flaws.

While some may have been told to spend time engaging in positive affirmations, forcing ourselves to repeat “I am beautiful” often falls flat. There is certainly a time and a place for positive affirmations, but without a dedicated practice through which we train ourselves to think differently about our bodies, those affirmations are not likely to take us very far. [fat_widget_right]

The ‘Appearance Ideal’ and Cognitive Dissonance

I recently read through The Body Project’s structured group manual, which aims to decrease body dissatisfaction and harmful eating behaviors by increasing cognitive dissonance around the “appearance ideal.” The appearance ideal describes the widely accepted portrayal of the “perfect” female body: a figure that is slim and toned but still curvy (breasts and buttocks). The Body Project intervention, which challenges this ideal through cognitive dissonance, is a fascinating concept that has been tested rigorously over the years with overall positive results. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, this intervention can reduce the risk of eating disorders.

We can all use cognitive dissonance concepts and activities (these might range from verbally combating the appearance ideal to taking personal action against it) in our everyday lives. It is my belief that doing so can do a great deal to help us find that body acceptance we are striving for.

The cover image I see doesn’t depict a person as they are in reality. Rather, it illustrates what society tells me I should look like, despite the fact that such a goal is not realistic or healthfully attainable. By reminding myself of this, I am increasing my cognitive dissonance and ultimately challenging the unspoken belief many of us have unwittingly bought into—the idea that we must look a certain way or, at the very least, be striving to change ourselves, in order to be accepted by society.

Let’s begin by verbalizing statements that counter the appearance ideal. For example, we might maintain an internal dialogue as we confront the daily barrage of advertisements, TV shows, and even people we see who spark that societal idealization of thinness. I have found the checkout line in the grocery stores to be a perfect space for this, as any number of magazines featuring ultra-slender models staring at me (and my cart full of groceries) can usually be found here. When I see these magazines, I find it helpful to remind myself of the amount of effort it likely took to portray those (frequently female) models in that way. “How costly were the clothes?” I might ask myself. “How many pins did it take to make them lay just so?” “How much photo editing went into making sure no creases, dimples, or freckles were visible?”

I then take a deep breath and verbalize what I know is true: The magazine serves no other purpose than to sell itself. The cover image I see doesn’t depict a person as they are in reality. Rather, it illustrates what society tells me I should look like, despite the fact that such a goal is not realistic or healthfully attainable. By reminding myself of this, I am increasing my cognitive dissonance and ultimately challenging the unspoken belief many of us have unwittingly bought into—the idea that we must look a certain way or, at the very least, be striving to change ourselves, in order to be accepted by society.

We can also take action to increase that cognitive dissonance within ourselves. The Body Project’s manual describes an activity that might be a good place to start!

• Stand in front of a mirror, naked or minimally clothed. Study yourself and list 10 things you like about yourself. You can choose qualities that are emotional, intellectual, or social, but some of them should also be physical attributes. The activity has no other limits.

Many find the above exercise to be helpful and empowering, but it can be difficult to enter this space with ourselves. The activity requires women in particular to challenge many social norms, beginning with ideas that women should be modest or humble. Many women may never have been encouraged to (and may have been actively discouraged from) calling attention to things they like about themselves.

If you’re familiar with the movie Mean Girls, this may call to mind the scene where the three friends (Regina, Gretchen, and Karen) dutifully observe and call out their flaws to one another and seem shocked when Cady, the newcomer, struggles to find something negative to say about herself. Developing a vocabulary of positive attributes associated with our bodies tends to make it more difficult to fall into an automatic flaw-finding mentality. Again, this takes practice. I encourage you to try it once a week and see how your list might change. Stop yourself and breathe if you notice only negative attributes, and challenge yourself to see function over form. For example, you might think of your feet as just feet. But consider what purpose they serve in your life. If it feels too daunting to identify 10 items at first, start with one and slowly build up from there.

Maintaining a Practice of Gratitude in Public

It’s one thing to be able to privately have these empowering conversations with ourselves. But it can be quite another to bring these ideas into the light. How can we strive to maintain our practice of gratitude toward our bodies in the public arena? My personal challenge is to change the dialogue if I notice friends getting sucked into “diet” talk or if I hear them highlighting aspects of their bodies they want to change.

I have found that sharing a personal belief, such as “All foods are good foods in my book” can help to shift the conversation into less negative territory. Another tactic you might try is sharing your personal gratitude for your body with others. Notice how amazing it is that your legs can carry you on walks or hikes with friends, or appreciate the dexterity of your fingers as you maneuver chopsticks.

It can also be helpful to publicly state your boundaries around body talk. For example, you might say there’s no negative body talk allowed in your home. Follow through with these boundaries by reinforcing positive body talk and redirecting conversation in a way that challenges the appearance ideal.

These concepts and practices can help us build ourselves up through positive body talk and combat the appearance ideal found in the media and daily life. Ultimately, they can also help us find a path to greater body acceptance. By continuously challenging our society’s unrealistic body ideals, we can internally shift our dialogue about our own bodies and ultimately the environment we find ourselves in.

If you or someone you know is struggling with body image, consider speaking to an compassionate and qualified therapist or eating disorder specialist in your area.

References:

1. Home/Get involved: The body project. (2016). National Eating Disorder Association. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-involved/the-body-project
2. The body project. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bodyprojectsupport.org
3. Stice, E., Shaw, H., & Rohde, P. (n.d.). Body acceptance class maunal: Enhanced-dissonance version. Retrieved from http://www.bodyprojectsupport.org/assets/pdf/materials/bodyproject4sessionscriptandhandouts.pdf

Being a therapist is not easy. Contrary to what many believe, it’s not just “sitting and listening” to people all day. Yes, therapists are listening, but a competent therapist is listening for buried themes and unspoken messages. Your therapist is working to identify your strengths and how they can be used to move you toward your goals. Your therapist is making decisions about pacing and challenging you, all the while silently asking themselves, “Is this person ready for the next step?” and, “Is this the best approach for this particular individual right now?” Your therapist is constantly considering whether the interventions being used will be effective in helping you. Your therapist is working to remain present with you and ensure you feel heard while deliberating where to go next.

Another challenge of being a therapist is that we don’t always get to witness the results of our work. Some issues and problems take time to resolve, and that resolution can come after the therapy work ends with an individual. I can think of several occasions when someone I worked with told me it was after their work with their previous therapist ended that they were able to apply the insights they gained in therapy. In the absence of feedback, therapists have to trust that the individuals we serve are continuing their work after therapy terminates.

[fat_widget_right]

Although being a therapist is hard work, it is not a thankless job. In fact, there are many reasons to thank the individuals we serve. Every day, we get to work with individuals who are smart, caring, and considerate. We get to sit with individuals who challenge themselves and the people in their lives to grow and be their best selves. We get to share in moments of laughter and joy. We are rewarded with expressions of gratitude and appreciation.

As the year comes to an end, I would like to take a few moments to thank all the wonderful individuals, couples, families, and groups who make being a therapist so rewarding.

Thank you for helping us help others.

Time and again, individuals come to therapy with insights that apply to the experiences of other individuals in therapy. When one person survives a particular traumatic experience or learns life lessons from a mistake, it strengthens our faith that other individuals in therapy can do the same. Not only do you help us to trust in the change process, we learn from you. So often, individuals we work with offer ideas and solutions that we, as therapists, may never have considered.

Thank you for giving us ideas and answers that help us serve the next person we work with.

Thank you for pushing us to be better therapists.

Ideally, we enjoy the work we do and want to be the strongest helpers for you that we can be. To better serve you, many therapists obtain additional or ongoing professional development training that is relevant to the work they specialize in. For example, if an individual comes in with trauma, your therapist may pursue specific training and seek consultation to improve their trauma competence. If you are of a specific faith, your therapist might investigate your religion or attend a service to better understand your beliefs and help to connect your spirituality to your needs.

Thank you for helping to refine our therapy approaches, for pushing us to expand our skill sets, and for moving us to know more about your world.

Thank you for the privilege of trusting us with your story and allowing us to help you to step into your voice.

Thank you for challenging us to be agents of change.

My personal belief (which happens to be a shared value of the American Psychological Association and other major mental health organizations) is that creating true change for the individuals we serve cannot be accomplished solely in the therapy room. To help facilitate true change, systemic change needs to occur in the environments in which we reside and work. How can a therapist holistically work with Muslim individuals without seeing the context of their lives in light of Islamophobia? Can a therapist work with sexual assault survivors without paying attention to how they might be triggered by the victim-blaming and -shaming that is prevalent in our present culture? In these cases, and many others affected by our sociopolitical climate and systemic oppression, therapists are called to advocate for the well-being of those they serve, and not just inside the therapy room. Therapists have a responsibility to be agents of change in their larger communities.

Thank you for holding us accountable to act within our sphere of influence to challenge daily acts of oppression. Thank you for helping to inform how we spend our money, vote, and participate within our communities. Thank you for pushing us to educate and train others to be culturally competent and social justice agents of change.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

I am reminded of a quote by Maya Angelou: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” So many people have been silenced into submission, depression, anxiety, and fear. So many have been made to feel as if they—or what they have gone through—is unimportant, unworthy, and that they are deserving of pain and ridicule. Working with individuals in therapy, I have seen how silence and shame devastate self-esteem and confidence. Through having the opportunity to tell their stories, individuals in therapy may challenge the stories that have been told about them or made up for them, and may begin to script their own narratives. What a joy and a blessing to be able to sit with these individuals, bear witness to their stories, and watch them move from agony and defeat to a place of acceptance and empowerment.

Thank you for the privilege of trusting us with your story and allowing us to help you to step into your voice.

Reference:

American Psychological Association. (2003). Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists. American Psychologist, 58, 377-402.