Mariam Saibu

LPC

When I first meet a client, it is very important to build a strong therapeutic alliance. I firmly believe that change can only occur, once the element of trust is clear. Once I establish trust, I probe important facets of an individual’s life, family history, education, symptoms and the primary reason they chose to book the appointment. This allows me to pin point the origin of the problem, provide appropriate assessments, develop firm diagnoses and mutual treatment goals. Every therapist has their own format for therapy, but I have always found this pattern to work for me.

I remember vividly, the day I decided to drop out of medical school. That was my dream and it just did not work out. I could not understand, how I could have worked hard, just to fail. Depression and anxiety became very close to me, until I found out about therapy. There was something therapeutic about pouring my heart to a complete stranger, who provided me with empathy and not sympathy. After therapy, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in my life. I wanted to be a therapist. It was important to give someone else that same hope and reason to enjoy the beauty of life.

Who would ever think, you could earn a living, right from your own living room? Who would ever think, you could create a movement, that could motivate millions of people right through your phone? Technology and social media have been an asset in building connectivity and positivity. However, it has also made us more distant, depressed and anxious. Believe it or not, studies show the more time you spend on social media and television, the higher your level of anxiety and mood disturbance. This is because, you subconsciously idealize the lives of the people you see, which in turn create, unrealistic expectations. Anxiety and depression have become very common, especially in 2020. Therapists like myself, need to learn more and be equipped to treat these disorders. One of my goals in therapy is to identify, label irrational thoughts and push the importance of rational thinking patterns that are individually realistic.