Oona Belich

LCSW

I would love for people to know that therapy is meant to provide a non-biased and non-judgmental environment to everyone who seeks it. It is important for others to know that therapy helps you to uncover perspectives that you may not have learned otherwise outside of it. It is tempting for people to go to their friends and family for advice and support on certain matters, but therapy helps the individual to cope with matters that they may not have otherwise learned.

Growing up as a teenager I was considered an unruly child. I gave my parents a hard time when they were raising me, and I definitely fit the mold of the classic rebellious teenager. Fortunately, I grew up out of this phase and was able to improve the relationship with my parents. From this experience alone, I feel that this gives me a great perspective and understanding why teenagers behave the way they do. As well as providing an understanding of the teen’s perspective, I also feel that this helps me in explaining to the parents of these teenagers what they can do in order to better understand their teenage children. In regard to my work with those who have suffered from traumatic experiences, I can relate to those people as well. I was temporarily physically disabled for a few months a few years ago and this drastically changed my life. It allowed me to understand the daily struggles that those with physical disabilities go through. As well as the daily struggles of getting around, this also helped me to understand how this affects and impacts the relationships that the disabled have with others as well.

This is an interesting story for me to tell people. If I am being honest, the idea of being a therapist and the idea of therapy itself was not something that interested me until only a few years ago. While studying for my Master of Social Work degree at Rutgers University, I had always dreamed of working in the hospital setting and doing mostly case management type work. I always enjoyed more faster pace type work and moving around constantly. During my time as an intern Hackensack hospital, I was required to also provide clinical services in the form of one-on-one therapy to teenagers struggling with type one diabetes. This was something that did not excite me nor was it something I was looking forward to, but it had to be done. As the time went on, I was informed by hospital staff that their patients had wanted to see me again one on one to talk about their issues. They felt they had a good connection with me which honestly surprised me at the time. I was acting myself with these patients and did not think that my interaction with them was anything significant. I was proven wrong. This then led me to the field of clinical social work and the idea of me possibly becoming a therapist. Since concluding my internship a few years ago, I've realized the power therapy can have with those who want to improve their lives. It provides a great space in a non-biased environment. This is what makes therapy to me effective.