A Therapist's Diary: What I Love About Individual Therapy
- Sade Jovanne
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
I'm writing this as I wrap up an individual therapy session.
I feel this often... A profound sense of vulnerability that is built in therapy sessions.
I have seen some of my clients for years. For others, it has been only months. But in all cases, when the therapeutic relationship is the right fit, there is a sense of knowing and connection that develops. This is not friendship, but it is something much deeper: unfiltered humanity.
Tears can happen, as well as jokes. To be honest, I much prefer therapeutic relationships where we can incorporate humor at times, because I see laughter as release. It does for us what a heavy cry can also do. Release.
In long-term therapy (a year or more), I am able to reference past events in their life and link it to present feelings or even present progress - because I was there for the original moment. I get to say, "wait a minute - is X that person who...?" or "hey! Six months ago you wouldn't have been able to respond that way. Do you notice that?"
I love getting to be part of clients' moment to exhale, to kick their shoes off (sometimes literally) and be unfiltered. Because I am a first-generation Jamaican-American and because I often work with immigrant or first-gen/second-gen clients, there is also a freedom in having an environment free of code-switching. There is an extra layer of understanding present where we can refer to foods or music or TV shows and everyone just...gets it.
I love when clients - men and women alike - bring a binder or notebook and open them to reveal pages upon pages of scribbled notes and feelings. Sometimes they have print-outs of an article they want me to read that truly resonated with them. They'll turn their book to a fresh page, pull out a pen, and begin the session with "so, here's what I was thinking."
I love that. I love getting to be a part of the life processing, the exchange of ideas and the openness to new neural pathways.
I love cheering them on, adding energy to their triumphs or providing stillness and gentle space for their uncertainty. Some days, they'll say, "I didn't want to come today" or "last week sucked." This is the honesty that I think therapy requires. They should be able to say that.
The My Intimacy Therapist space belongs to them. The warm lighting, the cozy blanket, the essential oil diffuser...it's all the backdrop to their story. So they come to this space and share the revelations they had within the week (or the surprising events that they can't process anywhere else)... and then they leave their stories here until they can collect them again next week. That is just so, so, special.
So to those who I have worked with (or who I will work with soon), I hope you know that I am so happy to be your therapist. I recognize the honor of being invited to help you understand and live your story. On the "good" days and on the "bad" days, you are welcome to enter and find a place where you can be fully seen. That is the hope. That is why I am here.
Until soon,
sade
about the author
Hi, there! I'm Sade. I am a licensed marriage and family therapist in Midtown, Atlanta specializing in couples and sex therapy. I also am the voice behind the My Intimacy Therapist Podcast, and host date nights for singles and couples in Midtown, Atlanta, GA.
