Happy Third Birthday to HHT: What Has Helped My Clients and Me Succeed

This month marks the third anniversary of Hope and Humor Therapy! Happy birthday to this badass counseling business! Wehew! ***So much happy-dancing and jazz-hand shaking***

I don’t know if you’ve ever started a business, but it is an epic journey of WTF?! I thought that I knew what I was signing up for, this entrepreneur thing. I read all of the books, talked to all of the people and listened to all of the podcasts; I was prepared! (Aw!)

However, I could not have grasped the magnitude of what it would take to launch Hope and Humor and to navigate the major ebbs and flows of the business. I had no concept of what it would truly be like to be the vision holder, marketing navigator, website creator, interior decorator, library curator, art wrangler, bookkeeper, social media manager, email answerer, blog writer, billing manager, network builder, presentation giver, knowledge seeker, colleague cheerer, and paperwork wrangler, in addition to being the therapy offerer. I spent many sleepless nights and waking hours learning, trying different things to help my practice grow.  

But now I get it, and I can’t believe that I’ve been doing it for three years. I have worn all the hats and gone through all the highs and lows to this point, and I am so proud of what I’ve built - a thriving therapy practice where women feel accepted and respected.

Since I practice what I preach, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the journey. A question that I often ask my clients is what brought them to this point, so I asked myself just that: what kept me going and helped me get through every obstacle? How did I get here?

The truth is that I overcame every hurdle because I care about my clients and I believe in this work. I know how powerful therapy is. Every single day, I cheer and guide and support and challenge and empower my clients to live with more authenticity and less anxiety. All that website navigating bullshit and dips in my business? Fucking worth it, because I get to help women build trust, take risks, try new things, challenge themselves, take on lifelong battles and SUCCEED. Their ability to strive for a better life is truly awe-inspiring.

As the business has grown and I’ve helped my badass clients thrive, I’ve noticed a few themes that have been foundational to my client’s progress:   

• You can change. It’s not easy, but it is attainable.

• You may have society to thank for (at least) a few of your struggles. Some of your issues are socialized, and it’s important to name them and challenge them.     

• You can make space for logic and emotion; finding a middle ground between is handy.

• You can create and hold boundaries. They are powerful and painful and useful and difficult and life-giving.

• Your perception may be affected by PMS, because that shit is real. (#sorrynotsorry)

• You can become comfortable with the uncomfortable… eventually.   

• You can tame anxiety. You can face your worst-imagined scenarios and live through them.  

• You can quiet perfectionism, and your inner critic can be quieted.

• You can share your life’s joy and jokes and happy dances in therapy.

I am so glad that I’ve created a space where women feel safe enough to explore these themes, and I am so proud to continue this life-changing work. I am astounded by each of my clients and her ability to tackle tough stuff. Living differently is not easy, but they’re doing it!

Yay! *Jazz hands*

- Lauren, Boss business owner and life changer

Why I named my practice Hope and Humor Therapy

Over the past few months, several people have asked me why I named my practice Hope and Humor Therapy. Oftentimes others are taken aback by the name; they will ask me to repeat it once or twice. I am guessing that they expected it to be more straightforward or speak just to the pain and suffering of clients. Those things just don’t happen to fit my perspective on therapy. 

I chose Hope and Humor, because I think that those are the things that get us through the rough stuff, and they create space for joy in the therapeutic work. To me, hope is your belief that things can change. Perhaps you need me to hold the hope for you every once in awhile. Maybe you don’t know how or what needs to change in the moment, but you believe that a shift can happen. You know that your soul wants to sing a different tune.

Humor is your ability to see the lighter side of the darker moments. You won’t see it all of the time; otherwise, it wouldn’t be a tough time. Perhaps just for a second you can catch a glimpse of the lighter side. Something unexpectedly catches you as funny, or you specifically take a moment to watch a hilarious cat video. Whatever it may be, these moments break up the “blech” feeling that can envelop you during a hard time.

Both of these are key to therapeutic work. You have to believe that you can change, and you have to hold onto light moments while you change. Trying new things, creating new ways of thinking, letting go of old patterns, all of these are required in therapy, and all of these can really suck sometimes. These skills are brand new to you, and you aren’t going to be good at them at first. In fact, you might be downright horrible at them. That’s okay! Your hope, your humor, your resiliency, and our work together will get you through.

The name Hope and Humor also creates space for joy in therapeutic work. As you move through the tough stuff and learn new ways of handling it, you can have really ecstatic moments. I have them with clients all of the time, then they ask me if we are really, “Doing therapy,” since they are having fun. The answer is: Hell yes! All feelings and experiences are welcome here; this is your space to feel however you feel and experience whatever you need to experience, hope, joy and humor included.

If you are ready to experience a different way of doing therapy, connect with me here. 

- Lauren, HHT