WHAT WE DO
We offer emotional support sessions over the phone. We believe that not all of life’s challenges require therapy. Sometimes people just need to talk to someone.
WHO IS THIS FOR
Our emotional support service is for anyone who is experiencing a lack of support they want. The benefit of our service is relief and peace our clients experience finding the support they’ve been looking for. Our services can be used as frequently as needed, to talk about whatever our clients choose.
WHAT IS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT?
The APA (American Psychology Association) defines it as, “the verbal and nonverbal processes by which one communicates care and concern for another, offering reassurance, empathy, comfort, and acceptance.”
We define emotional support as active listening and validating a person’s experience. It means being a source of trust (safety while being vulnerable) while a person expresses feelings— however that looks for them. Additionally, emotional support means a person can feel their feelings without a rush to fix, change, or otherwise deny their own process. Emotional support means a person receives comfort or encouragement in their desired way.
Poor quality or an inadequate amount of emotional support can make us feel directionless, lonely, anxious, numb, or fatigued (to name a few). A long-term lack of emotional support can make coping or recovering from a set of circumstances difficult. This can make it difficult to maintain connections to ourselves, and the people and things we care about.
Emotional support; feeling heard, validated, and cared for, lowers cortisol levels (stress hormone), raises dopamine and serotonin (feel-good hormones) levels, and gives us the confidence to face and overcome what change or challenges we are facing. Most importantly, it strengthens resilience, cognitive skills, and the ability to maintain meaningful connections to ourselves and the outside world.
THE SCIENCE
THE PROCESS
Often clients come to us for two different reasons. Either difficult circumstances are making them feel “stuck” or “overwhelmed” - moving to a new city, long hours in the office. Or a client is experiencing a “feeling” typically, anxiety or restlessness, but is unaware of why they feel that way.
In addition, the client also doesn’t have the emotional support they need or want. The friend they normally rely on doesn’t have capacity, emotional support is not given the way they need or want (i.e. a client gets a pep talk from their mother when they need to be talk without interruptions instead), or they feel they have no one at all.
Emotional support sessions start with understanding and context. We are listening for what our client is feeling and why this matters to them. We do this at whatever pace makes the client feel safe.
The second part of emotional support session is listening to what kind of help/support the client is asking for. There are many kinds of support; encouragement, silence, suggestions, or feedback. The right kind, the kind the client is asking for, is what makes the client feel emotionally supported.
The third part of emotional support is acceptance. Our service is used whenever, however, as much or as little as our clients need. Whatever your journey, you are accepted, without judgment or impatience.
We are closing the gap between what have and what you want… so you never have to do it alone.
Great question!
There are several differences between what we do and what a therapist does.
First, therapists diagnose and offer “treatment." We do not.
Second, we do not treat childhood trauma or mental illness. This is important. Fixing ideas about low self-worth or harmful coping mechanism must be done by a professional licensed therapist.
Third, you do not need to be making “changes” to work with us. Some clients just need someone to talk to, everything else is fine. That’s ok, we want to listen.
Finally, we take an active approach to emotional and social support, whereas a therapist needs to remain indifferent. Examples of an active approach are: sharing our own experiences, helping set goals, or being available as our clients need (frequently, infrequently).