Introduction!

I've created this blog in order to contribute to the #buststigma movement within the mental health community.

So here it goes...I am a mental health counselor...who knows therapy from both sides of the couch.

I first went into therapy around the age of 15 over a bad break up with a really bad boy. The second time was because of a crippling panic attack that rendered me agoraphobic for a quarter of my senior year of high school. The third time was insomnia in my mid twenties. The fourth time was prepartum depression with my second child. And the fourth, I refer to as an almost-mid-life break down.

With each bout of anxiety and depression, I sought treatment upon the first sign of symptoms, and with each round of therapy, my goals were the same—to get better, to get my shine back, to feel like "me" again.

I was (and am) a hard worker in therapy (and in the rest of my life) and so for all the years that I wasn't a therapist, I assumed anyone who went into therapy worked just as hard—if not, what's the point? I would later learn that is not always true...but more on that in another post.

Starting in high school when I was elected to be part of the Natural Helpers program, and all the way through my adulthood, I have always been a resident therapist of sorts. I tried different careers where I could use those skills: high school teacher, college counselor, and writing coach. Eventually, I had to admit to myself that I actually was a therapist already; I just needed the letters after my name to make it official.

So back to school I went, finishing up in May of 2017 and adding more letters to my name:

Hannah Goodman, LMHC (licensed mental health counselor—most folks have no idea what the letters stand for!)

The rest of my credentials are:

M.Ed (master of education in School Counseling)
CGS (certificate of graduate studies in Mental Health Counseling)

I have another bunch of letters, MFA, master of fine arts in Writing for Young People. My own forays into therapy also include the struggles of being a writer and dealing with failure and self-worth.

For this blog, I plan to cover topics like:

• the pros and cons of going through insurance for behavioral health,
• the importance of knowing what your therapist diagnoses you with and why that matters
• why you should do your homework in CBT
• on "tune" ups and maintenance
• why therapy isn't worth it if you don't do the work 
• to take meds or to not take meds
• ...and many others!

If you would like to know more about my practice, please visit me on Psychology Today or my website hannahgoodmanlmhc.com .