I was having a conversation with someone a while back when she asked what it’s like to work in this field of therapy.  Since then I’ve thought a lot about my response and have had occasion to repeat it a number of times since.

The first thing that occurred to me still holds true after much thought.   One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is witnessing the beauty that emerges in the faces of people as I work on them.  I feel like I have a front row seat to a transformation that is truly remarkable.

Some of my clients are burdened with emotional stress from the survival of daily life in difficult situations.  Others are desperately reaching out for normal after a catastrophic event in their lives, or they are burdened with incomplete healing from injuries, chronic pain, or illness.  When I have a new client who is anxious about their first session and is not sure what to expect, it shows in their posture, their demeanor, and yes, in their faces.  The person who leaves my office seldom resembles the one who walked in.  I could go on and on.  The point is, people carry their burdens in different manners.  And it shows.  In your bodies, yes.  But also on your faces.

No matter what stories you tell yourselves, I am here to say you are beautiful.  Yes.  When the tension melts away and you are calm and relaxed, the transformation is remarkable.  It is as though I have been given a glimpse of how God sees you–pure, vulnerable, and ever so uniquely beautiful.  And that, my friend, is a gift.  Not from me to you.  But from you to me.  And I thank you.

Laurie