patty says. class three.

patty said way too many good things tonight. she did a therapy session in front of the class so we could get a sense of her style. she asked in advance if anyone wanted to volunteer... for some reason i felt compelled. so patty didn't just say good things to the class, she said good things to me, too. she has a way of bringing out thoughts and feelings i didn't know i had. i was so impressed with her empathy as well as the ability i had to be vulnerable in front of my class-- i didn't know i had it in me. thirty-five minutes of tears and vulnerability later i was reminded of the importance of therapy and why i am studying what i am.

anyway, here's what i wrote down:
trauma doesn't happen by yourself- it happens in relationship. healing doesn't happen by yourself, it, too, happens in relationship.

when you join someone you disarm them. try that one on for size, eh?

your greatest virtue used in excess becomes your greatest vice (she quoted something from the enneagram).

it is incredibly important to help kids build empathy... for example "johnny, what did you do wrong?" "uhh... well, i hit my sister" "and why did you hit your sister?" "because she took my toy" "and how do you think that made her feel when you hit her?" etc. etc.

do not negotiate when you are dishing out the already planned consequence.

be careful when you hand someone tissues. sometimes it can send a message of "clean it up"-- and perhaps the person just needs to let it out.

a completely unrelated note: of course i'm watching the election coverage. i just heard a clinton supporter say she is upset because this is a typical glass ceiling situation as hillary was stopped by a man. i started yelling at my television set. and that's all i'm going to write about that here.