We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michela Parisi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

As a therapist for adult women with trauma, I hear a lottt about all the things parents did/are doing wrong for their children.

Not giving enough attention. Giving too much attention.
Having a disciplinary hand that was too heavy. Giving all the free rein to the kiddos.
Yelling at their partner in front of the children. Never arguing in front of the children.
Dating too many available partners. Not prioritizing finding a partner for their own joy.
The list can unfortunately, go on.

And my parents were not perfect! I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect parent. However, when it comes to combating anxiety and depression, the research continuously points us back to gratitude. So taking the opportunity to outline something my parents did really, really well is something I find instant joy in.

First, a little back story.

As a little girl, I grew up in a small town of around 2000 people below Lake Tahoe in Nevada. The area was rural and the community was tight knit. And I was always a child who found joy in working! Whether it was turning my bookshelf at home into a makeshift library to rent books out to friends (…and collect their money…) to babysitting as many of the neighborhood kids I could find, I found pride in earning both monetary and non monetary rewards. My entrepreunrial sprit was alive and well even from a very young age.

As I grew, this directly translated into my thirst for working and traveling. I found myself with the opportunity to manage a restaurant when I was just 16 years old, to move to another state at 18, then eventually another country at 20. I accepted jobs that were far out of my realm of comfort (private aviation and private investigation, to name a few) and I did so with incredible joy and zest for the opportunities to come.

As a therapist, I find so many of my clients getting “stuck” making the decision to be bold and try something new. To quit that job, move out of that state, travel to that country…they know what they want, they just don’t do it! And I have come to ponder the many reasons why this may be.

I find that many parents see limitations to what their children can do. Often that is due to age, sometimes it is a result of not wanting to accept their children are growing up, or of a fear of their own that they are projecting. What I have found my parents so beautifully did was consistently remind me of their confidence in my ability to do the wild and crazy thing I had an idea to do.

I remember telling my parents I had the opportunity to manage a restaurant as a teenager, and as the youngest and only female on staff. They were a bit surprised – but immediately they verbalized that I was more than capable of doing the job. That became my internal voice, and the capability only strengthened through my demonstration of a job well done.

When I wanted to move to Italy to work as an English instructor before I could even legally drink in the United States, my parents affirmed my ability to navigate that process – and to do it well.

As I have grown up and achieved personal and professional goals as an adult, my parents consistent reminders of “of course you can do that” ring in the back of my head. Their belief’s in me have become a cornerstone to my ambition and a reliance on myself that I don’t think can be taught to an adult in the same way as a young child so naturally soaks up.

And I’ll reiterate – my parents weren’t perfect! But what they did really, really well was actually believe for themselves that their youngest daughter was capable. In a society that tends to tell little girls they should remain cautious.And by osmosis, that narrative seeped into my skin and became my honest truth. That I know that even if I stumble through something new, I am unshakably confident that I will catch myself if I fall and land on my feet.

As I watch clients struggle with believing they are capable enough to create a life that matches their deepest desires…I am often comforted by the blueprint my parents created for my life and feel grateful to be able to tap into that mindset and share it with others. I applaud parents who I get to see do this in real time, knowing the selflessness and lack of ego that it takes to believe a young child can achieve their wildest dreams. And not just say it – but really believe it!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Connected Brain Counseling for Individuals & Couples + Neurofeedback offers a holistic approach to mental health by offering counseling and neurofeedback under one roof. With proven results in treating trauma, anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, insomnia and more – we help people who want more than basic counseling reach their full potential.

With over 80% of our practice being devoted to women who have experienced trauma, we know a thing or two about your brain works. Whether you have anxiety that is keeping you up at night, brain fog, hyper vigilance, codependent relationships, a hard time focusing or just a hard time feeling the joy you desire…we are confident in our ability to help you feel more like yourself again.

For those who are curious about neurofeedback you can find more information here: https://www.connectedbraincounseling.com/neurofeedback-therapy-denver

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I am a big fan of SEO marketing and treating your employees well. As a business owner with a team of therapists, I find that if I take care of my therapists they will take care of my clients, and having a continuous flow of clients in turn takes care of the business.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I find that being a real human, not a robotic therapist, with my clients has created an ease within our office that sets a different tone that what most would assume happens in therapy. My clients and I joke, interact and dive deep in ways that feel both genuine and trustworthy. This builds rapport and creates an environment that both my team and clients want to return to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.connectedbraincounseling.com
• Instagram: @connectedbraincounseling
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connectedbraincounseling

Image Credits
Eedy Photo