We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Bowman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents taught me self-compassion … accepting our mistakes and giving ourselves grace. They helped me understand that a part of being human is making mistakes, that those mistakes do not make us a bad person and it’s what we do after those mistakes that really matter. I watched them normalize mistakes by acknowledging when they made one, even if it meant admitting that they were wrong. This took away the shame and guilt so that I could acknowledge my own mistakes and try to make them right.

I believe that one of the best things a parent can do “right” is to be more accepting of their own mistakes. By giving ourselves grace we can open the door to our children doing the same. We all make mistakes, but this does not mean that we are mistakes.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After experiencing a number of varied work experiences, I realized that I needed to follow my passion to becoming a psychotherapist. I had worked as a mental health assistant at an acute mental health hospital, as a member of a wealth-management team at a large financial institution, and as a teaching assistant at a school for children with learning differences. These experiences allowed me to consider my strengths and lead me to my career in therapy. As I grew in my career as a therapist I discovered that I enjoyed working with teens and adolescent adults work through anxiety, depression and fear as they come of age, women adapt to the internal and external pressures of motherhood and couples to achieve fulfilling relationships.

One of the strengths I learned was my ability to listen carefully to others and interpret their true deeper meaning behind their stories. This, combined with my sensitivity, make me the impactful empathetic therapist that I am today. My varying work experience has caused me not to see the world or any person in black and white terms. I am keenly aware of all of the shades of gray that make us complicated and unique people. I chose therapy as a career path because I want to help others explore the complex qualities within themselves that make them the beautiful color of gray they are.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In my early 20’s, I had many trials and tribulations while working at an acute mental health hospital. The most important part of this job was keeping clients struggling with dementia and self harming tendies safe. I frequently worked with delusional and potentially violent clients on a one on one basis. While I may have felt apprehensive upon starting these shifts, by spending time intimately with these ‘labeled’ patients I found myself connecting with them on a deeper level. By listening and caring, the clients would have a decrease in violent and self-harming behavior. By working through this difficult time, I learned the power of empathetic listening no matter the person, which moved me towards my career in counseling.

Since that time, I have leaned on my resilience and aided others in developing theirs. I overcame my learning differences and had success in graduate school, I accepted my anxiety and befriended my panic attacks so I can be present in the moment. My husband and I established clear working boundaries, formed strong communication patterns and shared our resiliency when we renovated our house as newlyweds. Finally, I am teaching my daughter resilience as she learns and grows as a toddler.

I love sharing this resilience with my clients and teaching them that they are strong humans, because life is defined by challenges and resilience is key to overcoming challenges so that they may enjoy a more successful life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My father is a very direct man and I inherited that trait. However, a successful therapist guides clients to identify issues, then provides tools to aid them in overcoming their challenges. While in graduate school I had to unlearn my direct mannerisms in favor of a more professional and therapeutic approach. By performing the intentional work to unlearn this behavior, it has made me a more effective therapist for my clients.

This resulted in my clients performing self discovery through in depth conversations and active listening. When my clients figure things out for themselves, they are more likely to alter faulty thinking because this new clarity comes from within rather than externally. If it is necessary, I may gently confront the client’s problematic behavioral patterns or coping strategies but always in a highly empathetic manner. This allows my clients to be more open to this feedback and as a result, they achieve more meaningful breakthroughs. If I can unlearn my unproductive behavior I know my clients can as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.perspectivesholistictherapy.com/sarah-bowman
• http://www.sarahbowmanpsychotherapist.com/