On Introducing Alex Thompson!
A note: We sent Alex a series of questions to help you get to know her better. All of these answers have been dictated via voice-to-text assistance. We wanted to allow Alex’s answers to “sound” like her, therefore we did not edit any organic repetition of words, or the like. We hope you enjoy getting to know Alex a little better, just as our team has!
why did you decide to become a therapist?
Hi, my name is Alex Thompson. And why did I decide to become a therapist? I think there are a couple things that come to mind, the first being informed by my previous work history. I primarily worked in nonprofit organizations serving and advocating for at risk and vulnerable populations, and I think do that work. I've been able to encounter such a diverse group of people with unique histories and backgrounds and experiences, and build meaningful connections through that work. But in some ways, I felt very limited in my ability to continue building those connections. And so, I felt therapy would be a great opportunity to kind of continue to build, intentionally build and purposefully build those connections with folks to make impactful change with the people that I worked with. And I think the second part to that is that I have my own difficulties searching for a therapist that I felt would be a good fit for me, and specifically another black woman as a therapist for me. It was important to find someone who shared my identities and maybe even lived experiences as a black woman, or at least someone who could come from a place of understanding in regards to my identities and my experiences. And I felt that the search for that was pretty limited and it took me years to find someone. And I think ultimately, I wanted to be that person for other people, for people who are looking for therapists of color or black therapist or. a woman as a therapist or someone who said all of those identities, I wanted to be an option for people who was looking for the same things that i was looking for and so it was important to me and I’m sure it's important to others and i am glad to be a therapist a Black therapist who can be that for someone else.
what is one of your favorite things about being a therapist?
What is one of my favorite things about being a therapist? I think there are a couple things I think through the process of becoming a therapist, and even now as a therapist, I have really felt like I've grown into who I am as a person and have this confidence in in myself and my beliefs and my values that have really been shaped by the personal work that therapy requires you to do. And so in a way, I have really grown to know who I am. Grown to know how I connect with people, what I value in life and that has been very meaningful to me and I think also the connections that I've been able to make with folks in such a unique way like in in what other circumstances in life do you connect with people in such a vulnerable way, especially being sometimes when you're strangers. And also just like making meaningful impact on people's lives and also having my clients make an impact on my life. And very meaningful ways and I think there's just something special about that, unique about that when it comes to therapy and it's been fulfilling experience for me.
if you weren’t a therapist, what would you do?
If I wasn’t a therapist, what job would I do? I think I have two answers to this question. I think on one hand I have a more practical answer, one that allows me to meet my financial needs, make a living, and that would be probably a social worker. I think I've always gone back and forth about whether or not I wanted to do social work or be a therapist. I think it allows me to still do the things that I love to do and make those connections with people and and meaningful and impactful ways. But also meet my financial needs. And I think in an ideal world where maybe I don't have to think about finances or the the competition that is involved, I might choose being a dancer, being a performer, being a choreographer. Dancing is something I've always loved to do and was something I was really good at. And I think that probably would have been my answer as a young girl if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. And so I think the answer would be the the dream job and social work is more of the practical job.
what do you think about virtual therapy?
So what are my thoughts on virtual therapy? I personally really like virtual therapy. I've primarily done virtual therapy and with any form of therapy I think there are pros and cons and some cons to consider are that you know, not everyone has reliable access to Wi-Fi and not everyone has reliable or consistent access to a computer, laptop or phone to use for virtual sessions. And I think some people don't have a conducive home environment to do virtual sessions either. So whether that be that their home environment isn't exactly quiet enough or they don't have a private space to do therapy. those can present some some challenges in completing virtual sessions. However, some of the pros to virtual therapy i think are in its accessibility for folks who might not have the ability to go to in-person sessions whether that's because they don't have the transportation or there's someone with a disability, a chronic condition, that make it difficult for them to consistently or ever go in into in-person sessions and so in that way, I think it’s a great resource for folks that might not have access to therapy otherwise. And so yeah, those are my thoughts.
if a client were to run into you outside of kindman & co., where are they most likely to find you?
If a client were to run into me somewhere outside of the therapy room, where are they most likely to see me? Probably out eating at a restaurant. I'm an avid foodie. I love trying new food. I love trying new restaurants, and I have a whole list of places to try. And so I probably go out eating at least twice a week. I'm also new to the LA area and I feel like there are so many options and so I doubt I'll run out of places to try and I'm likely going to run into someone eating out at a restaurant sometime, so yeah.
what is a therapy-related quote you’d like to share?
What is a therapy related quote that I would like to share? I think one that I've been thinking about most recently is, “Your worth is not dependent on how much you can do or what you can achieve.” [AUTHOR UNKNOWN] and I think we live in a society where so many people experience this pressure to produce to achieve to perform and if they're not doing those things, they feel like they're being lazy or they're not very smart or that they're worthless, right? Those are the messages that we receive if we're not continuing to produce. I feel like that I don't know can be a barrier to to us really finding a sense of fulfillment in our lives that is based in in joy and connection that kind of hinders our ability to really rest and and think about how we can live our lives in ways that aren't machine-like that aren’t to produce for others, right? Or to, you know, continue putting production over our needs, essentially.
what is something a therapy client might find surprising about you?
So what is something that a client might find surprising about me? I think that I've played percussion instruments. In high school I was in marching band and I primarily played a grand within marimba, and we did competitions and live performances and that was a really fun experience for me. And then in college, I joined the West Javanese Gamelan ensemble, which was also percussion based, playing traditional Indonesian music. And I got to learn a lot about the culture and it was pretty relaxing and fun to play. And I did that for a couple of years actually. So yeah, I think that percussion instruments is where I feel most comfortable when it comes to playing music.
If you may be interested in starting therapy with Alex, you can book an information session with our Care Coordinator and get setup with a free consultation with Alex very soon!
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THERAPY SERVICES AT KINDMAN & CO.
We are here for your diverse counseling needs. Our team of therapists provides lgbtqia+ affirmative therapy, couples therapy & premarital counseling, grief & loss counseling, group therapy, and more. We have specialists in trauma, women's issues, depression & anxiety, substance use, mindfulness & embodiment, and support for creatives. For therapists and practice owners, we also provide consultation and supervision services! We look forward to welcoming you for therapy in Highland Park and online.