blog
thoughts on being human
As therapists we hold space, we listen, we resonate.
Read our blog posts to get to know us more in our own complexity;
our passions, our own big feelings, our values.
We’re excited to share our humanity with you!
If listening is more your thing, check out our podcast: Out of Session with Kindman & Co. and make sure to sign up for our newsletter to be informed about our most recent blog posts!
On Better Help Than BetterHelp
Sessions can be more affordable, but the level of savings is not proportional to the rate cut for providers. So when you pay for therapy, although you’re paying less, your money is going toward the company BetterHelp—its advertising, parent company investors, and overall profit, not toward paying your therapist. This will undoubtedly impact the therapeutic relationship, which is “at least as vital to a positive outcome as using the right treatment method” according to the American Psychological Association.
On Helping Those Who Are Grieving
Being with those who are grieving is one of the most powerless feelings…If you haven’t experienced loss yourself (or even if you have!), it can be hard to know how to support others who are grieving their own losses. Read on for tips on how to support a loved one who’s navigating loss.
On Grief & Fiction
Loss is extraordinarily painful and real. There is no pain quite like that of losing someone you love. It’s a pain you cannot know until you do, and then you can’t un-know it, no matter how badly you might want to. In western culture, the depth of pain one feels in loss is also uncomfortable and unwelcome—people just don’t want to think about it. It’s unyielding weight is very quickly considered impolite, and our cultural push toward collective denial can be so painful for those in the midst of a loss who can no longer deny its existence.
On Mother’s Day, Motherless
Mothers Day is a holiday that can be very painful for those who have lost a mother or child, never known their mother or never had a mother, had a confusing relationship with their mother, were neglected or abused, or purely just don’t like their mother. Anna Kim, psychotherapist in Highland Park, shares about her own experience navigating Mother’s Day after losing her mother many years ago and tips for making it as tolerable as possible.
On Bad Feelings
Our therapist, Anna Kim, is hearing more and more these days about Bad Feelings. Maybe it’s the seasonal change, the darker evenings, or the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season. As we settle back down into routines and take stock of another summer, it’s normal to feel a pull toward reassessment, an acknowledgement of the time that has passed, toward loss. Whatever the cause, it’s coming up a lot and there’s a need to advocate for the feelings we like to push off and label negative. Read on why "good" or "bad" feelings don't exist.
On What to Talk about in Therapy When You’re Doing Okay
When everything is a disaster, it’s easy to figure out what you should talk about in therapy. Conflict, sadness, anxiety, relationship problems, friendship problems, parent stuff, body image, identity, etc. etc. Pleeeenty of content for a 50 minute session. It's those moments when things are actually going well, when just before your session you think: “What am I going to talk about today?” Click here for 5 topics to explore when it feels like things are going well and you’ve got nothing to talk about.
On Choices
Restricting or eliminating access to abortion, thus forcing someone to experience trauma and/or carry a child to term against their will is, incontestably, part of this same systems of oppression. This is about the regulation of certain bodies, and it is about how we govern, how we think of human rights, and how systems of oppression divide us. Click here to learn more and take action.
On Insurance & Couples Therapy
We get asked a lot here at Kindman & Co. if insurance benefits will cover relationship or couples therapy. The short answer is: probably not, and we’re not happy about it. From the perspective of insurance companies, problems in your relationship are not considered issues that impact your overall health to a degree that necessitates they pay for medical treatment. We disagree! Read more about our stance that couples therapy should be covered, too.
On Finding Wholeness After Loss
Death is disastrous. It doesn’t make sense and it’s certainly not tidy. The meaning we make of it, however arbitrary, is the meaning of it. Anna shares her story in navigating loss, becoming a therapist, and finding wholeness after loss.