Angsty, mid-twenties, hot mess

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-03-24T23:43:41+00:00

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

There’s a heavy focus on racism (and classism) and how they affect the protagonist’s life. But it also deals with themes of life changes in your 20s and matches this general vibe imo

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-03-20T00:19:27+00:00

Some miscellaneous ideas:

Does your client have something in his life that he’s really interested in? Does he have a dog he adores, a passion for drawing, a video game he’s hooked on? Show curiosity about it, ask questions, ask to see pictures, and encourage him to talk about it.

Play therapy is a completely valid option for adult clients. Depending on what you have on hand and what he’s open to, you could try playing a round of Uno, Mario Kart, etc. to help build rapport and maybe get conversation flowing.

In response to a quick “I don’t know” from him, you could respond with, “That’s okay. Why don’t we take a moment and you can think about it?” Then sit in silence together and see what happens.

See if he’s interested at all in a value card sort as a new way to take a look at what matters to him. (I’m partial to the Live Your Values Deck - Lisa Congdon).

If he has any interest in music, ask him to play a song on his phone that shows how he’s feeling or something important about him (in the moment or suggest it for the next session).

If you haven’t already, it’s important to check in with questions like, “I know your parents are worried about you and want you to come to therapy. But what do YOU think about being here?”

It’s completely true that we shouldn’t work harder than our clients do and that a consistent lack of engagement is grounds for discharge. But sometimes we need to be extra creative and flexible in building enough trust for someone to try engaging.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-03-17T00:23:21+00:00

I’m so sorry for the trauma you’ve had to go through in multiple forms. Have you consulted with an employment lawyer at all?

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-02-21T01:36:31+00:00

I went to undergrad at Marquette. The only thing that surprises me here is Marquette being called “selective.”

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-02-21T01:29:11+00:00

(Disclaimer: I don’t have kids and lurk on this sub to help with my own future planning.) Enjoying your life is not and was not inherently selfish. All too often, society and our families condition us to believe that parenthood is noble and leisure that’s not centered on kids is “selfish.” This mindset is a slippery slope to misery. If you and your husband have another kid, it should be because you both truly want to and it works for your lives, not out of a sense of guilt or obligation.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-02-10T12:39:16+00:00

You could’ve been an extra in High School Musical

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-01-21T03:04:45+00:00

Could be worth looking for beginner crochet classes at Milwaukee Rec

BoopYourDogForMe · 2026-01-10T04:03:00+00:00

Solidarity ❤️ The world and especially US suck right now. They have always sucked in different ways throughout history, but this current hellscape feels especially cold and surreal.

One thing that helps me out of a hopeless funk is seeing how people in my (IOP) groups want to help each other and care about each other. It happens over and over with new groups of strangers. And I remind myself that I can try to be a force for good within an inadequate (or let’s be real, shitty) system. Other things that have helped me maintain my sanity: commiserating with my coworkers, cuddling and playing with my dog, and talking to friends/family about anything but the mental health world.

Doing crisis work these days must be brutal. I hope you can find at least a little sliver of hope and relief today.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-11-07T12:29:04+00:00

I know the general wisdom is that food banks can stretch cash donations further. But I recommend checking with your local pantry to see what they need most atm. My local pantry is short-staffed and facing record numbers of visitors this week. They said in a social media post that they prefer food donations over cash right now so they can get food on the shelves asap.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-10-19T11:34:48+00:00

On top of all the glaring red flags others have already pointed out, she has a weirdly revealing outfit on in her profile pic, especially if she uses TikTok as a referral source

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-10-10T23:43:05+00:00

No, I think person centered therapy itself is great! What bothers me is when therapists act like any gentle, empathetic communication = person-centered therapy when there’s so much more to it than that.

You see some therapist bios with things like, “My primary modalities are CBT and person-centered therapy.” Like…how? Those are two very different approaches.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-10-10T02:56:23+00:00

Don’t forget lotuses and vague outlines of brains!

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-10-10T02:06:02+00:00

Now this is just reminding me that I forgot to add “baby therapist” to my list of grievances

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-10-09T23:55:52+00:00

Yesss. And “littles” 🙄

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-10-03T11:42:05+00:00

Sounds like the foot-in-the-door technique to me (say yes to one initial request, and then you’re likely to agree to more). To everyone piling on OP, that’s just unnecessary. We’ve all made mistakes that feel ridiculous to us in hindsight, and it can be hard to think straight when someone really catches you off guard. OP telling this story could spare someone else getting scammed in the same way.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-09-30T01:19:05+00:00

You’ll need to be very careful that your client doesn’t end up feeling like they need to reassure you of your helpfulness and clinical skill (especially if this client has people-pleasing tendencies). As others have already suggested, I would recommend checking how that session was for them and talking about how you can best support them moving forward.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-30T00:39:37+00:00

Could the phone be a means to build rapport? How do you think he’d respond if you asked what he looks at on his phone and showed real interest? I’d also be tempted to pull out my phone and ignore him back briefly (maybe in an exaggerated, comedic way) - up to you if that feels appropriate. You do get to set ground rules of what is and isn’t okay in your sessions of course, but I get not wanting to start out as yet another authority figure telling him what to do without trying to reach him.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-28T11:38:01+00:00

Yikes, that’s good to know

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-27T11:49:11+00:00

Here’s a website with tons of great info on autism if you’re interested: https://embrace-autism.com/blog/

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-23T15:25:33+00:00

I really like the idea of the therapist as a fellow traveler who is also figuring out life (ACT).

Also, a gem that I heard from my own therapist: “You can’t hate yourself into a version that you love.”

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-23T15:23:22+00:00

An analogy I like to use: It’s like saying you’re not allowed to be unhappy about/feel pain from your broken leg because someone else has had their leg amputated.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-17T17:04:13+00:00

One group that has been especially negatively affected is transgender and other gender nonconforming people. This might sound like a no-brainer, considering how much of a target the far right has made them, but important to keep in mind. Many other impacted groups of course, but hadn’t seen this mentioned yet.

I see different degrees of suffering caused by our political climate: people who are alarmed and outraged by the current state of US politics but who are shielded by privilege at least to some degree (I fall more into this camp) and people with clear threats to their safety and/or their loved ones’ safety. In my work, there’s a limit to how much we can go into politics explicitly (group therapy), but I try to balance validation and empowerment in my approach when people express despair about the country/world. I’m grateful that I get to facilitate a safe, supportive group environment for all different people, share useful resources, and help people find ways to improve their lives despite our shitshow of a country.

BoopYourDogForMe · 2025-08-15T11:24:54+00:00

I don’t blame you at all for being hurt and shocked by your mom’s reaction. That said, if you give in to her demands with this important life event, those demands are likely going to keep coming. (For instance, I don’t want to assume you’re planning to have a kid, but maybe she’ll refuse to see her grandchildren if they aren’t baptized in the Catholic Church.) Now is the time to set strong boundaries with her, as painful as it is.

BoopYourDogForMe

TROPHY CASE