Blog: After Session Notes
Thoughts about therapy, being human, and the things we keep thinking about after the session ends.
After Session Notes is a collection of reflections on the questions, patterns, and contradictions that show up in therapy and in everyday life. Not advice, exactly. More like an invitation to get curious about yourself.
You’re Allowed to Become
What if wanting to change doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you? A reflection on shame, curiosity, and giving ourselves permission to evolve.
Why Can't I Get My Shit Together?
What if “Why can’t I get my shit together?” were an actual question instead of an accusation? What might you learn if you approached the patterns that frustrate you with curiosity instead of judgment?
How Do I Find a Good Therapist?
Finding a therapist is weird. How do you decide which stranger you trust with the most intimate parts of your story? Here are a few things I recommend looking for when trying to find a good therapist who is actually a good fit for you.
When Fear Is Rational: Therapy in an Actively Harmful World
Therapy often teaches people to question their fears—but what happens when fear is a rational response to real and present danger? In this piece, I explore why “neutral” therapy can cause harm in unstable social conditions, how collective trauma shows up in individual mental health, and what ethical care requires when people are navigating realities shaped by power, policy, and safety. Therapy aligned with social justice isn’t about ideology—it’s about honesty, accuracy, and refusing to gaslight people out of what they already know to be true.
Why Some Adult Children Cut Off Their Parents
When adult children choose to distance themselves from their parents, it’s often misunderstood as punishment or rejection. In reality, this decision is rarely impulsive and rarely about cruelty. More often, it’s about safety.
As adults process childhood experiences with greater clarity, many begin to recognixz that maintaining the relationship requires ongoing self betrayal. Creating distance becomes less about blame and more about self preservation.
This piece explores the nuance behind parental estrangement, the grief that often accompanies it, and why ending contact doesn’t require a villain, but it does require honesty.
EMDR Therapy: How It Helps You Heal the Trauma You Can’t Talk Your Way Out Of
EMDR therapy helps people process trauma, anxiety, and deeply rooted negative beliefs that talk therapy alone hasn’t shifted. Using bilateral stimulation, EMDR supports the brain in releasing the emotional charge connected to painful memories so you can finally feel grounded and in control again. If you’re looking for a research-backed, transformative way to heal, EMDR may be the next step.
Private Pay Therapy Explained: The Real Cost (and Value) of Quality Care
Many people assume insurance makes therapy more affordable — but few realize how it shapes the care you receive. In this piece, Charla lifts the veil on why therapy costs what it does, what private pay really means, and how investing in a therapist’s time, attention, and expertise can change the quality of your healing.