I have always drawn a clear line between my personal life and my professional life. I pride myself on being a “boundaried” therapist. I don’t typically disclose details of my personal life (e.g. whether or not I have kids) and I don’t insert my feelings or opinions into the room. I welcome questions of any nature, but rather than offer answers, I use those moments as opportunities to explore what may be coming up on behalf of the patient. I have always subscribed to the theory that the more patients know about their therapists, the less authentic they may be; they may be more likely to censor themselves out of fear of being judged or in an attempt to please the therapist or there may be other subconscious processes that could potentially contaminate the work.

It is tricky to maintain privacy as a therapist in the digital age. For the last 10 years, I have been fiercely protective of mine. I don’t have any identifying features on my blog and I have asked people to not attach my last name to any speeches or events they may be publicizing for the NDF.

But as the voice in my head grows louder around my own acceptance of this disease, so does my willingness to invest in patient advocacy and disability awareness. I feel ready to use my voice.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by the editor of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, David Suissa, if I would contribute a column. In the past, I’ve always responded “no“ to such requests. This time, I said “yes.”

Here is the link below:

Growing From the Depths of Pain