1. After sharing a life changing traumatic experience they survived, a youth shared that their worst fear was that they won’t ever get to have a “good life” after this. I told her “When you see successful adult women, a lot of those women are survivors of trauma, just like you.”

2. She didn’t believe me. “You are bullshiting me to keep me from killing myself. Where are they? There can’t be lots, if I have never met a single one” I said in serious tone “Yes you have. I’m right here. And I have what to me is a good life. I believe you can too.”

3. She was quiet for a minute. In an angry voice, she asked “Can you tell me what you did to stop feelings like fucking shit all the time?” I said that everytime she walks into my office and is brave enough to face the past, she is doing the only thing that ever worked for me.

4. We went on other topics but she circled back to my disclosure that I’m a trauma survivor who went to therapy. She said “Thanks for telling me. It makes think you might actually be able to help me since you didn’t just read it in a book.”

5. This thread is not intended to negate formal training or state that you have to have trauma to be a good therapist. But we’re doing a disservice to our clients when we won’t reveal that someone real (ME/YOU) can be happy and successful AND be a trauma survivor.