What is Therapeutic?

Phil and I check-in every Monday afternoon.

He has been a direct report for the last 3.5 years. He is the Program Operations Manager at Khesed Wellness.

This week I asked, “What is one way we can grow our professional relationship?”

He asked for us to choose an annual intention, a way we each want to grow over the next year, and then check-in with each other throughout the year. He said we naturally encourage each other toward growth, and he would appreciate some more intentionality.

What a fascinating idea--mutual growth conversations at work.

While Phil and I are both trained mental health therapists, our check-in isn’t therapy. However, our meetings are therapeutic.

Therapy is a professional clinical relationship between a trained mental health therapist and client(s).

What is therapeutic? Healing experiences.

Therapeutic experiences exist within and outside of therapy.

Activities like fly fishing can be therapeutic; work meetings, dinner conversations, and travel too. Jumping into cold water can be therapeutic (for some), doing yoga, walking your dog, drinking your morning coffee slowly, listening to music, reading a book, exercise, and rest, as well.

Therapeutic experiences are diverse and abundant.

Three components create therapeutic experiences:

● An environment prioritizing and protecting vulnerability.

● An invitation for additional perspective.

● An activation of our parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, and heal).

Therapeutic experiences are about quality not quantity.

Written By Heather Lundy, Founder & CEO of Khesed Wellness.