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Interview with a therapist: A message of strength & resilience

We sat down this week with Katie Llewellyn to get to know her and her career as a therapist better. A conversation about the role of therapy ultimately led to a conversation about resilience.

Tell us a little bit about your career as a therapist.

Growing up, I had dreams of becoming a hairstylist. I loved going to the hair salon and chatting with my stylist and hearing women’s stories. As I got older and started moving closer toward choosing my career path, I realized that it was the stories I was most drawn to. This is how I decided to pursue psychology and counseling (and phew, no worries about ruining someone’s hair).  

My early career was spent specifically with survivors of sexual trauma. The survivors, their tenacity and resilience, inspired me to be most curious about how people overcome adversity. I consider it an incredible honor to be allowed into another person’s pain and I hold sacred the responsibility. 

When I transitioned to a healthcare organization, I worked with a large population of people with a wide range of symptoms. This allowed me further insight into the types of clients I am most passionate about working with: survivors of trauma, women’s issues, anxiety, and perinatal and postpartum mood concerns. I am drawn to working with women because of their inner strength. 

Working as a therapist puts us in a unique position to hear and learn from the lives of others. What is a lesson you have learned that has informed your own life?

Human resilience. Period. I have a favorite mantra: “We can do hard things.” It is a quote from Glennon Doyle’s book, “Untamed,” and I often reflect on it in my work as a therapist. My clients prove this concept to me each and every day. They humble me and inform the decisions of my own life. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, uninspired or struggle to achieve, I think of the fact that we are capable of more than we think.

How do you approach the client/therapist dynamic in your practice? 

I think in our training to become therapists, there is this notion that we are meant to be the “expert” in the room. Seven years into practicing, I still remain turned off by that idea. Therapy is a dynamic in which the client is the expert on their own life and the therapist’s role is to help them realize that. 

The most rewarding part of any session is when the client leaves armed with insight and ideas for how to better navigate the intricacies of their own life. A gift they give to themself by engaging in a dynamic where they receive unbiased, unconditional, and objective support that allows them to discover their own empowerment. 

What do you see as the role of mental well-being in a person’s life? 

As a society we tend to be busy, stressed, overworked and overwhelmed. We can all benefit from taking time each day to focus on self care, self growth, and the priorities of maintaining sound mental health. Oftentimes, the focus is solely on physical health, the kinds of ailments that are more tangible and visible. But stress, anxiety, and depression take so many shapes and forms that negatively impact our work, relationships, and overall sense of contentment. It is a vastly important role in not only getting through the day, but appreciating being alive.

What thought or idea inspires you to reach your fullest potential in life?

When I am not working as a therapist, I am a long distance runner. Distance running to me is a lot like life: challenging with good days and bad. It is a mental game as much as a physical one. The bracelet I wear for every race is one from my late father that reads, “She believed she could, so she did”. This is what I think about each and every day. If I believe in myself, I can do anything. If I tell myself that I can’t, I most likely won’t. This belief also informs my everyday life and it is what drives me to push and keep pushing to reach my fullest potential. Something we should never give up on.

Learn more about Katie Llewellyn, Elle’s newest therapist, who joins us the week of July 6th and is accepting new clients into her practice. We welcome her message of strength and resilience, especially at the present moment.