Mandy Davidson, LPC

I take HIPAA seriously (promise). But every therapist needs a therapist. #miaowmiaow #TGIF 😂

We fancy! 💁🏽‍♀️ I love a good monogrammed water bottle! 😉 Taking a moment at the end of a very busy week to sit in gratitude to be able to do a job that is also a calling, and to be able to do what I enjoy 24/7. (Well not literally 24/7 because I practice what I preach and that includes self-care 😊 but you know what I mean) I invite you to take a moment and look at “What’s gone right?” this week ☀️ as we move into the weekend. #TGIF

Very excited to be working for Austin Counseling Specialists now. This is my peaceful office and surroundings that my clients will benefit from as well. Nothing like having a window again too. (And there are deer here!!! They have been known to come watch a session or two 😆🦌😍) https://atxcounselors.com

A really important reminder. And a lesson I’m still trying to master. ❤️ 🧘🏽‍♀️ ☮️ Happy weekend all ☀️

Intensifying my mindfulness practice. This is more than a longer daily meditation, it’s fully participating in your life. If I hadn’t started, I would’ve missed these gorgeous flowers today growing on a busy street. Here’s a sample daily mantra I find helpful: “I am anchored in this moment as my magnet and my compass.” ❤️ #presentmoment #mindfulness #onelife

So, this is pretty much what counseling is for me. I facilitate, evoke, hold space, witness, educate, and walk alongside you. You do the work and I’m your biggest advocate. But you can do the work. ❤️

Anger can be generative or destructive; an emotion or behavior.

The former is a gift if we hear its message, the latter is what gets us in trouble.

We have to acknowledge the anger, deescalate, and calm our emotional waters to hear the message.

There’s always a message.
#angermanagement #angerissues #healingjourney #regulate #therapyworks ❤️

Very excited to return to the office next week. Will slowly invite clients back who want in-person therapy while still taking precautions. Telehealth is amazing and there’s also nothing like in-person connection. 👍🏽 (Photo credit: my son, who thinks he’s both my boss and co-therapist and approves of this office. 😆)

Sometimes, my anxiety makes me vibrate at such a high frequency it takes me down.This quote was very grounding today❤️That & eating Nutella straight from the jar. All coping skills are valid, esp if you don’t overdo some of them 😉 #FlexibleResilience#highfunctioninganxiety #TherapistHealThyself

The theme for my past week of appointments was heavy grief & loss, all exacerbated by the pandemic taking our dreams away. I often look to this poem that was written about grief in literally five minutes at a social event. @scottandrewjames nailed the duality and pain of how we heal by learning to carry our grief differently - without letting go of the person and memories. Grief breaks us open. Highly recommend him.

#truth #fillingup #cookiesAREcopingskills 😆 🍪

Tis true. Understanding and healing 🧠 + ❤️ = ☮️

Cookie Cat contemplates life from her nest of blankets and luvvies. I absolutely love it when clients have their animals in our virtual sessions. I often encourage pet ownership as a coping skill and resource, if financially and logistically possible. They can literally be life-saving. Cookie is certainly my own emotional support. When she deigns to be. #Diva #CookieistheQueen #whiskersfordays😻

Breathe. Slow Down. Especially during a pandemic and politically difficult time. Breathe. I’m such a naturally high energy person that just sitting down to read this in its entirety required a shift in thinking. It was worth it. 🧘🏽‍♀️ 💜 😌

I recently changed work schedules and messed with my sleep/exercise routines. Like clockwork, my old friend Depression reared its head. I took it by the hand - because it’s a part of me that is asking for help - and told it I heard it. And then I got sleep, showered, talked to dear friends, hugged my child, did some yoga - and climbed out of its familiar black hole. Once you have a bag of coping skills, use them - they work. And once you know what your triggers are, you can be ready for the storm. A lot of this is behavioral activation or faking it til you make it. This was a mild depressive moment for me, but I’m out the other side and had some ice cream earlier today, making sure to turn my face towards the sun, and remember how glad I am to be alive. Emotional and mental health matters. And should be part of our daily conversation. ❤️

‪I always visualized tears as the ice block of my emotions melting. That helped me stop suppressing my emotions. #healing‬

Change and loss can be brutal. Even if it doesn’t feel like it yet, it can also be an opportunity for growth and renewal. You may not know how you’ll be ok, but all you can do is know that eventually you will be. I recommend breaking down the journey into small, manageable pieces. Start small for big change. #yougotthis #walkthepath #therapy

John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80

‪In addition to being a giant of the civil rights movement,fighting for gun control,&always speaking truth against injustice, John Lewis was the first congressman to publicly address su***de & su***de prevention. What an amazing human.This loss is profound. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/john-lewis-dead.html?fbclid=IwAR3VQb9XYTHm2wCJcgRsclq0FEFZfoURoCzu_j-E0bXhknFmuFHI0CnSUgs

nytimes.com Images of his beating at Selma shocked the nation and led to swift passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He was later called the conscience of the Congress.

Finding ways to safely accommodate existing and new clients who need in-person therapy. Using face shields in addition to other precautions. Trauma is especially well-treated in-person, with both therapist and client able to gauge facial expressions and connect more easily to build therapeutic rapport. And this is one of my favorite t-shirts😉😷💜#TherapyintheAgeofCOVID #covid19

This. So many grievers worry that they will forget their loved one as they heal. You can’t, they live on with and through you, and you just learn to carry their memory in a different way. ❤️#grief‬

Coronavirus survivors 'at risk of PTSD'

Not only will coronavirus survivors need additional support, many of them are being released into continued isolation/quarantine. We will be feeling the mental health repercussions of this for years to come and I hope we continue to shine a media spotlight on it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-53214482?__twitter_impression=true

bbc.com Leading doctors call for regular check ups of those who have been treated in hospital.

Currently seeing clients via telehealth. Call me for a free 15 minute phone consultation. You don’t have to navigate this pandemic and mental health issues alone. 🦋

How attachment theory works in the therapeutic relationship – Elitsa Dermendzhiyska | Aeon Essays

This is a beautifully written article explaining why the therapeutic relationship is the heart of effecting change in sessions. Theories and techniques are important. Listening with your entire self is the simple foundation of therapy.

I always think of myself as a translator and mirror helping clients hear themselves think; understand their feelings; and see their behavior. They are the experts on themselves and just need help reclaiming that power. 💪🏽

https://aeon.co/essays/how-attachment-theory-works-in-the-therapeutic-relationship?fbclid=IwAR0JfUUL_vnqKvivc-FPWdAQky7m0AnZ1bOlV7SZ-BcB0GV3NTjAthdA9XY

aeon.co Why therapy works is still up for debate. But, when it does, its methods mimic the attachment dynamics of good parenting

I recommend @livefromsnacktime for general mental health support and spittakes over hilarious kiddo quotes but this one is especially wise - if blunt. 😉The symptoms of a panic attack are absolutely real, but the dire things Anxiety is telling you are not. Anchoring yourself to your breath (or movement, if breath makes it worse) is one technique to manage the slippery beast that is anxiety. #rideitout #anxietyisreal #tamethebeast

The Business of Living

CO-SIGN. (not the screenshots, read the post under it) Being more vulnerable is courageous, and the “old school suck it up mentality” is toxic. Resilience is great. Shutting down your emotions is not.

Screenshots taken from just this morning in response to Meghan Markle’s recent interview.

Can we talk about:
1. The absolute relentless criticism that modern social media exposes new parents to.

2. The toxic idea that swallowing your hardships/trauma/mental health issues is the better way.

Those of you applauding the “old way” of silencing your emotions might be shocked to learn that I sit with the adult children of the “stiff upper lip” generations and no, it wasn’t better. They took out all of their unexpressed rage and trauma on those they loved in both overt and covert ways. It wasn’t ok in their houses.

It’s the greatest irony that those who are rigid, fragile, and emotionally detached play the role of “tough and strong” while throwing stones at those who are honest, genuine, and resilient. I’ve sat behind closed doors with both and I can tell you, it isn’t what it seems.

That person who is emoting about their trauma? They are working it out. And they’re going to be better for it, as are their children.

And that person who “never complains” and doesn’t “cry about it” is building a house of cards that requires everyone in their life to dance around all their triggers. While espousing virtues of strength, they are growing increasingly more fragile.

Enough is enough. No more trauma shaming. No more mental health shaming. This generation of parents has lived through it as children and they’re working to give their kids better.

Love this! Let’s focus on “green flags” in relationships too #healthyboundaries #healthylove

This is one of the best, most visceral descriptions of the dysfunctional allure of a toxic relationship - whether romantic, platonic, or familial. You don’t have to burn to feel connected or alive. Let go. #stabilityissanity

👇🏽

How Trauma Impacts Memory:

Reposted from another practice’s page - this is something we all forget. Without mistakes, you don’t try, grow, change, learn, or wake up. You could marry the wrong person—-but have the right child with them. You could choose the wrong job—-but make a connection that puts you on a better suited career path. We all make mistakes. How do you get back up after you make one? That’s what counts 👍🏽

Whether yoga or walking or a sport - one of the biggest coping skills you can have is *moving* your body. 🧘🏽‍♀️ It is emotionally stabilizing, releases tension, and when words aren’t enough to process your feelings, you can move through them. ☮️ I’m a therapist and also a human who experiences mental health issues, and only yoga and constant mindfulness keeps that low hum of anxiety at my feet instead of over my head. #NotTodayAnxiety #Yoga4life #unicornsofinstagram ❤️

Many of us have been in this type of relationship. Loving someone unconditionally is beautiful. Loving someone so much that you disappear in them is obsession. Love yourself first and you nourish healthy roots to grow healthy love and attachment. ❤️

This, all of this. You can start over in every moment as it unfolds. And progress is not linear. #everymomentisado-over