07/03/2026
This week marked the termination and relapse prevention sessions for several clients who began their psychotherapy journey with me during the third quarter of 2025.
As always, the final sessions bring a mixture of emotions for both therapist and client. Earlier this week, I said goodbye to an older adult client who had been working through Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Today, I also concluded therapy with a teen client who has developed stronger emotional regulation and coping skills. A few hours later, I completed therapy with a female adult client who had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. For this post, I am reflecting on her journey.
She began treatment during a very difficult chapter of her life. During our first session, she was struggling with severe depressive symptoms, including suicidal thoughts, following the end of a romantic relationship. Over the course of therapy, I saw her slowly work through the pain and emotional weight of that experience. Healing was not easy, but she continued to show up and engage in the work required for recovery.
Today, she shared that she feels stronger and clearer about her life. She has made meaningful changes, including leaving a stressful work environment, finding a better job, finding closure after the breakup, and developing stronger boundaries for future relationships. Most importantly, she no longer carries the sense of hopelessness that once brought her to therapy.
Moments like this remind me that therapy is not about fixing people; it is about helping individuals reconnect with their own strength, clarity, and sense of self. I was also deeply touched by her thoughtful gesture of a sunflower bouquet, a moving symbol of her appreciation for the guidance and help I gave her.
I wish her continued healing and strength as she moves toward a stronger, more resilient future.
(Shared with client consent. Identifying details have been modified to protect confidentiality. A small note of clarification: while some clients kindly refer to me as “Dr. Cherry,” I am a licensed psychologist and not yet a doctoral degree holder.)
