Sandy Stillo, Ph.D., LPC-S, CHST

07/22/2025

Natalie at Well Grounded Coffee is offering a free support group every Tuesday from 3:30-5:00. Stop by for coffee or tea and and meet Natalie. She provides a warm, welcoming environment. If you know others who might need support in their healing journey, please feel free to share this information.

05/22/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16awfRCjkt/?

05/07/2025

If you or someone your know has lost a loved one, pick up my free guide to navigating grief. This guide can be helpful to anyone who is grieving whether the loss is disenfranchised (including non-death loss) or the death of a loved one.

You can also sign up for information regarding upcoming grief workshops and retreats.

If you are a therapist and have an interest in working with clients who experience a particular type of grief, would like more information on workshops for facilitating the grief process, or need a consultation, I'd love to help. DMs welcome.

https://www.betterlifedallas.com/areyougrieving

05/02/2025

It’s been shared that the US government may be defunding the National crisis hotline. That hasn’t happened yet. *For now, 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline remains operational 24/7, providing free and confidential support. Trans Lifeline is also still in operation in the US (1-877-565-8860).*

Therapists need help sometimes, too. IF YOU NEED HELP, please call 988 our 877-565-8860.

At the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you’re facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns…

03/19/2025

03/14/2025

You are not responsible for the choices your clients make.

What immediately comes up for you when you read that statement?

Some find it uncomfortable to say this. If I'm not responsible for their success, then what's the point? If they aren't getting better, I must be doing something wrong. Being a therapist makes me responsible!

Does it, though?

What about autonomy? Clients have autonomy in making decisions about their lives. They can choose to do or not do whatever they want.

So what then IS your responsibility?

Your responsibility is to:

Know your limits--practicing outside your experience and training can be at best unhelpful, at worst dangerous for the client.

Seek supervision and consultation--you are not expected to have all the answers. It's your responsibility to seek the answers from others with more experience or specific experience.

Know yourself--know your triggers, know your weaknesses, know your strengths, know your beliefs, know your biases, and know when they are getting in the way.

Continue your personal growth--reflect on your work with clients and recognize what comes up for you personally. Where there is more to learn, learn it. Where there is more to heal, heal it.

Respect your profession--act ethically, know the rules, advocate, and continue learning.

These responsibilities belong to you. Be active in addressing these responsibilities. It won't always be easy and certainly won't always be fun, but it will define how you are known in this field.

03/13/2025

Think of this in terms of the client-counselor relationship.

What is important about understanding this concept when working with clients?

Please
share
your
thoughts
in
the
comments!

03/12/2025

Dr. Harry Aponte, the developer of The Person of the Therapist Model of training future therapists, recognizes the value of the use of self in our work with clients. In his work, Dr. Aponte validates that the idea of "leaving yourself outside the door" is not only aspirational but also unhelpful. Knowing more fully who you are as a person is absolutely essential to your growth as a professional.

Supervision is not mere oversight or extended training. Those things are important, but not sufficient. If you want to connect deeply with your clients, you must first connect deeply to yourself. Doing so allows you to do the deeper work with clients without losing yourself in the process.

Ready to do supervision differently?

I am now accepting applications for LPC-Associates who are interested in starting their own practices and those seeking extended supervision after licensure.

www.sandystillo.com

03/07/2025

Integrity has two definitions. The first one refers to the integrity of a person; the second refers to the integrity of a thing, such as a document.

In considering integrity as it relates to our profession, I would argue that the second definition also applies to us as humans, especially as it relates it ethical violations.

When a therapist is not 100% clear on who they are professionally and who they are personally, they may inadvertently blur the lines. Being a therapist requires us to be wholly present in our professional selves when working with clients. This is not easy. We are human and our human-ness cannot and should not be divided.

Having integrity means being whole and undivided in our awareness of ourselves with our clients.

So how do we bring our self as a person into our work as a therapist and maintain our integrity?

We get curious about who we are, what we stand for, what we need, what we have, and what we lack.

We learn more about ourselves so that a part of us that is in need does not lead us astray in our professional relationships.

Ethical violations happen because our personal needs get in the way of our professional judgment. The more you understand about yourself as a person, the better able you will be to address your needs so that you can show up with integrity, whole and undivided.

03/07/2025

New therapists and seasoned therapists alike struggle sometimes with dreaded "shoulds." I'm not sure where we get the idea that we "should" have it all together simply because we are therapists. The truth is, having it all together is aspirational. We will never actually get to that place, and that's okay! We aren't supposed to. This life and this career is not about having it all together; it's about growth and healing and recovery and evolution--the process of being human. It's about leading our clients through the process, the same process we are in, and finding what is healing for them. Supervision is about recognizing your limitations and strengths and continuing every day to grow in your understanding of yourself and your clients.