01/25/2024
Free Therapy Episode 2: Kittens and parents and worry.
First off, "worry" is such a weird word when you type it out. My mind is telling me it's not real now. Anywho...
I once had an office in a building where the crawl space was home to a very productive momma cat. There was always a kitten circus greeting me in the parking lot and tumbling through the crawl space under my office during sessions. Yes, yes, very cute. Until fleas.
What struck me was the dance of anxiety and soothing that I saw on a daily basis among this feline crew, and I won't forget the lesson they taught me.
When I stepped out of my truck in the parking lot, the momma cat would immediately rush her kittens into the opening of a hole that led to the crawlspace. She would stand close beside them and stare at me with laser focus - her body rigid and still and ready for action.
The kittens however, had a different process for dealing with the threat of this strange giant walking towards them. Instead of having laser focus on me, their eyes would dart quickly from me to momma cat. Back to me. Back to momma.
Their main tool for figuring out this high stress situation was the reaction of their parent. If mom's ok, I'm ok.
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"I'm a parent, it's my JOB to worry." I hear it all the time - and trust me, I get it. But, our kittens are laser focused on us. They can read our worry even if we keep it inside. And get this, young children will often report the experience of a worrisome parent as similar to the experience of an abusive parent.
I work a lot with parents and family members of symptomatic children. I take them from feeling lost, helpless, and guilty to more emotionally neutral, stable, and empowered. I love showing them the healing they can bring to their kittens by simply understanding, reducing, and better managing their own worry and anxiety.
I'm Michael, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I'm here to help. www.kingtherapyllc.com
-Free 15 minute consultations
-BCBS accepted
-In person appointments in Tuscaloosa, AL
-Online appointments available in Alabama and Tennessee
Licensed Marriage and family therapy. Offering in-person and Telehealth appointments anywhere in Alabama and Tennessee. Specializing in couples and family counseling, depression, anxiety, and adjustment issues. Paperwork can be filled out online. Schedule an appointment today!
