Dear Loyal Readers,
Can you believe that it’s been over 20 years since I started sharing my weekly column with all of you? It has truly been a joy and honor to have had the opportunity to guide you into my world of psychotherapy and enable my readers to realize that they are not alone in their struggles and confusion.
Life can be beautiful, but it can also sometimes be scary and chaotic. In moments of despair, it’s easy to feel hopeless and alone in one’s quagmires. My hope was to empower everyone to realize that there are always options, no matter what one is going through—even if one’s only available option is the one that speaks to our ability to choose our attitudes and reactions to events that seem totally out of our control.
After all this time, I would imagine that those of you who read Mindbiz consistently have a pretty good sense of who I am as a therapist and what beliefs I hold dear that inspire my weekly responses. Maybe some of you can even predict, more or less, what my answers will look like. And that’s great, because it tells me that you have developed within yourselves some useful tools that will always be available as you journey through your own challenges.
But I represent just one voice. Yes, psychotherapy is based on many cold facts that one learns in the process of pursuing one’s degree. But make no mistake—we each bring our own gut feelings, our own intuition, our own sensibilities, and our own life experiences into every situation, whether it’s in our offices or in a newspaper column. And as a result, no two therapists will necessarily respond to a problem in an identical way.
Therefore, I feel the time has come for me to step aside and create an opportunity for you to hear a fresh, new perspective to the many dilemmas that fill our world. And though I will definitely miss the connection that I feel toward each and every one of my readers, I know in my heart that it’s time for me to hand over the torch to another fine psychotherapist who will bring clarity and inspiration to all.
And what a perfect time for me to wish you all a Shanah Tovah U’Metukah! May the New Year bring you all health, joy, peace, and tranquility. Life happens and we can’t avoid all the challenges that come along with it, but may you discover within yourselves the knowledge and resiliency to remain hopeful and happy.
With love and gratitude for this amazing opportunity,
Esther
Esther Mann, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in Hewlett. Esther works with individuals, couples, and families. Esther can be reached at mindbiz44@aol.com or 516-314-2295. Read more of Esther Mann’s articles at 5TJT.com.
