By: Susan Riley, LCPC, EMDR

Clinical Therapist, Grow Wellness Group Counseling & Therapy

We humans thrive in the company of those we care about. We gain so much when we meet new people and share thoughts and ideas as we enjoy such stimulation. During this pandemic, doing what comes naturally to us is now dangerous.

So, how do you connect and share when you are doing Zoom or FaceTime with those you care about? How do you get to know new people remotely to get that much-needed stimulation?

Long before we had the Gutenberg Press, all of humanity relied on story telling. Our history was composed of stories we told of our ancestors, the veneration we felt for the words and ideas they passed on to us. Our story telling became our verbal history.

So, perhaps now we do what we can to connect by telling stories about ourselves, our experiences, our big influences and events and those from our family and community.

This is a way to transmit the collective wisdom that we all carry within us.

So, one can start with questions like:

What was it like growing up during the Depression……World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War?

Who was your favorite teacher and why?

What were the important lessons you learned as you were growing up?

What is your favorite book, movie, saying, hymn, song, poem or motto?

What makes you laugh?

What makes you cry?

 What do you want the next generation to know about your generation?

As a kid, adolescent, teen, young adult, what do you want to tell your older generation about yourself?

And for anyone who wishes to think of it, what do you hope for now?

Sharing any of these things, and whatever other things one can think up will be a sharing of yourself, your story, your influences, and it has intrinsic value. We make our lives richer when we share, and we can do this even now, even as we shelter in while Covid-19 rages through the world.

Struggling with isolation or connection during this time? Grow Wellness Group can help! We are a Naperville based counseling and therapy practice, and we provide services for individuals, couples, families, teens, and children seeking support for depression, anxiety, couples issues, and substance abuse issues.

Susan Riley is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) at Grow Wellness Group in Naperville. She is also a certified practitioner of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment specializing in trauma work. Susan also provides teletherapy counseling and substance abuse counseling.

 

Remember: You do not have to be alone in all of this! Grow Wellness Group is here to help!

Grow Wellness Group Provides:

Individual Counseling, Family Counseling, Marriage & Couples Counseling, Depression Counseling, Anxiety Counseling, Major Life Transition related Counseling, Grief / Loss Counseling, Trauma Counseling, & Divorce & Co-Parenting Counseling and Post-partum Depression, Child Counseling, Teen Counseling,  Post-partum Anxiety, Teleheath Counseling / Teletherapy and more.

 

Who We Serve:

Individuals (across the entire age life span), Families, Marriages and Couples, Teen and Adolescents, Children (4-5+), and employees in overcoming a range of personal and/or interpersonal obstacles

 

Grow Wellness Group

200 E. 5th Avenue, Suite 109

Naperville, IL 60563

331-457-2020

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

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